I Took Over the Big Four Instagram and Made #MarinaMcCalls!

A dream I didn’t imagine came true this week! On the one year anniversary of StylesInSeams.com, I did an Instagram takeover for The McCall Pattern Company!! 😱

Yes, all this week I posted to the Big Four IG account with inspiration, tips and my design process to sew a new dress from McCall’s Spring 2020 collection. I also shared a little about what it’s like to sew at 6’2″ and how to make #sewingtall adjustments. Filming and then watching the stories was an incredible opportunity to step back and witness how much I’ve learned grown as a sewist over the past year. And the feedback made me feel so much more confident that I have knowledge that’s valuable to share.

For the sewing, I made a cheerful new outfit to overcome the quarantine blues with a bright fabric from my stash and a PDF pattern. My #MarinaMcCalls, M8090, makes a chic house dress for the lockdown and a trend-inspired dress for when I can travel to my favorite beaches in the summer. This dress is a representation of the positive vibes I’m going to keep focused on until we’re clear of the coronavirus.

Designer Inspiration

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Hi, sewing fam! It’s Robyn, AKA @stylesinseams, back with the first step of my sewing process – inspiration. Voluminous dresses of tiers, gathers and puffs have brought color and fun to my Instagram feed and Pinterest boards this season. I love the bright hues and playfulness. I also love that the loose fit and cotton fabric could make comfortable house dress chic enough for a Zoom happy hour. How about a little instant gratification to wear before twirling in the city after lockdown? .. I’ll be sewing the look with #MarinaMcCalls from the Spring 2020 collection. Stay tuned until tomorrow for more sewing and styling of this trendy dress! .. Inspo dresses: 1️⃣Zara dress 📷 by Vogue Paris 2️⃣AVAVAV 3️⃣Ganni dress at My Theresa 4️⃣& Other Stories 5️⃣My own hack of #M7838! (I need another one 😁) .. #sewthelook #quarantinesewing #igtakeover

A post shared by Sewing Patterns (@mccallpatterncompany) on Apr 14, 2020 at 2:42pm PDT

I’m happy to share this week with The McCall Pattern Company. I’m thankful to Meg at McCall’s for trusting me to post all of my ideas throughout the week without limitation. And I’m excited to be introduced to many new sewists through that platform. Year one of StylesInSeams.com has been an incredible journey, and this week has certainly re-energized me for great new makes, partnerships and goals to come!

Pattern

• #MarinaMcCalls – McCall’s 8909, View A
• Sewing Difficulty – 1/5
  • This is super easy to sew up, though I made it a little more difficult with this huge print.
• Fit Difficulty – 1/5
• I’d like to make this again in linen and with trim for more of a boho vibe!

Fabric

• Lightweight cotton madras plaid from a local fabric shop in Astoria, NY
• When I make this again, I’ll use a heavier fabric so the gathers in each tier will be more pronounced and overall, the dress will have more body

Fit & Modifications

• Because the fabric I used is so lightweight, I chose to size down to a Medium and eliminate some of the drape
• Added 1.5″ to the length of the bodice at the bottom
• Added 2″ to the length of the skirt at the bottom
• To make the sleeves puff a bit, I fitted the end of the sleeves to my arm with 3/8″ elastic.

Tips

• I shared tips all week on the McCall Pattern Company Instagram stories! Here are my top tips from each day of the IG takeover:
• For PDF patterns, keep the sheet of taped pages from growing too large for your work space by cutting out each pattern piece as you go. You can cut a wide border around each piece at first and later go back to cut out your size.
• To choose the right size to make on a pattern with a lot of ease, read the finished garment measurements printed on the pattern paper. Then, hold the measuring tape around your body at that circumference and look to see how roomy that is. Compare to your inspiration pictures to see if you have the look you’re seeking.
• To match side seams on fabric prints with plaids or stripes, cut your first piece using the pattern as normal. Then, line up the stripes on your first piece to the fabric on your second before you cut. Mark the placement for the top and bottom of your pattern piece and cut as normal.