Cherry Blossom Sundress

A
May 30, 2021
3 min read

Updated: Feb 5, 2022

I started this dress at the end of last summer, but it took longer than usual to complete because the original pattern required some major alterations. I used McCall's M7952.

The first thing that needed to happen was to raise the back of the dress. Look closely at the back of M7952 - it swoops well below where any normal bra ends. Just who is this dress intended for? I absolutely adore the look of the stripes on the front of the dress, but that back makes it either unwearable or requiring of some absurdly expensive and purpose-purchased longline undergarments that I don't want to have to wear under a light and airy summer dress. And of course if I was altering the shape of the back, then the placement of the straps would have to be altered as well. Fun. The second thing that needed to be changed was the line of buttons going down the back. Just who is going to fasten those for me? My chambermaid? Get real.

The back of this dress really bothered me, and I almost didn't buy the pattern, but it was the closest I could find to one that was originally printed in 2005, and has since gone out of print. I absolutely loved M4868, but it was tight when I made it in 2006, and it probably wouldn't fit me now. M4868 had a back that went high enough to fit a bra, and a front with more fitted cups. My only complaint was that it was a halter, which I generally find uncomfortable. However, I was able to pin the straps into cross straps until I grew out of the dress and gave it away. I wish they would do a reprint of M4868, preferably with multiple cup sizes. Until then, M7952 at least offered separate waist, bust, strap, and skirt pieces for promising design elements. Actually, both patterns came with pockets which is a fun and uncommon thing too.

It was intimidating, but I got to work extending the back panels and modifying the bands to wrap around them. Then I carefully top-stitched everything in place. I picked a pink thread that matched the flowers so that the top-stitching would pop and create a cool extra detail and help hold the bands perfectly in place. I was pretty sure that I'd accounted for my size, but my mannequin is smaller than me, so I couldn't be sure. The bands stuck out a little bit further than the panels, and I could have added an extra pair of vertical bands up the center back if I had to, but I didn't want to. I paused on the bodice and decided to focus some energy on the skirt.

The skirt was straightforward. The pleats were clearly marked, and the pockets got added into the side seams. Once those two things were taken care of the skirt could be attached to the bodice at the waist band. Unfortunately, that still left the question of whether or not the bodice fit. I tried holding it up on myself in front of a mirror, but I couldn't be sure. This was where I got stuck, and ended up having to pause and completely rededicate my attention for a few months as I started the Calontir Clothing Challenge.

Finally in April or May I touched base with a friend who agreed to help me and verified that the dress could in fact be pinned closed. Said friend also marked where the straps should hit in order to align with the criss-cross bra. It was much more efficient than anything I could have pulled off on my own. I was then able to hand stitch the back of the straps into place, machine stitch the zipper down, and then mark where I wanted the hem. I did the same contrast pink top-stitching on the hem. Of course the beautiful matching turquoise zipper that I'd bought last summer had disappeared in the intervening 6 months, but I had a white one that worked just as well.