Ahhh, how I love a plaid dress! Right around the New Year I kept seeing them all over the place and I desperately wanted one. A comfy one with pockets and long sleeves gathered at the wrist. One that I could wear year round and wouldn’t look like a holiday dress.

Inspo Pics for my Plaid Dress!

 So I searched high and low for some nice plaid fabric that wasn’t flannel. Flannel is just too hot and I could see myself not wearing it if it were made in flannel. Then while shopping at Hobby Lobby one afternoon I found a lovely light colored cotton plaid in the fabric section. I purchased 3 yards and brought it home to start my dress.

Cotton Woven Fabric not Flannel!

First I needed to pick a pattern. McCall’s M7742 is a favorite of mine. I wanted to do the long sleeves.  But when I laid the pattern pieces on the fabric I found that I was short on fabric. Hobby Lobby isn’t super close to my house either so I decided to improvise. I modified the sleeves and shoulder to be McCall’s M8035 and I think I like it so much better than I would have liked the other sleeves.

I Love These Patterns!

Something else I did differently was create a facing for the bodice. M7742 is supposed to have a fully lined bodice, but this cotton fabric is thick enough that a facing would actually work better. So I did that instead by tracing the front and back necklines of the pattern. Then I made two inch wide strips the same shape as the neckline. I used fusible interfacing and stay stitched the neckline before I put the facing on. 

No Lining, Just a Facing!

This worked out great and I just might do a facing from now on when I make this dress. 

 

Let’s be friends!

If you are looking for a pattern suitable for more than one occasion, hopefully this post helps you figure out what will work best with your wardrobe needs. Let’s be friends on all the socials! Come follow along on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook so we can chat about all our sewing projects!