I've wanted to make McCall's 7475 ever since it was released about a year ago. I'm not a fan of culottes (at all!) but the pattern showed a very cute skirt. It's been a long time since I used a Big 4 pattern and I was a bit skeptical of the sizing, so I searched out the finished measurements and went from there in choosing my size knowing I would have to alter the waist. I had to take a wedge out from the hip to the waist at the side seams, but other than that it went together well and I now have a nice skirt for the Summer of Basics challenge :)
The details that drew me to this pattern are still my favorites: the fly front and the patch style pockets. I love that this pattern is designed like a typical jean skirt but with a bit of a retro flare in the pocket choice. I made sure to top stitch everything just like a jean skirt would have to accentuate the details and get things to lay flat.
Since I didn't know how this project would turn out, I used a thrifted black twill fabric I picked up for $1 so I wouldn't be too heartbroken if I didn't like the result. Happily it turned out great and I have a nice basic skirt in full rotation now.. The only thing I don't love about it is that this fabric loves to pick up dog hair (and I have a very hairy dog), but a little lint rolling before I leave the house has helped me not look like a crazy person so we're good :)
I have a little bit of wrinkling at my waist line just above the pockets, but that may be from how I just took a larger seam allowance in that area (it's wedge shaped on both sides), so I will have to look up different ways to do that in the future. Since I knew a style like this would be washed frequently, I made sure to overcast all the inside seams before I top stitched them down.
The pattern offers the front patch pockets OR the back patch pockets, but I decided to go for broke and use both. I mean you can never have too many pockets, amiright? I know these picks are a little crooked (and blurry), but I'm happy with the pocket placement and spacing. I also am really happy with the fit of the back yoke - typically I have to make a sway back adjustment on every pattern I sew for the small of my back, but this lays nice and flat there. Woo hoo!
I also really like that this back pockets are such a nice size - look they fit my hands no problem! This may sound like an obvious thing a pattern should have but in my experience it has not always been the case - and no I do not have large hands. This is also my first time reinforcing the pockets by sewing the little triangle at the sides of the opening - they didn't come out perfect (and I know you really can't see the black on black in these pictures), but I'm fine with them since the fabric doesn't show this off anyway. So now my pockets are reinforced and no one will really know it's not perfectly top stitched.
I really love that this is a fly front and it just feels really professional to me having this in a skirt. After the trouble I had on my other fly front (
the Sally skirt) I was concerned it would be tricky to figure out. I'm really impressed by the instructions in the pattern for the fly! I was able to just use the instruction packet and it turned out great. The only thing I had to constantly remember myself was to finish the seams before I stitched the fly, but that's not that big a deal. I used a vintage metal zipper from my stash and it worked out great. I did use a hook and eye in place of a button at the waistband and this was purely aesthetic. I have a full tummy, so buttons tend to just stick out there, plus I pretty much always wear my shirt untucked and it just looks odd to have the button poking out under my top. I liked that the hook and eye would make it lay nice and flat, so while it maybe seems less "store bought" this way, it works great for me. And why sew it yourself if you're not going to make little changes from how it would be in a store, right?
And finally my top stitching :) I'm pretty happy with my pockets all things considered. I knew I would like this style, but I honestly like this particular version much more then I thought I would. I've worn it quite a bit since I finished it - it's a nice basic, slightly casual style, and it's black so it goes really well with a lot of things. I will definitely be making more of this pattern with some of my stashed twill fabrics. Yay for a win from a Big 4 pattern, right?! And yay for a very wearable muslin!
Summary:
Fabric: 1.5 yards black cotton twill (60" wide) - $1.07 (thrifted)
Pattern: McCall's 7475 - $1.99
Notions: Pellon SF101 Interfacing - $0.50, 7" metal zipper - $0.10 (thrifted), black thread - $1.00, hook and eye - $0.15
Time: 5 hours
Total Cost: $ 4.32
I just bought this pattern intending to make the skirt. Yours turned out very nice. I like the use of both front and back pockets. Did you end up using the size dictated on the envelope or did you size down?
ReplyDeleteI went by the finished measurements. I'm actually bigger in the hips than the size chart stipulates for the largest size, so I found the finished measurements and went by those. I had to check them to make sure I didn't need to add to the seams anywhere, but I was able to make the largest size and it fits great. So technically I did size down I guess, lol.
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