Easy summer dress

I finished McCall’s 5974 the other day. It’s a very easy to make, knit dress that should be great for travel or just a day out. This is a Palmer/Pletsch pattern so there’s a lot of information about getting the fit you want included in the pattern instructions. I made the basic View A which has short sleeves. This only took a couple of days to put together (which is pretty quick for me). I could have done it in a day if I had worked on it all day. I used a stretch jersey knit (one of the recommended fabrics) which meant that I did not need to include the zipper in the back. I can pull this dress over my head so that made it even easier to make. If I were to make this again I would make the V-neck next time and probably try a solid color.

Simplicity 2174

It’s been a while, but I’m still here! I had some other things I was working on that I didn’t post (pants fitting alterations) that I finally got done. But this is the latest new project. It’s an “Amazing Fit” dress by Simplicity. I made View A which is the one featured on the pattern cover. I really like the fit of the dress. I didn’t have to make any alterations to the pattern. The pattern has options for A, B,C, and D cup sizes so anyone should be able to find the right fit. There is also a lot of fitting and sizing help in the pattern instructions if you need it. This is actually a pretty easy pattern to put together. The instructions are clear and easy to follow. I used a light-weight cotton/linen-like fabric which is perfect for a hot, humid summer day. I’m not sure if I would make this again just because I wouldn’t want another dress the same style as this. But there are a couple of other options in the pattern. Anyway, I’m happy with the way this turned out.

New Look 6095

I love simple, easy summer dresses and this is definitely one of those. I made this in View D except I omitted the ribbon that goes around the bottom band. I made this from some cotton blend fabric that I had in my stash. This took about 3 hours to actually put together, so it was quite easy and straightforward. The only alterations I made was to taper the hip down to the pattern size 14 and to lengthen the dress by 1 1/2 inches. This is something that I can definitely see making again for the summer. It has a classic shape and styling and can be made in a variety of materials.