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Dress Up Party – Pattern Review – McCalls 6747

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This post is part of Dress Up Party. For contest rules, full details, and schedule, please click here!
Today’s post is from Kerry of Verykerryberry.
Hi and welcome to another stop on the ‘Dress Up Party’ blog series.  Thank you Sara for inviting me!

My name is Kerry, I am from the UK  and I blog at verykerryberry. I am a greedy sewer, I like to sew it all- quilts, clothes, bags, but clothing was my first love.  I started with clothes for my toys and by eleven I was making a vintage 60s dress from an old pattern with my mum.  I make most of my wardrobe.  I like lots of everyday separates that are easy to wear  and suit my lifestyle plus some dresses for warmer weather and going out.  Henley style jersey tops are one of my favourite ready to wear styles so despite the uninspiring pattern cover,  I chose McCalls M6747 and Art Gallery Hello Bear knit fabric in Adventure Springs, available here.

I started off with a test garment.  I  do this when I am unsure on techniques and/or fit.  I had already researched the pattern on Pattern Review so I could see some of the issues other makers had experienced plus I hadn’t sewn a placket with knit fabric before.  Good quality knit fabrics are expensive in the UK and the selection available is small so I’d rather experiment with scraps of previous projectsor old jersey duvet covers first.  Making a test garment or  is a bit of a pain to do but it is always informative and you only need to sew the essential features and construction seams- you can skip hems etc.  To help decide on the sizing, I laid the paper pattern out flat and placed some of my other knit patterns that I know fit me well over the top and I could see the S was the closest fit.  My bust measurement is 33″, my waist is 27″ and my hips are 36″ so I am closer to size M following the pattern measurements but I could see the fit was quite loose in the pattern picture plus the actual garment measurements are printed on the pattern tissue and there was a generous amount of ease built in. I cut out a small and traced a short sleeve off for a test garment.  Art Gallery knits have 5% spandex mixed in with cotton which makes for a great fitting jersey fabric with lots of stretch.  From past experience, I’d rather pay more for good quality knit fabric than waste time sewing a garment using cheap fabric that quickly falls to bits develops lots of holes.
 
Test Garment: Pre-sewing Modifications
  • Shortened the placket
  • Sewed the sleeve in using the flat method, then joined the side seams.
  • Stay stitched the placket area on the front
  • Used sewing machine for seams and serger to neaten seams.   I kept a note of all the stitches I used taped to my machine (see photo).
Here’s how the test garment looked:
The neckline is baggy and gapes front and back so the band needs to be smaller.  The shoulder seam looks a little narrow on the sleeve side so the top of the sleeve sits higher than I think it should- I need to make the shoulder seam a little wider.  There is a little bagginess at the centre back waist and above the hip so I need to take the centre back seam.  I added the pocket for future reference, just to see it if was in a good position following the pattern markings but I won’t use it for the finished top.
 
Changes after test garment:
  • Reduced length of top at the hem by ¾” and and planned my final hem at  ⅝” rather than 1¼”.  I didn’t want a long bulky folded hem.
  • Reduced the angle of the shoulder seam at the neck by around ⅛” This is a handy thing to do if you are a little hollow at the front and/or small busted and helps stop any gaping at the front or back neck. I often make this adjustment.
  • Traced full length sleeve but reduced  the length and cut a separate cuff, just a little narrower than the bottom of the original long sleeve.  The  final length of the sleeve will end up the same as the original pattern and I prefer the the neat finish a cuff gives to a sleeve.
  • Increased the shoulder seam length at the top of the shoulder  by ⅜” grading the line into the existing seamline just after the circle marker.  This change was made on front and back.  In the photo the back bodice on the left has been altered and you can see the extra paper and the front bodice on the right is mid alteration before it has been trimmed down.
  • Took in the centre back seam from the waist by ¼” grading the line above and below into the existing seam   I also top stitched this seam to one side it so it would lie flat.
  • Added fusible stay tape to the back shoulders to prevent stretching. The shoulder seam is pressed to the back so you won’t see or feel the tape.
  • Neck band: the usual practice with a knit neck band is to measure the seam line around the neck and subtract 20%.  The pattern piece already worked out at around that size and it was too big so I cut the XS size and transferred the XS markings and this worked perfectly for size S top.
I made  a long sleeve top option and on the back of the envelop, quantities are only given for the long sleeve tunic and dress option.  I used 1.5 metres (approx 1 ⅔ yds) of 150cm/60″ wide fabric.  Knits often shrink significantly so I always prewash on a standard 40 degree prog. and I flat dry as pegging the fabric on a line stretches the fabric in odd places. I used machine zig-zag seams throughout and finished the edges with a serger.  In areas of strain like the underarm seams, I sewed an extra line of stitches as reinforcement.  I have found Art Gallery knit is so stretchy that serging/overlocking alone is not always enough and the narrow serged seams can pop open.

Construction Changes

Sewing the Placket

Instead of just reinforcing the inner corners at the base of the placket, I sewed the seam lines in a rectangle shape as I have with woven plackets to act as stay stitching and stop the area from stretching.  After attaching each band, I carefully folded the fabric back and trimmed/serged the raw edges.

