Here's something new for you! I'm sharing a pattern review for one of the patterns I picked up at a recent Hobby Lobby pattern sale - $1.99 each!
In this pattern review, I stitched up McCalls M7784, View C. The pattern is a Laura Ashley design. It has cute ruffle sleeves that are nice and Summery!
My fabric is a yellow knit from JoAnn Fabrics. I love yellow and thought this pattern and fabric combo would pair well with light pants, jeans, or hot pink; all of the colors make it very versatile.
Watch the video below for all the great details, or keep reading for a play-by-play.
Pattern Buying Tips
If you're new to sewing with patterns, please please don't buy them at retail prices! All of the big box stores place their patterns on sale at some point or another.
For this pattern, there were 11 pattern pieces and 57 steps. For a beginner, you may want to start with a project involving less pattern pieces and less steps to get you comfortable sewing.
If you want to see my complete $1.99 haul from Hobby Lobby, check out my YouTube post, "Pattern Haul from Hobby Lobby Pattern Sale."
Sewing Up the Pattern
The pattern went together fairly easily, but it did have a lot of pattern pieces and steps.
I made a personal modification to my particular sleeveless tank. This is something you'll learn to do the more you work with pattern sewing. That said, my modification was pretty simple.
The back of the tank should have a seam going straight down the back with an opening and hook closure at the top. I decided to make a change: sew the back seam closed! The top of the bodice on the tank has an elastic casing that goes around the top of the tank to help the sleeve stay snug on the shoulders and not droop down. Since I used knit fabric and the sleeves are stretchy, I decided to sew the back seam closed instead of having an opening with hook closure. I can easily pull the shirt over my head with the seam sewn closed.
It may not be something that you want to change, but I like having the elastic at the top and not worrying about a back closure.
I also love the tank ruffles and circular sleeves! The sleeves went in fairly easily, too!
One step that caused me some confusion was close to the last step. The pattern had me sew down the back of the straps in first, and I kept wondering when the pattern would have me attach the straps to the front. In many patterns that I’m familiar with, usually the straps are sewn down early. Because of the casing, the pattern didn’t have me sew them down until towards the end. See an example of the casing at Timestamp [5:38] in the video. I had to leave small openings in the top so that I could insert the straps. After the casing is made, the front of the straps are finally sewn down under the top ruffle so that you cannot see the stitching lines.
Thoughts on Pattern Fit
For my measurements, I cut a 12 for my bust area. I didn’t make any alterations to the pattern for fit. I give it an A+ for sizing according to my measurements! The biggest adjustment you may need to make is to try it on before fitting your straps. If you’re on the tall side, you may need to make them longer.
Hope you enjoyed this McCalls pattern review!
If you get a chance to make this pattern, please share a picture with me! I'd love to see what fabric you chose. Tag us on Instagram @sewcutebykatie or Facebook @sewcutebykatie!
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XOXO,
Katie Bertrand
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