McCall’s 6282–knit cowl dress

Another week, another dress. I’m sure this crazy sewing mojo is going to drop off or be replaced with something else soon but I’m riding the wave while it lasts. I’ve been spending a lot of time at Sewing Pattern Review lately. I joined there years ago but never did much. Now I’m getting  more involved and posting reviews of the patterns I’m sewing. One of the best features is the Review Gallery where the latest reviews of patterns are posted by users. You can also search for a pattern to see how others have made it, how it fits, etc. I like that I can see a pattern that I’m considering on bodies that aren’t exactly like the pattern illustration or model. I’ve also inspired to try patterns that I wouldn’t have given a second thought to or fabrics that I’ve avoided in the past. For example; knits. I’ve been ‘afraid’ of knits for years. Even after I bought a serger I still wasn’t confident sewing knits. I’m still working out a relationship with them but it’s getting more companionable.

This dress is the first made out of ITY jersey knit. It seems to be all the rage in the knit sewing world right now. I ordered a couple different pieces from Fabric.com recently during a big sale. I found it to be a little tricky to sew. It is slippery and tends to roll along the cut edges. The end result is worth it though. I have a couple tops from Coldwater Creek made out of this type of fabric and they are light-weight, stretchy, launder great and hold their shape. I knew it would have the perfect drape for this dress.

What I like about this pattern: The cowl has a nice drape without being too loose and risking of a boob flash if you have to bend over at the waist. The sleeves set in easily. Center back seam that aids in fitting.

What I didn’t like about this pattern: Waist gathers; gathering fabric is a pain in the butt anyway, but on slinky knit it is particularly annoying. I played with doing it on my serger but my skill set isn’t at that point yet. The resulting gathers do a nice job of hiding the bulges that a clingy knit tends to accentuate so it is all good.

Two features included in this pattern that I chose to discard were the center back zipper and the lining. This knit is stretchy enough and the neckline gives more than enough room to pull this on over the head. I’m sure a lining would give it a nice couture finish and eliminate the need for a slip. Because I didn’t have any tricot lining fabric on hand and because I have a couple nice full slips, I chose not to line this dress. Also, ITY knit is opaque enough that it really isn’t see-through and I wanted a lightweight summer dress.

I’m kind of torn about my opinion on the finished dress. It is really comfortable and easy to wear. I wore it all day at work today and I didn’t have to fuss with it at all and I didn’t feel self conscious about the fit or anything. Today I wore it with a pair of high-waisted Spanxx instead of a full slip and I think it controlled the tummy bulge better than the slip I wore when this picture was taken. I will probably just have to either have to suck it up and start hitting the gym again or accept that I have a belly and will just look like this in this type of dress.

When I posted this picture on Facebook and PatternReview I got comments about the scowl on my face. It was just that Steve was being my photographer again, something he doesn’t particularly like to do nor is particularly skilled at so I was mid-photography lesson when he hit the shutter button. Also, the late afternoon sun was right in my face. I intended to crop my head off the pics anyway to save the internets from having to be assaulted by the deadly combo of my scowling mug and my bulging belly. My apologies.