Goldfish Dress: McCall's M7381
Hello September! Fall is my favourite season. The air is getting crisp, the sky is clear, the leaves are changing their colours.
My last summer dress I'm sharing is a goldfish printed dress.
Goldfish print is very common and popular for Yukata (summer informal kimono) and I love the print too. Since I don't have much opportunities to wear Yukata here, I wanted to make a dress out of a goldfish print fabric.
I had been on a hunt for a good goldfish print for a while—I wanted something grown up (a lot of Japanese goldfish print fabric I found were suitable for little children), I wanted something that is not over the top. I had no luck with Japanese online stores, but then one day, I found something I really liked on a Canadian online store! It's viscose poplin fabric by Telio, I got it from Spool & Spindle. The prints are small, so not too crazy, blue stripes reminds me of water, the fabric is lightweight. Perfect!
For pattern, I chose McCall's M7381 (Surplice, Pleated Dresses with Optional Front-Tie.)
I used view C with slight modifications. I lengthened the skirt (in between mid-maxi length), and added some flares to the sleeves.
This dress has an interesting construction! I thought It would be complicated to put together but it wasn't.
I saw lots of tied front dresses this season, they're cute but often they have a big opening or a gap around the waist. I'm not comfortable showing my skin around the waist, so this pattern was ideal for me.
This dress has pleats on the shoulders and the tie on the centre front, they together create an effect that looks almost like there's another layer.
Here's the look without tying the front:
The instruction suggested to sew snap buttons on the front where the front bodices over lap, but I just hand-stitched them together. I didn't have any issues with putting them on with the front shut, because the back waist is elasticated.
As a design, I think the curve from the centre waist to the side is very cute. But I'm not sure if this style works for me; I might try to straighten the waist line if I ever use this pattern again.
I didn't make the length quite "maxi" because maxi dresses are hard to keep the hem clean and I have hard time walking in it without stepping on the hem all the time. So I went with a long mid-length, a bit above the ankles.
I finished making this dress a couple of weeks ago, unfortunately it is now too cold to wear this. I'm glad I have another summery dress ready for next year though!
Since I love this print so much, I'm tempted to purchase some more to make a top... Should I?
Sep 6, 2018
