Summer McCalls

Summer sewing, the kind you actually do in the summer as opposed to the things you make in anticipation of summer, is very specific.


This has to be really make it this afternoon, finish it after supper, and wear it tomorrow stuff. If you live in a part of the world that is grey, cold, and rainy for about 6-7 months a year, grey and rainy for another two, well, when it is nice you get out there. (Thank you Tourism Nova Scotia, I wasn't expecting contract work anyway).


So I was very interested to see a notice for new summer McCalls in my inbox. 


Here is my first cut, subject to change because what is going to happen is I am going to see other patterns picked by other bloggers and be amazed I didn't notice them myself and change my mind entirely. There are a couple I am on the fence about too that I will probably wait to see made up. Isn't the internet wonderful? Being able to see something realized on a real person makes all the difference. Can you remember the days when you made something yourself and had no way to communicate with anyone else? How did we manage?


OK here we go:

I was really hoping for a new, fashionable pants pattern to play with but am very disappointed in these. I mean if this trim little model still has that baggy thing going on at the front crotch what are my chances of making it work? I am not going to buy a pattern that has an issue built in.

I like these racer back tops, they look cool and could be developed into dresses and even summer nightgowns. All you need is a comfortable strapless bra and you would be set. I am
sure someone somewhere has made one of those. I am quite taken with the stretch lace idea for one top.

This one has easy written all over it, plus you would get a lot of air moving up under those dresses on a really hot day. You have to think ahead about global warming and hot flashes, a border print would be perfect of course in the dress with the border print (I am so original) and if you got a good lining in that bodice maybe I could wear this without a bra. Or maybe not, expect my daughter will make that call.

I could probably extend the top above to make this dress, but it looks comfortable - absolutely all I wear in the summer are dresses - and the back interest makes up for the fact that this is just a basic shift. I have a ton of knits and I just like this.

This one really caught my eye. That opening thing is something I have seen around and like and if I can get some nice ponte knit with a breathable composition, it would work. However if you think about what I have already said about ease this is something I should not dismiss, as I might have, with "but my stomach will stick out" . But all that has changed since I read Erica Bunker last night on "underpinnings" . Maybe I should add some ease across the stomach and get some Spanx on. Of course I did have a pair once that I took off in the middle of a wedding in the washroom because I felt like a sausage in a casing (BTW there was another woman doing the same thing) but I have since heard that I must have had a size too small.
Miss Erica looks pretty damn smooth in her clothes so I think I need to revisit this.

So there you have it. Something to think about as I get ready to do some Easter pre-cooking today.