My Take on McCall’s 7906

As many of you have seen, this skirt pattern is very popular among sewists and with good reason. It’s stylish, practical (it has pockets) and it’s easy to make. I made View C using a stretch cotton sateen that I fell in love with when I saw it.

In the picture above. I’m wearing it with a self tie belt I made from some leftover fabric I had. This particular version doesn’t have the self tie belt that View D does.

The pockets in the skirt are actually deep enough to be useful (LOVE that).

The only alteration I made to the pattern was to use the size 18 waist and size 16 hip. I really could have just made the 16 I think since the waist is just a bit looser than I would like (YAY me! All that exercise is paying off!).

But here are some other ways I styled this skirt.

The red T is Angela Wolf Patterns ruched T that I modified

Overall, I love this skirt and expect to get a lot of use out of it. The fabric is heavy enough that it’s not see through. This skirt has all the colors I enjoy wearing and should be a fun addition to my wardrobe!

Classically Styled Knit Dress

Most of what I make tends to be fairly classic in style. I like to make things that I like, that I’ll wear, and that suit my needs. In other words, I spend my time making those things that I will really enjoy wearing and whose style can transcend trends. McCall’s 7186 is one of those patterns.

M7186

I used this green ponte knit that I had in my stash which is a great weight for this type of dress. It’s not too thin but is more of a medium-weight knit fabric so it’s easy to sew. That also means that it’s going to hang well on the body.

This is one of the few garments I’ve made that I didn’t make any alterations to (I made View D). In the future, I certainly could make the sway back adjustment (which I’ve never done before – need to learn how to do that). I think that would eliminate some of the excess fabric in the back at the waist. But overall, I’m still very happy with the results. And because it’s knit, it’s very comfortable to wear.

I’m always challenged by certain pattern styles. I’m not challenged by whether I think it would look good or not, but I’m often challenged by whether the neckline is going to be too low or make me uncomfortable in some way. I don’t know if any of you go through this, but I am constantly wondering if I’ll be able to move freely without exposing anything that shouldn’t be exposed – LOL! Well, this particular dress is not a problem for me in regard to movement. It’s very comfortable to wear. I also like the fact that I can put this on and go about my business without thinking about what I’m wearing. There’s no pulling, tugging or readjusting needed. That’s what I’m looking for in my me-made wardrobe.

Another M6803 Cardigan

Actually, it’s two cardigans. This could be filed under “pre-Fall” sewing or “I’m always cold” sewing. I made this pattern again because it has become one of my favorite patterns. This is the type of sweater that I would tend to buy so finding a pattern to make my own was SO exciting for me.

M6803

I used a very light-weight knit for each one of these that I made this time.

M6803

The green is a bamboo knit and the blue is stretch jersey. Because the material is so light, I did add an interfacing strip on the green cardigan to the top of the pocket piece to give it a little more stability. Honestly, when I finished both sweaters, I really couldn’t tell that adding that made any difference. It did make the pocket a bit easier to fold and sew. I used a very light knit interfacing for this. The only design change was that I didn’t add any closure to the front. I was thinking about using snaps on the blue, but decided to leave it as is.

I had previously made this pattern using a quilted cotton knit (here) which is perfect for cooler days in the Fall and Winter. This is light enough to wear in the summer indoors when the AC is cranked up too high when I’m out of the house. They only took a couple of hours each to make and can be made on the serger almost exclusively. Both of these fabrics were purchased from fabric dot com (one of my favorite online sources for material).

Overall, this is a very versatile pattern that really could get 3 season use (Spring, Summer, Fall). I think it might be out of print now, but if you can get one, I certainly recommend it. This pattern can be made for men or women by the way. Sometimes you need/want to make something that’s quick and functional . This pattern certainly fills the bill on both counts. And, this would probably be really cute in a stretch knit lace as well!

*Affiliate link alert: While I don’t see the same fabric I used, you can check here or here for similar options.