More spankx anyone?

I've always thought this dress and top, McCalls 7046,  was just adorable!  The ruffle on the hemline of this dress is just too darling!  I'm thinking that a 52 year old grandma is just too old for the double ruffle, but the single, that still works and so I went for it!

Am I right about the ruffle?  It's cute and all but I think I am a little old for the double, if you know what I mean.

Just look at the ruching!  It is done with 1/4" elastic stitched to the side seams and careful matching of dots and squares, all of which are marked on the pattern tissue.  Not a difficult step at all!
This is such a Bod-con fit.

I went one size up from my regular size 14 in the big four and am very glad I did as I haven't been exercising as much as I normally do for this time of the year--hence the need for spankx!

I do love the fit of the dress. I made a few design modifications.

 What were they?  Only to add bands at the neck and armholes  This alteration was only because the fabric was soft and stretchy and my coverstitch machine tended to make deep tunnels when I simply folded the fabric to the inside and hemmed.  

Dang!  So, I cut crosswise bands about 20% smaller than the opening, stitched them on with my serger, and then topstitched with my Bernina using a triple stretch stitch. Easy peasy and with the pink thread I used this is a nice compliment to the fabric.

I did end up using my coverstitch for the hem on the skirt portion.  To make this work, I used tear-away embroidery stabilizer under the layers of fabric separating it from the feed dogs.  I wasn't entirely sure if this would work or not but decided to sally forth and it worked great!  I'll have to remember this for future coverstitching on thinner fabrics, or those with a higher lycra content.

I made an FBA on this dress which you can see in how I prepared the pattern tissue.

If you ask me how I know how much additional width to add, I must say that it depends on the heft of the fabric you are using and the pattern.  I have to say this comes with trial and error.  I tend to use quite a few McCall's patterns as I like how they fit me.  I've come to figure out how much width to add at the bust based on my experience with these patterns and the fabrics I tend to sew often.

 All in all, a successful dress, provided I get my behind in gear running/biking as I should and it will fit as I want.  This is a fast sew with great results and one of those instant gratification projects we all need once in a while!  I just love the bold colors for summer!  It will also work as a transition piece for fall.  I can just see this with a denim jacket, how about you?

Thanks for reading!!!
Sue