Low Necklines, Continued

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In November I posted about a McCall’s dress. The holidays intervened, but now I’m nearly finished. There’s a rare snowstorm a-blowin’ outside and it’s very hard to imagine wearing something sleeveless again! I’m likely to wear this walking in a local parade in May (really hoping I won’t need a sweater). The dress features pleats at the shoulder seam and on the skirt. I allowed more in the waist by using less of a seam allowance. I think this dress would be lovely on someone curvy or busty.

The entire dress is lined. The bodice is lined in cozy white cotton flannel — let’s face it, life in Seattle is rarely truly warm. The skirt is lined too — not called for in the pattern — in red flannel-backed satin. I worried over the linings but all turned out well. I have not yet hemmed the skirt lining — the red polyester satin is poking out. And the sleeve holes need binding.

In the previous post I described raising the neckline. I said the pattern had a vintage feel: the neckline certainly said Seventies! “All I know is the neckline’s not gonna say ‘disco’!” And that’s what happened: I hiked that neckline way up and in. Below, see where the added white tissue made the neckline opening less low and closer to the middle. In taking that picture I realized: the original neckline extends more than half of the bodice length! That means the original neckline could end just above most women’s rib cages! But I don’t see that in the models on the pattern envelope front. Those models must be very tall! But I’m a little suspicious that this dress did not actually sew up as pictured. The line is McCall’s “Generation Next” by Melissa Watson.

Tissue modification
Pleat detail