McCall's 5269--The Jacquard Holiday Dinner Dress

Sigh.....This has been a long week! Since my last post the "Wee-One"didn't shake her cold entirely and got a little worse. Fortunately after another doctor visit, countless nurse calls, and some much needed TLC she began recovering. With her doing much better (and great Godparents who gave us the night off) the Hubby and I were able to attend the Holiday Dinner on last night. It was sponsored by a wonderful group of ladies belonging to the C2IT Ministries who work to encourage and empower Women. I was able to complete my jacquard dress (mentioned in my last few posts) in time. I ended up really loving this dress and am so happy that I went with this dress instead of my original Vogue 8850 plans. Well here's the review and pics. The image quality wasn't the best since these were captured at night but I believe the beauty of the dress still shines through........

OOP McCall's 5269

Time to Sew:

About 8 hours or so.

Sewing Ease (scale 1 easy to 10 difficult):

This dress wasn't difficult at all. It's basically a princess seam dress but the sleeves required a bit of work since they had lots of pleats. I'd give it a 5.

(a closer view)

Pattern Description:

Straight, fitted, lined dress, below mid-knee has princess seams, yoke front, back zipper and cap sleeve with pleats.

Pattern Sizing:

I cut the size 12 for bodice and graded to a 14 for waist and below.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Yes!

(Back View)

Were the instructions easy to follow?
Pretty much. This was a very uncomplicated pattern.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

I loved the neckline and sleeves.

Fabric Used:
A lovely shimmery & iridescent polyester jacquard with bronze, black, and various shades of gray. I picked this up at a Hancock's in Chattanooga, TN this Summer and was told it was a premier fabric and was only being sold in 10 stores. I was pretty blessed to get my hands on it!

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
*I omitted the vent.
*Did my usual short back alteration--- 1" tuck above the waistline tapering to side seam.

What would you do differently next time?:
*If I used poly jacquard again I would definitely interface all the pieces. The weaving characteristic of the fabric made it a little prone to stretching which I noticed in the neckline. When I made a muslin (see my facebook page for pic) the neckline wasn't as wide. But in the jacquard it was a bit so and posed the risk of my bra showing. This is mainly the reason I decided to wear a shrug---you know for modesty's sake. Next time I'll probably just widen the yoke a little more and raise the neckline just a tad.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I may make this in a casual fabric. It's just a cute dress all around.

Wardrobe Versatility:
It can be worn with or without a cardigan. Also a belt would be a great accessory for it as well. This pattern can be glammed up with fancy fabric or even dressed down.

(I styled the dress with a cute black shrug, black Nine West pumps with patent leather toe, bronze bracelets, fancy earrings and a black little purse that I added a matching fabric flower to.

(I made the fabric flower using the pattern on pg. 27 of THIS BOOK. I originally intended to wear it on my cardigan since I didn't get to buy a necklace in time. When it didn't work right I put it on the purse. It was a cute little detail.

(Earrings up close. Love these!)

Conclusion:
This is a LOVELY dress! So glad I had it in my stash.

BTW: Don't forget about my V-List Giveaway I'm hosting. See my original post here for qualification details. I'll reveal the last 4 items and the winner on Sunday night the 9th instead of the 8th (note: I'm pushing back the deadline 1 day)!!!!