McCalls 7435 cowl-neck top

McCalls 7435 is a ridiculous pattern.  And clearly, everyone knew it but me, because it is out of print, and I've only found Internet evidence that three other people ever made it.  I'm sharing this review mostly just to talk about the sheer insanity that is this pattern, and also to talk about why I kind of love my finished garment and am going to be wearing it all the time.

Simplicity 8166

I assume I am like many other mothers out there in that, while I spend a good amount of time planning holiday outfits for my kids, I am often found frantic in front of my own closet with minutes to go before we need to be somewhere looking nice.  This year's Pascha looked to be about the same, until I laid eyes on Manju's post about her Simplicity 8166 dress.  I fell instantly in love and ordered the pattern that day.

Another 7353

Shortly after making my first M7353, I made a second one.  Again I used a straight size 14 (though the size chart would have me in a size 20).  This one used up two yards of purple rayon/lycra from the stash, bought as a pre-cut from Fabric Mart earlier in 2017.  The fabric was a bit less stable than the fabric I used for my striped version, and so the dress turned out quite a bit larger than the first one on top.  I took it in a lot from the top of the waistband up to the underarm and down to the sleeve hem.

The Wimpy Cowl-Necked Dress

I happened upon McCalls 7353 sometime last summer, and put it on my list to buy during the next pattern sale at Joann's.  I was drawn to the dolman sleeves, waistband and cowl-neck of View C.  There aren't a lot of reviews out there for this pattern, but one of the ones I saw on Pattern Review weren't glowing.  In particular, they noted the very excessive amounts of ease included in the pattern.  I wasn't put off by the reviews, and I am glad I read them before buying the pattern, because I ended up purchasing the smaller size range rather than the larger one.