DIY Gathered Dress | McCall M7186
First of all…let me let you guys know that this blog post has been sitting my queue since November of last year. I know, I know. Some of you commented on this make when you saw it pop up on my I
Instagram months ago and I assured you all that I’d post about it. Well, now I am.
I sewed this one up after sewing my Simplicity 8214 make. I wanted to sew something quick and easy. I knew that this would be an easy make once I read the dress description. It is a pullover, close fitting dress– which means no zipper! Now, I’m not opposed to a zipper, but to not have to install one makes for a fast and easy project.
Side story: I decided to give up fabric/notion shopping for the month of September and use the money that I would’ve spent as a donation to my church’s multi campus expansion efforts. Well, I was in a bit of a pickle not having fabric while trying to maintain a blog. It was most definitely a leap of faith. I was trusting God to provide the resources that I needed to fulfill the purpose that He’s called me to and not rely of my “own” resources. Not even knowing what I was doing, my friend gifted me a bag full of fabric that she had saved from when she was learning to sew. Talk about a blessing! I challenge anyone in need of provision to sow a seed and watch that need get met!
I wanted to try something a little different for the hem than what the pattern instructions state. The pattern calls for turning up the hem and topstitching. Personally, I don’t like how this looks. So, for the sleeves, I hemmed using Pellon Double-Side Perma-Stick tape, a tip that I learned from Shari of My Daily Threadz. I think that this gives the hem a more polished look. However, because the fabric is double layered in the front, I did a blind hem by hand instead of using the tape. My conclusion is that tape is only appropriate on areas that don’t require stretch.
I would sew this pattern again, without hesitation. It is an easy make that fits well and can be dressed up as a nice, cocktail dress. For this shoot, I paired with with some formal earrings and shoes, recycled from my wedding.