Ready for a Picnic – McCalls 6801 Pattern Review

  

I saw this pattern and the neckline and ruching called out to me.  I had to have it, then I read the details and saw it was lined.  Well, that was interesting because I hadn’t lined a knit before.  So, of course, I had to do it. I found this blue and white checkered jersey knit on the sale table, (and a white poly blend knit for the lining). It may be counter intuitive but I thought this dress would be great for the summer heat because then maybe the sweat associated with a heat index over 100 wouldn’t show.

As a pattern review, I made View A in the smallest size, an 8.  I think the instructions were easy to follow except that I believe that step number 9’s picture is shaded incorrectly. The instructions describe what to do correctly, but if you’re the kind of sew(er/ist) that goes from picture to picture skimming the instructions, it shows the right side of the back lining facing the right side of the front. To be correct it should show the right side of the back.

  

I’ve seen some complaints about the ruching, but I found the instructions simple and easy to follow.  It is gathering stabilized with binding, not elastic.  I’ve included a close up of the ruching below.

I thought about leaving the sleeves off, but didn’t think it looked balanced, so I completed them.  I would like to try the long sleeved version in the future.  This dress is comfortable, and I like it. I would like to note the sleeves don’t really move with the body. It will be interesting to see if that is an issue when I make a long sleeved version.

When I wore it work for pictures, a co-worker told me that it reminded him of a tablecloth for a picnic. What do you think?