Pattern Reviews, Sort Of – Gala Dress Finished!

I can’t believe it. The gala is 4 weeks from today, and for the first time ever I’ve finished my outfit well in advance. This year I decided to go for comfort and ease over couture. I’ve made both of these patterns before, so my life was made much easier. For this year’s outfit, I made McCalls 6556 as a top. I am going to wear it over Jamie Christina’s Mission Maxi. I’ll highlight the differences between the two versions of each below:

McCalls 6556 (First Reviewed Here)
Fabric used: Mini Sequinned Rayon Knit Novelty – Pinot Noir from Gorgeous Fabrics. It’s sold out, sorry. But can I tell you? It is SO gorgeous! It drapes beautifully, and when I move in it, it looks positively liquid and so rich. I can’t say enough great things about this fabric. Neener neener neener! Oh wait – that’s not very gracious of me, is it? Anyway….

Construction Notes: I shortened the pattern to top length, by folding it up and pinning the extra pattern paper out of the way. Because of this, I only had two tucks on the front and back pieces (there are 3 in the original dress length)

As you can see in my previous post, I debated for a while on how best to finish the neckline and armhole. I thought about binding them with foldover elastic, but Phyllis pointed out that binding the outer edges would make it sportier rather than dressy, so I decided to bind the raw edges, fold them under and sew them by hand. For the neckline and armhole edges, I used silk jersey. I didn’t have black jersey, but I had some left over from my Paco Peralta top. Since you can’t see them, I didn’t fret over the color, and the jersey is soft against the skin.

You can’t see the red binding from the outside of the garment

For the bottom hem, which can be seen at certain angles, I bound the raw edge with Black Silk Habotaicut on the bias.

Black silk habotai binding can be seen at times, so I wanted it to blend.

Likes/Dislikes: I really love this pattern. It’s very versatile. Yesterday, when Phyllis was over, I tried it on over my top and jeans to show her, and it looks great over a pair of jeans. I think it may be my go-to holiday outfit. It also looks fantastic layered over a long sleeve shirt. I think I’ll wear it with skinny black jeans and a black turtleneck top. Paired with dramatic chandelier earrings, it will make a heck of a holiday look.

Jamie Christina Mission Maxi (First Reviewed Here)
Fabric Used: Italian Rayon Matte Jersey in Black from Gorgeous Fabrics. And hey! It’s still available!

Construction Notes:It’s interesting to note that I had to take in the side seams on this one. The matte jersey drapes and clings very differently than the original ITY that I used. Aside from that, the only thing I did differently from before was to use a rolled hem at the bottom. I’ll probably cut this down after the gala to be a street-length dress, and I’ll get tons of wear out of it. I think I’ll make a shrug to go over it so I can use it year-round.

You can never have too many black dresses in your closet.

The way the McCalls 6556 is drafted. I can wear it as a scoop-neck or turn it around and wear it as a bateau neck with a lower back. I like both ways, but I think I prefer the scoop neck over the maxi dress. Here are pictures of it both ways.

Scoop neck Front…

High in the back. Or…

Bateau neck in front…

And a scooped back neckline. Decisions, decisions.

I have lots of time to decide. For now, it’s just nice to have it all done!

Conclusion: I love both these patterns. They go together easily, and they are classy/funky enough that I can wear them for many different occasions. I definitely recommend them!

Happy sewing!