White Snake Foile Print Maxi (aka McCalls 6552)

As usual, I made myself a new dress to wear to my work Christmas Party last month. I was a little strapped for time, so I chose a simple pattern McCalls 6552 (unfortunately now OOP), which I have made before here and here. 

Taken at Circular Quay just before boarding the boat for our dinner cruise on Sydney Harbour (my 2014 work Christmas Party)

This is a versatile little pattern that can be dressed up for a glamorous party or dressed down as a beach cover up, depending on your fabric choice. It can be made in a knit or a woven fabric too. The bodice front and back are cut as one piece (that's right, there are no shoulder seams). I would recommend this pattern to a beginner as it is quite simple to sew and easy to fit.

McCalls 6552 Line Art

I am usually a size 14 to 16 in the big four patterns, but as I was using a knit, I cut a size Small as I had done for my previous versions. The fabric was purchased online from The Remnant Warehouse. A White Snake Foile Print Jersey, (which is still available). I really had no idea what to expect when I ordered this fabric. It was a bit of a surprise when it arrived. The colour is very close to the photo on the website but it didn't feel like I had imagined. The print is an almost plastic feeling layer on the fabric. I was worried that it might feel like wearing a raincoat. Luckily the wrong side of the fabric feels just like a poly jersey. Due to the print layer, this fabric had very little stretch, which made my dress a little snug and I wished I had cut the larger size.

This version ended up a little short compared to my last maxi. I had added 4cm to the length, but I hadn't realised that I hadn't actually added the extra length to my traced pattern piece. Never mind, it made a feature of my pretty new shoes (and I avoided a trip hazard).

I eliminated the drawstring at the waist and replaced it with some 12mm wide elastic inserted in the casing. This made a comfortable and snug fit which did not need constant adjustment and worked very well. I felt that the dress looked a little unfinished so I made a long sash to wrap around and cover the elastic casing. This was a long rectangle, approx 300 cm long by 22cm wide, folded in half longways, right sides together, and stitched along the length and across one end and then turned right side out. I then tucked in the raw edges on the open end and stitched closed. This is long enough to wrap around me twice.

I finished of the neckline with a knit binding turned completely to the inside. As the Foile Print fabric did not have very much stretch, I used some white cotton/lycra left over from my recently made white T shirts. This resulted in a nice snug neckline without any gaping. As this is a very low cut dress, I wore a white rtw petticoat underneath.

I sewed french seams for the bodice side seams as they are visible inside the kimono style sleeves. The overlocker was used for the other seams. I turned up a very small hem and stitched with a twin needle. This would be a great candidate for Jungle January, if I hadn't sewn it in December.

Many thanks to my darling husband for taking these photos for me today, and many thanks to my Mother and her husband for the use of their pretty garden. (Mine is an overgrown mess at the moment, due to all the rain and heat we have been having lately, and me spending all my spare time in my sewing room.)

Woops! I almost overbalanced and fell in the pond.

Happy Sewing