When McCalls 7356 was released, I saw it and thought it would be interesting, especially in the C 
and D views. But I didn’t want to go buy fun and interesting fabric for it without a muslin first. Besides, I’m also on a self-imposed “use your stash” challenge, so I decided to go through it and see what scraps I had that might be large enough to fit the bill. Earlier this year I had to purchase two yards of red satin for the Fourth of July dress (since I went to Hancock Fabrics during their liquidation sale). I managed to eke View A and the godets for View B (just in case) out of the remaining scraps from that dress. I briefly contemplated using the leftover plaid from the Fourth of July dress as the contrast panels and ties as well, but decided that may be a bit much. Self editing is always a good idea! 🙂 I also used the red satin as the pockets and back pocket lining for the jeans below, but that will be for another blog post. 🙂
As a pattern review, I made a Size 8, in View A, out of Red Shantung Satin. I omitted the piping and sleeves. I also used the godets from View B as well, but they didn’t drape well once sewn, so I removed them. The pattern has wide facings for the V-neck and the armholes. I used them initially, but they were bulky and cumbersome. This weekend I decided that the armhole facings had to go and I ripped them off ( 🙂 literally) and replaced them with 7/8 inch single fold bias binding that was leftover from a previous project. It feels and looks better, on the hanger and on the body. I also did not use the hem depth specified on the pattern and simply finished the edge and turned it under by 3/8 of an inch.
I would make it again in the future, but with several modifications. So, I’m glad that I made a muslin first. I would lower the V neck a little more, lengthen the top to a more visually pleasing length for my height, and use bias binding again for the armholes and possibly the neckline. I would also try to add the godets and ties if I were to use a much lighter weight fabric.
Elle L Silks 