Summer Dress With McCall’s 7889

I made a summer dress with McCall’s 7889 because I wanted something that would be quick and easy. This pattern did not disappoint. It’s described as being a very loose-fitting top and dress with button front closure.

The Pattern

I made a version that combines both Views D and B. I rarely make something that is strictly the way the pattern is designed! The suggested fabrics are all lightweight and flowy, so that will give you some idea of how this is intended to fit and look.

The Dress

I got this fabric from my mother-in-law who used to sew quite a bit. I’m sure it’s from the 1970’s or 1980’s since she’s held on to it a long time. It’s 100% polyester, but it’s very lightweight, breezy and thin. The fabric was in perfect condition and was perfect for this dress.

While the fabric is easy to sew and the pattern is rated easy, I did have a bit of a struggle with the pleats. There are three pleats on each side of the front and on each side of the back. Although they are easy to make, pleats are one of those things that sometimes throws me off. I think it’s because I really need to slow down and sew more carefully to get them placed correctly. There was a similar issue when I made this skirt years ago. Here’s that pattern; unfortunately, this one isn’t available.

woman wearing summer dress with McCall's 7889

I would dispute the pattern description that the dress is very loose. Because the pleats in the front and back gently cinch in the waist, the dress does have some shaping.

The pattern also includes a belt as you can see in the photos. That also helps to bring the waist in. Please be aware that there are no pockets in the dress. So that’s something you’d have to add if you are so inclined.

front view of woman wearing summer dress with mccall's 7889

Now, I will admit this dress is shorter than what I’m normally used to. If I was to make this again, I would probably add a few inches to the length. I debated with myself about doing that and decided against it. But next time, I will add a bit more fabric to the bottom of the dress.

Conclusion

I’m not sure I would sew this dress again, but I do think it would make a cute top (that’s View A in the pattern).

But, if you’re looking for a cute summer dress, this could be the one!

For those of you who would like to see the video review I made of the dress, that’s here below.

I Used Two Patterns To Make One Dress

For my latest Minerva project, I used two patterns to make one dress. I took the dress portion from one and added the sleeves from the other.

Pattern envelopes — Vogue 8847 & Butterick 6446

The Fabric

For this project, I was gifted this very nice, lightweight fabric. It’s called John Kaldor soft crepe and it’s 100% polyester. The fabric has a gorgeous drape and is very soft like the name says.

This fabric washes and dries really well. I love the vibrant print of it as well. It’s perfect for summer!

The Patterns

I’ve had both of these patterns since around 2012 and 2015. I l For this particular look, I wanted a bell-shaped, flowy sleeve. As the heat and humidity rises when we get into summer, there was no way I was going to make a long-sleeve dress.

The Dress

The Very Easy Vogue pattern is quite easy and quick to sew. While it wasn’t really necessary, I did pay attention to the direction of the fabric when I laid out the pattern. It’s a very loose fitting dress with gathers in the back and front yokes. There are no buttons or zippers, so you can simply pull it over your head.

The dress has inseam pockets too!

woman wearing yellow floral dress with her hands in pockets

Because the dress is very loose, the belt really helps to cinch in the waist. By the way, there were no issues with adding sleeves in from a different patten. The sleeves from the Butterick pattern fit perfectly into the Vogue dress.

Conclusion

While I am a little bit concerned about how comfortable the dress will be when the weather gets hot, I think it will be fine to wear. I am always cold in the summer when I’m indoors and the air conditioning is blasting!

I am so glad I used two patterns to make one dress. The end result is just what I had in mind.

If you’d like te see the video of this project, you can view that here.

Simplicity 9886 Color-Blocked Dress

I decided to make this Simplicity 9886 color-blocked dress using some fabrics I had in my fabric stash. It wasn’t hard to find three fabrics to go together. It was more difficult to actually choose which ones of many to use 😂.

The Fabric

The pattern calls for the use of three woven fabrics. All of the ones I used are light to medium weight cotton blends. The blue that is the main fabric is a linen-like blend that I had bought at JoAnn Fabrics some years ago. The floral is from Hobby Lobby, purchased a few years ago. The yellow is a basic quilting cotton in a solid color. It’s a thin fabric which is one of the reasons it’s the smallest section.

The Pattern

In order to make things easier on myself, I chose to sketch out the design first. This was so important because I didn’t have to constantly think about how the pieces were going together. Mind you, I am not an artist so sketching is not my thing – LOL. But, it is so helpful to have this to refer to during the sewing process.

Sketch of the line drawing for the dress

This is a sketch of the line drawing for both front and back. Colored pencils make the sketch come to life and help in the visualization process. I’m not sure if you can tell from the sketch, but there are inseam pockets in the dress.

My Dress

woman wearing Simplicity 9886 color-blocked dress

Simplicity 9886 is not a difficult pattern to make. I think that all the preparations I did ahead of time helped a lot! The dress is View C, with the length of View A. The midi length is one of my favorites.

Because there is lots of stay stitching (which I recommend you do), you may find that you’ll use a lot of thread. But those stitches are important since they help to keep the pattern pieces from stretching out of shape.

It’s important to give yourself as little room for confusion as possible when making a color blocked garment. That’s especially important if you don’t do many projects like this. I used a very similar process when I made this color-blocked top.

Conclusion

Overall, I can recommend Simplicity 9886 color-blocked dress. It can be made for bold and bright colors, or you can choose something more subtle. I believe that with a bit of preplanning, you can have a successful garment completed in a short amount of time. The dress is comfortable to wear and I think it’s a good addition to my spring/summer wardrobe.