I saw McCalls's M5613 whilst I was in the middle of designing 'Memory Made' and knew it would be a fitting dress to showcase the collection. To me ‘Memory Made’ has a really nostalgic feel and I wanted a pattern which encapsulated this. It reminds me of dresses I used to wear in my childhood. We chose to use a different fabric for the bodice to the skirt fabrics as I wanted it to have a handmade feel honouring the collection.
The pattern comes in two sizes 3-6 years or 7-14 years. We opted to use CHJ 7-14 years, making Design A in a size 7. We did however adapt this pattern by piecing the skirt and adding a different fabric at the front and back and sides to create a shabby chic feel. This was slightly tricky, but I love the result as the fabrics seem to blend seamlessly. Using the quilting weight cottons from my 'Memory Made' collection for Lewis and Irene meant that the skirt has a lovely drape without feeling too heavy-perfect for our British Summer time weather.
The pattern was easy to put together and didn't require any zips or notions other than the buttons on the straps. A beginner maybe put off by some of the different techniques and terminology, but if you know the basics it is a quick and easy pattern to follow. Our adaption was slightly trickier to get the skirt fabrics to fit seamlessly together, but if you are skilled at dress making it is easily do-able. The only other comment I would make is the bodice is quite a close fit, so I would recommend measuring who ever is wearing the dress first.
I was very pleased with the end result of this dress, it is both simple and beautiful and show cases my designs really well. I love the shoulder strap detail , particularly where we customised the buttons to go with the fabrics as it gives it a playful vibe. It's a very versatile design as it could be worn in the winter with a long sleeved t-shirt and warm tights underneath or as it is in the summer. The skirt could be made fuller with a petticoat to create more of a princess style.
Overall this is a lovely, simple pattern, I would definitely use again.
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