Adding the Neckband

Basting the neckband with a long shallow zig zag and using a thin cotton thread is helpful- it still stretches but not too much and the cotton thread is much easier to use than standard Guttermann polyester sew all.  Pin with the neck band on top and the larger neck edge underneath.  Pin the notches, centre back and dotted areas first and then for the remaining neck where the band is smaller than the neck edge, curve the edges of the fabric to create an upwards covex curve  ease the layers together.  I then basted the neckband in place using a long shallow zig zag, thin cotton thread and ½” seam.  Check for ripples and trapped fabric and then sew with standard poly thread and ⅝” seam.  Remove basting thread and press well before edge stitching.

Attaching the sleeves

I have no idea why the pattern instructions include a set in sleeve.  This is a relaxed style knit top and the easiest method to add sleeves is the flat construction method which is how shop bought knits are constructed.  I did mark my seam allowance on the front and back armhole edges with Sewline pencil.  I pin and sew with the armhole edge on top and the larger sleeve head underneath and when the armhole edge is stretched to fit the sleeve in, it is much easier to sew an accurate seam first time with the seam allowance pencilled in.  There are lots of marks to help match up- notches, dots and a shoulder seam.  I did another row of stitching on the inside of this seam as armholes get a lot of strain and then serged the edges together.  I then sewed the side seams and the sleeve seams in one action and then served like before.

Final Fit

The final fit was pretty good.  I’ve already narrowed the cuffs a little as they are on the loose side.  All in all, happy with the result, and well worth a test version especially for the neck and placket!  I attempted buttonholes and whilst I could get them to work on a test piece it was a totally different story on the neck and placket.  Instead I sewed the buttons through the layers using my machine- the neck opening is easily large enough.  The only way round this would be to make the buttonholes before attaching the placket.

Compared to independent patterns designed for knits, this pattern felt a little dated and like it hadn’t moved with the growth in knit sewing using clever techniques and either a domestic machine and/or a serger. The sleeves are set in, as with a traditional shirt or blouse, and yet with knits and relaxed styles, it is far easier and quicker to add the sleeves flat.  There was no mention of using a double needle for hemming, most of the hems had a ¼” turn up before the main hem was turned up, as did the pocket which is bulky and unnecessary with knits as they don’t unravel.  The pattern photograph is not helpful- the hat distracts and the angled view hides how the top fits.  I focused on the line drawings instead.

Ultimately, I liked the pattern but I ended up sewing it most of it using my own knowledge and methodology rather than the paper instructions.  It is described as an ‘easy’ make but I think it is more challenging than that as the placket is a little fiddly with knit fabric.  I will make it again, it’s a versatile pattern.  I could see this as a PJ top or I could also imagine adding the placket to other knit tops too.  The Art Gallery fabric was great for this project, soft, stretchy and very comfortable to wear.

Thankyou for hosting Sara!  Looking forward to reading the other posts in the Dress Up Party series!
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14 thoughts on “Dress Up Party – Pattern Review – McCalls 6747

  1. Sue Romero says:

    What an informative post! I’ve been wanting to do more with knits. Thanks for the detailed review!

  2. Kerry, you are such an excellent clothes maker! I love this post!

  3. Terry D says:

    Thanks for a really great, detailed review with excellent photos. You make tailoring this pattern *seem* easy! I’ve always found a cascading chaos effect when trying to change things. Maybe I should try again with a little more patience

    1. Dressmaking and getting fit can be frustrating. It is nearly always slower than you imagine at the beginning of the process too!

  4. kathyh says:

    Great review. I’ve wondered if you put the buttonholes in the placket before inserting would be more of a sure thing.
    great review, wonderful photos.

    1. Yes I am going to try that next time!

  5. Emily says:

    Just lovely on you! Thanks for the detailed and helpful review!

  6. chilebeanz says:

    I like the style very much, but I’d do what you did with sleeves and a serger.

  7. pamela says:

    Kerry, thank you for the details and photos on fit and technique! Your post makes it easier to understand the how: I learned a lot!
    Sara, thank you for hosting another great series!

  8. smike03 says:

    Hi, I’ve just bought this pattern and am waiting for my jersey fabric to arrive so I can make it up. Your post is immensely helpful. I have been wondering whether it would make a nice winter version (a kind of relaxed sweater dress) in a thicker stretch knit – what do you think?

    1. Kerry says:

      The pattern recommends medium weight cotton jersey and I can see why. Anything thicker would be tricky with the placket and the neckline plus the extra back shaping seam. The dress style seems to be aimed at more of a summer wear cover up rather than a winter version

      1. smike03 says:

        Thanks so much for your prompt and thoughtful reply. I’ve found some great knitted fabric in lovely colours (on eBay) that I’m keen to try for the winter, but I guess I’lll have to look for a different pattern. Love your top by the way – I’m making the top in pink and navy narrow stripe and the long sleeve dress in royal blue with a contrast placket (or at least I will be when the fabric arrives…..). Thanks again!

  9. Kim Debrossard says:

    Hi!
    I found you blog looking for help with the front placket. The instructions are not really clear as to how to put it together. Is it possible for you to recreate this part? I am stumped. Please help if you can. Thank you! 🙂

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