Tag: McCalls

Summer Shirt

Rosy Days Shirt

Remember when I told you that McCalls 5433 was going to be my perfect summer wardrobe? Well, here’s my first summer shirt!

The fabric is a lightweight quilting cotton – a vintage piece by Rose & Hubble. The print is called “Rosy Days”, and it looks a bit like an old-fashioned quilt. Inside the circles are flowers, hearts and posies in pretty little baskets.

Rosy Days Shirt

The buttons are little blue plastic ones with a flower in the centre. I have no idea how old they are or where they came from – I unearthed them from one of my many inherited button tins!

The buttons aren’t functional – the shirt actually fastens with poppers. (This is because the buttonhole functionality on my sewing machine completely refuses to make nice buttonholes.)

The instructions were great, and the shirt went together very nicely. However, unless you’re a fan of hand finishing, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this pattern to a beginner. There are a lot of small details that make a big difference in the sewing of a shirt, and some of them can be a little bit fiddly.

I’ve really enjoyed making and wearing this shirt though, so it definitely counts as a success!

New summer wardrobe.

As well as taking over the world with tunics, I also want to make a couple of new additions to my summer wardrobe.

This shirt is McCalls 5433, and it’s a Palmer Pletsch design.

I was a bit startled to discover that the instructions ran to seven pages, and was worried that the shirt would turn out to be unnecessarily complicated. As it turns out, the first two pages are a very useful guide to tissue fitting. It also gives the details for several common alterations, such as how to make a full bust adjustment, and how to accommodate a high back or rounded shoulder. I didn’t know that Palmer Pletsch produced a range of sewing books and DVDs, but they look really useful!

I’ll be making the longest shirt, with the longest sleeves. In a lightweight lawn this should hopefully be the perfect summer cover-up.

Sewing Plans for this Autumn…

One of the perks of working in a fabric shop is that you find out in advance when the pattern companies are just about to have a special offer, or discontinue lots of styles. Now is the time of year when all of the autumn/winter pattern books appear, which means special offers galore!

I have something of a weakness for buying patterns, so I’m trying to be very good and only buy them if I’m absolutely definitely positively going to make them in the near future. I have fabrics in mind (and in my stash!) already for the four patterns below, so I felt justified in picking them up.

My sewing plans for this Autumn...

Top left: McCalls 5591.
I bought this pattern as an alternative to McCalls 5431. The two patterns have many of the same elements – a full skirt, contrast band at the hem and large pockets. McCalls 5591 has the advantage of working with one-way prints on 44″ fabric, which 5431 can’t accommodate. I’m sure that I’ll use both patterns, and I’m hoping to find myself living in these skirts for the rest of the summer. I certainly have plenty of fabrics I can use to make them…

Top right: Vogue 2784 (now out of print)
This is a Donna Karan designer pattern for Vogue. The dress itself is very sheer, and the pattern includes a bias-cut slip to wear underneath it. I have the perfect fabric for this project – a sheer black georgette with little black roses, which was given to me by a friend several years ago. I think it might be interesting to make a few slips in different colours, to change the look and feel of the dress. I plan to wear this one to other people’s weddings.

Bottom left: McCalls 5717
Everyone at work fell in love with this coat pattern as soon as we saw it on the back of the new McCalls catalogue. Naomi’s already bought a length of bright pink tartan, and I plan to make this one in my Waverley flamingo fabric.  The collar and the ruffle at the bottom will be in black velvet, as will the buttons. Then I just need to add a sparkly flamingo brooch to the lapel, and I have a fabulous winter coat!

Bottom right: Vogue 8211 (now out of print)
No, it isn’t the same as McCalls 5717! This one’s going to be a more dressy coat, and I plan to make it from a heavyweight cotton curtaining. It’s cream, with gold bees embroidered on it. I’m not certain how many opportunities I’m going to have to wear a cream evening coat covered in bees, but I’ve had the fabric for a long time, and this is the first pattern I’ve seen that’s really been right for it.

Now I just have to carve out a tiny space in my hectic sewing schedule, and set aside the time to make something for myself!