05 Aug McCall’s 2401 in Pink Flambe!
With an unapologetic youthfulness straight out of an “Eloise at the Plaza” book, add this adorable Pink and Blue Printed Stretch Cotton Sateen to your collection! Hand drawn flowers, swirled vines and hearts move in a kaleidoscopic fashion over a light blue background. A crisp hand is paired with a stiff drape for perfectly tailored pieces. Its stretch through the weft ensures the perfect fit for bodycon pieces as well! Make crop tops, shorts and shift dresses for an adorable spring/summer look.
Who can resist a description like this??
I ordered the fabric with pants in mind since cotton sateen makes wonderful summer pants, but the more I considered the color, geometric design and pattern repetition, the more I envisioned a dress to carry me through the dog days of summer.
My pattern is McCall’s 2401 which I’ve sewn twice before – the first time as a couture dress in silk (here) and the second as a lined dress piped in a contrast fabric (here)
The pattern calls for two vertical darts in the front and two in the back. I was fine shaping the back with the darts,
but I didn’t want to disturb the symmetry of the pattern design in the front and left them out.
The looser fit is not only comfortable but seems to suit the casual nature of the dress.
The center front trim is a happy afterthought. After taking a photo to determine the hem, I tried a piece of trim from my stash. Suddenly the fabric popped and the balance of the geometric design was emphasized.
I attached the trim by spraying the back with a temporary adhesive, and machine stitched it to the outer edges.
One of the features I find so helpful with the Pfaff Creative 4.5 is the automatic lift on the presser foot. When the needle is in the down position, the presser foot automatically lifts very slightly when the machine comes to a stop. This allows for quickly adjusting the fabric. Though a knee lift is included, the auto lift easily takes its place. Stitching along the outside edge of the trim required many turns which put this feature into full play.
The dress is not lined so I finished the side seams with the serger, and enclosed the center back seam with self-bias tape.
Left Side finished with bias tape.
Back to this wonderful fabric…. I’m ordering more stretch cotton sateen from Mood’s impressive collection. Just as the description stated – its perfect for a variety of garments and with our warm fall weather fast approaching, I’m ready to make those pants I had in mind.
As always,’ thank you, Mood!’ and best wishes to all for a great weekend 🙂
Cissie Wellons
Posted at 11:24h, 05 AugustWhat a cute dress to take you through the remainder of hot weather — which for us Southern girls can be October!! Addition of trim is perfect.
goodbyevalentino
Posted at 07:45h, 06 AugustLOL – you are so right, Cissie! The sateen is available in fall colors too which I am seriously considering. Many thanks for the comment 😉
peggy leah
Posted at 11:35h, 05 AugustOh, is that the cutest thing! Love the fabric and at first I wanted to
say no to trim, but then the “without” photo confirms you choice,
but really, either way would work.
peggy
goodbyevalentino
Posted at 07:47h, 06 AugustThank you so much, Peggy! As I said, I had not intended to trim the dress, but couldn’t pass once I saw what a difference it made. 😉
Jayne Miller
Posted at 11:44h, 05 AugustYou always seem to know how to match the correct pattern with the perfect fabric. I wish I had that much vision.
Karen Mulkey
Posted at 17:56h, 05 AugustI so agree. Sara is a master!
goodbyevalentino
Posted at 07:54h, 06 AugustLOL – I wouldn’t go that far Karen – I’ve made my share of mistakes 😉
goodbyevalentino
Posted at 07:49h, 06 AugustWhat a sweet comment, Jayne 🙂 I’ve changed my mind on many fabrics intended for another project. As I said, I originally thought I would sew pants with this fabric!
Pattie Stephenson
Posted at 12:52h, 05 AugustLove this! Since that pattern is out of print, can you suggest another similar one to use?
goodbyevalentino
Posted at 07:51h, 06 AugustPattie, The pattern is still available at McCalls as well as Ebay Amazon and Etsy. Good luck and many thanks for the comment!
Joyce Latham
Posted at 13:07h, 05 AugustSuper cute! Well done as always!
goodbyevalentino
Posted at 07:52h, 06 AugustThank you, Joyce!
debbi
Posted at 13:23h, 05 AugustSo cute. The trim does add the needed pop to set it all off. Nicely done.
goodbyevalentino
Posted at 07:53h, 06 AugustMany thanks, Debbi! I liked it plain until I tried it with the trim. It worked wonders 🙂
Becky Bagwell
Posted at 13:27h, 05 AugustGreat dress! Love how you finished the zipper!
goodbyevalentino
Posted at 07:55h, 06 AugustThank you, Becky! I wanted the dress to look as good on the inside as the outside 😉
Helen O McCleneghen
Posted at 13:43h, 05 AugustLove the dress, Sarah. What pattern will you use for the pants?
goodbyevalentino
Posted at 07:55h, 06 AugustThank you, Helen! I haven’t selected a pants pattern yet.
Jennifer Shaw
Posted at 13:59h, 05 AugustWow another great dress for the dog days of Summer! The finishing of the zipper is great!!
goodbyevalentino
Posted at 07:57h, 06 AugustMany thanks, Jennifer! We have a lot of summer left in the South. One can never have enough warm weather dresses 😉
A
Posted at 14:43h, 05 AugustBeautifully done! Excellent choices all around.
I love the application of the braid trim in front – I agree that was the perfect touch, and it made the fabric pattern POP! Would you consider a tutorial on exactly how you did that? I am trying to see where you said you stitched it to the outside edges, but cannot even see a ghost of a stitch. Clearly, your method is a success, and I would love to know more about your exact technique.
Well done! Lovely summer frock.
