4.24.2012

McCall 4440 (again!) - The "For the Love of Blue" Dress

When I think about this dress, two songs come to mind: "Dock of the Bay" and "My Favorite Things". I'm landlocked here so, you probably can't tell this about me but, I am a water. baby. Ok, actually, that's how my family frequently referred to me because I was always the first one in and last one out. I loved love the beach!  Given this, it's no surprise that I was drawn to this cute sea shell print fabric at Hancock.  Even better?  It's blue!  My lifelong favorite color. It didn't take long at all to decide this fabric was coming home with me.



I originally planned a skirt but, as it was being cut, I envisioned a dress with a white bodice to accent and break up the childish print.  Luckily, I had asked for a generous length.  To keep the bodice from looking too plain, I searched for just the right lace for an overlay.  I was heart-set on scallops.  I thought it would be cute if the lace resembled waves rolled toward the shore. Cheesy, yes but, what can I say? :-)  Thanks to another stroke of luck, upon my next visit to Hancock, I saw the perfect eyelet among their new fabrics.


Choosing the pattern was easy.  I knew McCall's 4440 would fit well and work to feature just the right amount of both the eyelet and the sea shell fabric.  But, I did not want another spaghetti-strap dress.  I wanted to be able to wear a normal bra! (tmi?)  To accomplish this, I made wider straps out of three-scallop-rows-high strips of the eyelet, folding under ~1/4" and then folding them in half, just shy of the outer scallop row, which I then hand-trimmed for a girlie touch.

Of course, having wider straps would be useless if their placement was wrong.  Fortunately, Stephanie had just inquired for her reader's measurements (she drafting an awesome new pattern to share!) and one measurement asked for the distance between our bra straps.  Since I had just taken this, when it came time to place my straps on the bodice, it quickly occurred to me to use that measurement as the guideline.  I did the same for the back.


From there, it was easy-peasy!  Since I'll be wearing this in Texas this summer, I chose to leave it unlined (the eyelet is underlined with batiste) - time cut in half.  And, since it was unlined, I chose to sew the side seams with my brand new serger - time cut in half again!  Woo hoo!

So comfortable and so quick - just a short afternoon and then it was off to play by the lake!

Since this was for the "Childhood" theme on Sew Weekly (see my post here), I decided to have a bit of fun with the photos, imitating a game of hide-and-seek.

"...5...6...7..."
My turn to hide. They'll never find me behind this tree!

I'd better get back to that vacation queue!  Have a great week, everyone! x

10 comments:

  1. This is adorable, it's casual enough to run errands in, and dressy enough for church or date night. Great job!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Cynthia! It's nice to hear that this is a garment I can dress up or down. It's sure to get more use that way.

      Delete
  2. Very nice, Jennifer. What a great summer dress for almost any event or non-event. I like that the top portion is white and the bottom portion is blue. The color division gives it added interest.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Pam! I do feel I made a good choice with the eyelet as an accent. It's so nice to hear that others agree :-)

      Delete
  3. What a perfect dress Jennifer! The laced bodice really makes it more grown-up and very different from your previous versions of McCall's 4440. I love the hide-and-seek pictures :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aww, thank you, Annabelle! Yes, since I'll have at least five of this pattern by summer, I did want to try something a little different. Hehe - I'm glad you like the photos.

      Delete
  4. "I can't see you, you can't see me!"

    Love this dress, it's a great fit on you and the bodice looks great!! Love it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha, exactly! Wow, do you remember when we actually thought that!?

      Thanks, Neeno! You're very sweet!

      Delete
  5. The dress looks great on you, you did a great job (HOW quick?!) and to continue on the childish theme: I'm a bit jealous!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Why thank you, Marianna! Luckily, I worked out the fit over the last three (!) variations so it was just cut and sew. This pattern is such an easy make too. You should try it!

      Delete

Let's keep the conversation going! Feel free to comment below or on Instagram!

If you want to comment without linking to your profile (or if you don't have an account), please choose "Name/URL" from the drop-down and leave your first name (website optional) so I know who I'm responding to. I can't wait to read your feedback! x