Eiffel Tower Dresses

It’s no secret that Meg, Michelle, and I are friends and we meet up for knit nights at a local cafe.  So of course we’re always pondering and dreaming about fabric, patterns and the like.  It was very natural of us to say “Wouldn’t it be amazing to go fabric shopping in Pairs?!” as we drank our evening tea, knitting needles in hand.

I casually mentioned it to Felix that night and he giggled – and said what any good husband says at these moments.  Something along the lines of “Sure, whatever you want.  I can come too, right???”

We met again the following week or two and the conversation started to shift from dreaming about Paris to thinking about how we could pull it off and actually all go together, for real.

Knitting at the Eiffel Tower

In all of our scheming, we found that we all wanted to make a wardrobe staple: the shirt dress.  Michelle had settled on the McCalls 6696 dress pattern and I remembered I had that one in my pinterest pattern faves.  So we just all decided to use the same pattern.

McCalls 6696

This is probably my favorite photo from our shoot.  At the time M&M didn’t realize I wasn’t jumping with them, as they were too busy smiling for the camera.  I am making my classic Liz-grumpy-face, as I am rubbish at jumping anywhere above 3 inches off the ground.

McCalls 6696

I picked my fabric, a stretch cotton sateen, solely because I liked it and it matches the exact same hue of my hair.  I’m pretty certain Meg’s is from her stash as she’s been Konmari-ing her place and Michelle’s is from an Estate sale score.

McCalls 6696

Michelle made her dress first, and warned of how large the collar was, along with the bodice.  So even before I made my muslin I took off 1/2 inch from the bottom of the collar’s edge and shortened the bodice by an inch or so.

McCalls 6696

After making my muslin I reduced the gathers at the center back of the bodice – let’s just say significantly (at least 1″ – most likely more).  It was just way too poofy for my thick cotton sateen – so I converted the gathers to one box pleat.

McCalls 6696 Detail

I also have to admit, this was my very first collar stand.  I’ve always shied away from patterns and blouses calling for a collar stand.  I’m not sure why I was nervous about it, but I just followed the instructions and it came out perfectly.

I didn’t even think about pattern placement when I was doing the bodice – but the white section that is on my right… ahem… bodice is less than ideal.  Perhaps you didn’t notice it before, but I’m sorry, that’s probably all you’re going to notice now that I’ve pointed it out.

McCalls 6696

Friendly dogs in the park; I love that frenchie in the back getting his ear scratch on.

One of the things I did not like about this pattern is that it’s impossible to make changes without ripping out the entire bodice.  The waistband goes all the way around, so you have to unpick the front button band, unpick the waistband, then adjust the side seams and possibly the waistband length.

McCalls 6696

 

If I make this again, I’m going to have to modify the waistband piece so that I have side seams in it.  My weight fluctuates too much to not have a place to make adjustment dresses.  The only way this works is that the cotton sateen has some stretch in it so it expands and contracts as I ate my daily-Parisian macaron.

Felix & me.

Felix and me

 

It’s been a while since Felix has been shared on here – but doesn’t he look nice in his new clothes?!  But then again, I’m pretty biased.  Oftentimes, Felix or I am taking pictures of something or one another, but we never seem to get ‘couples’ shots, so it was nice to have our picture taken together.

This is my favorite one with Meg & Josh:

Meg and Josh

 

And Michelle & Mike:

Mike and Michelle

As I’m getting back in the swing of blogging, I’ll have some more to share with you soon about Paris and what I’ve been up to these past few months.

Felix & me

Cheers!

In: Sewing

Blogger for 6 years and counting, I am a passionate creator who loves to tinker.

Comments (13)

  1. Hanne October 27, 2015 — 6:12 PM

    All of your dresses look amazing and you all look as if you had a really good time! I love it how your dress matches your hair. Pink hair for the win!
    I’m in Paris next week and can’t wait to get some fabric shopping done!
    Curious to see what treasures you bought!

  2. bec October 27, 2015 — 7:44 PM

    I love all of these dresses! They really show how versatile the pattern is and how different it can look with different fabrics.

  3. Heather October 27, 2015 — 9:40 PM

    Your dress looks so fabulous! I love that print and it matches so perfectly with your hair and glass. Sounds like a fun trip!

  4. Laura October 28, 2015 — 2:47 AM

    Could you add a pocket to the bodice to hide the white patch? Although I guess it depends how much it bothers you. :-)
    Also, ugh, Paris. I’m so jealous! Looks like you had a great time.

  5. Becky October 28, 2015 — 4:02 AM

    I love these photos! The dresses look great, and it must have been amazing to take such a trip with friends!

  6. Hélène October 28, 2015 — 8:49 AM

    What a great trip with friends! Your dresses all look splendid. A non-sewist couldn’t tell it is the same pattern. This is the magic with sewing: everything comes up with such a unique style.

  7. Michelle October 28, 2015 — 10:03 AM

    I love that your dress and your hair were a perfect match! This print is completely amazing. I’m so excited to continue plotting our next projects and adventures! This trip was incredible.

  8. Linda October 29, 2015 — 12:08 PM

    I love all your dresses! What a fab idea to all make the same dress! How great you got to photogrpah them in Paris. Fun times at the Eiffel Tower, did you go right up to the top? Paris is great, n’est-ce pas?

  9. Amanda October 29, 2015 — 8:54 PM

    That jumping photo is priceless! I can’t figure out how to jump that high in the air, and Michelle is doing it with widges on. Seriously impressive. These photos are amazing and your dress is beautiful – the perfect way to remember Paris!

    1. Amanda October 29, 2015 — 8:55 PM

      Uh, that’s wedges. But I bet she could jump that high in widges on, too (whatever those are). ;)

  10. Tasha November 2, 2015 — 12:09 PM

    You guys are so adorable!! I loved following all your photos from your trip. :) Also slightly jealous as all that grass was fenced off when we were at the Eiffel Tower last week so no good photos there at all! Boo hiss!

  11. bonita November 3, 2015 — 2:28 PM

    I love how you’re all like “nope” in the jumping picture! I’m totally the same, couldn’t jump high to save myself… Your dress is really cute too, and I love the rose print of your fabric! ?

    xox,
    bonita of Lavender & Twill

  12. […] I finished my first McCalls 6696 Shirt Dress last year, I knew I wanted to make up some other versions.  Time got away from me, good thing it […]

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