V-Neck Floral Print Bodycon Dress: McCall 8194

It is August, and I already see Halloween candy and decorations in the stores. I get it; I worked retail during my undergraduate years, so I know companies load the shelves with holiday products long before the actual holiday. Nevertheless, it is still summertime, and more importantly, it still feels like summer in Mississippi, so I have every intention of sharing more summer makes well into September. I have the patterns, the fabric, and I have a little free time to make it happen.

The fabric used for this project was a Happy Hour bundle from Boho Fabrics. I picked this bundle first for the floral print and second because it included coordinating solid color fabrics. Once it arrived, I had the hardest time choosing which solid color I wanted to use as the contrast panel, but I finally settled on the red. The pattern used for this project is McCall’s 8194, which has three variations of a v neck bodycon dress. I went with view B, the midi length, and I shortened it by 4 inches (my standard adjustment). I cut the size 12 for the dress front. I cut a 12 for the dress back at the shoulder and graded it to a 10 at the hip. I quickly realized it would have to be let out at the hips during fitting. So I should not have graded the back piece to the 10 at the hip.

I really took my time with this dress because I have found that it is easier to see mistakes when the garment has sharp contrasting pieces. For example, I had to resew the back collar piece three times because the center seam did not align with the back bodice center seam, which was noticeable. The dress certainly required a bit more time than most of my knit projects, but it was worth it. I also made the buttons for the dress using a custom button mold designed by me (available for purchase here). I used color shift powder to color the resin mix, and I love the results.

To complete the look, I wore black Michael Kor Berkley Sandals and my red faux leather bucket bag purse (here).