Ann
goodbyevalentino
Posted at 08:04h, 06 AugustThank you so much, A. I am out of town for a week – otherwise I’d do a quick demo video. There’s really no magic to attaching this braid. It’s so dense the thread disappears. It was slightly time consuming to stitch around the edges of the braid but it worked beautifully. The temporary adhesive was key in keeping the braid perfectly centered.
Danielle
Posted at 15:08h, 05 AugustAlways a great look and perfect fit. I’m in the market for a dressform. Any recs?
goodbyevalentino
Posted at 08:01h, 06 AugustThank you, Danielle! I have a Singer dress form with lots of knobs. It is not a body double. Mary Funt at Cloning Couture provides tutorials on how to customize any dress form. She is an absolute master 😉
Annemarie White
Posted at 15:54h, 05 AugustOh Sarah what a gorgeous dress. Well done on the immaculate construction.
goodbyevalentino
Posted at 08:02h, 06 AugustThank you, AnneMarie!
Irene Mischkinis
Posted at 16:33h, 05 AugustHow cute! Perfect for hot weather. And that trim really does finish off the whole look beautifully.
goodbyevalentino
Posted at 07:44h, 06 AugustThank you, Irene! I truly had not intended to trim the dress but what a difference it made 😉
Julie Starr
Posted at 19:18h, 05 AugustAnother homerun! So glad for you that you saved this pretty trim until the ideal project came along. I’m loving all Mood’s stretch sateens right now.
goodbyevalentino
Posted at 07:43h, 06 AugustMany thanks, Julie! The sateens are an ideal weight for numerous garments – I hope you’ll give one a try 🙂
Maggie ecger
Posted at 21:38h, 05 AugustPretty and so cool looking. Another hit!
goodbyevalentino
Posted at 07:42h, 06 AugustThank you, Maggie!
Elaine
Posted at 22:08h, 05 AugustSo beautiful and sort of a nod to the much admired preppy Lilly Pulitzer style. The additition of the trim is brilliant. Big win, as all of your bright and breezy fashions are. Love your optimistic fashion style. Will be ordering some sateen from Mood soon. Great work!
goodbyevalentino
Posted at 07:41h, 06 AugustThank you so much, Elaine! It is Lilly inspired but not a knockoff 😉 The trim was a bonus for sure.
B Tani
Posted at 22:33h, 05 AugustLove the McCalls 2401 pattern, however it is out of print. Could you suggest an current, equally versatile pattern?
goodbyevalentino
Posted at 07:40h, 06 AugustThank you! I’ve noticed the pattern is available on different Etsy sites as well as Amazon. I believe McCall’s still sells the pattern although the company is no longer printing it. Good luck 🙂
B Tani
Posted at 12:54h, 07 AugustHappy to say that I found the pattern at “Mood Fabrics”. Great company and excellent customer service!
Rosalind
Posted at 08:04h, 06 AugustBeautiful work as always!!!
goodbyevalentino
Posted at 08:05h, 06 AugustThank you so much, Rosalind!
Angie
Posted at 14:23h, 06 AugustWhat a fun dress, and the trim adds a custom touch.
I’m intrigued by your comment that you took a photo to check the hem length. I haven’t heard of that before. Do you find that it gives you a better “view” than the one you see in the mirror? Tell me how this “technique” came about. Thanks!
goodbyevalentino
Posted at 16:34h, 08 AugustOh yes….. taking photos reveals many details you don’t notice in the mirror. I photograph almost every garment at one stage or another during its construction! It’s something I’ve always done . Give it a try and you’ll be surprised.
Many thanks for the comment, Angie 🙂
Lucy
Posted at 23:14h, 06 AugustSuper cute dress Sarah! That trim really pulled the whole look together. AND you have the perfect sandals to wear with your new dress.
goodbyevalentino
Posted at 16:36h, 08 AugustThank you, Lucy! The sandals came first 😉 I bought them 3 years ago and they go with all things summer!
I agree with you that the trim pulled the look together.
Marion
Posted at 02:55h, 07 AugustGreat, I love this creative element with the trim. It’s a fantastic way to make your cute dress more spectacular. All the best Marion
goodbyevalentino
Posted at 16:37h, 08 AugustThank you so much, Marion! I liked the dress without, but the trim pulled it all together 😉
Janet Hough
Posted at 09:06h, 07 AugustI ordered one of their other prints in this line and loved the weight and stretch. But, the fabric was really off grain. Re graining a stretch would not have been a problem but it was printed so off grain that it was unusable for apparel. Mood did credit me and I made a table cloth out of the fabric. I really wanted the print you have used here but was leery to order. Looks like you had no problem with this so I will reconsider. This is perfect and agreed that your addition of the trim makes it pop!
goodbyevalentino
Posted at 16:41h, 08 AugustUgh….. what a bummer, Janet. I’m glad Mood credited you. My fabric arrived printed perfectly on grain. When sewing with geometrics I always lay the fabric out as one layer and cut each piece separately to ensure perfect placement. The front pattern piece was flipped rather than cut on the fold 😉
Lauren Loughlin
Posted at 21:08h, 26 AugustI absolutely LOVE everything about his little dress. The pattern, the fabric, the length. It is the perfect summer dress and I think you’ve inspired me to perfect the pattern fit so that I can make several of them. Your 4th of July version is lovely as well. The piping was a great embellishment idea.
goodbyevalentino
Posted at 06:29h, 27 AugustThank you so much, Lauren! For me it’s the perfect go-to summer dress pattern since it is adaptable to different weights of fabric and pattern designs. Once you get your muslin fitted you won’t be able to stop at just one! Have fun 🙂