McCalls 7242 Laura Ashley Peasant Dress

I came of age in the 70's, and the Peasant Dress style made popular by Laura Ashley and Gunne Sax are near and dear to my heart!  I knew that it would just be a matter of time until they came back, and recently McCalls patterns introduced a Laura Ashley design with 7242.  They say that you shouldn't wear a trend if you wore it the first time round, but I thought I'd give it a try, and see how I felt in one before abiding by that rule!

The pattern has several different views, and I originally thought that I would make the short dress, but when I actually tried it on, it was screaming for the ruffle, so I added it at the last minute.  I didn't have quite enough fabric to make the full width of the ruffle, so mine is about 8", instead of 12" wide as the pattern is designed.  I also serge finished the ruffle hem instead of narrow hemming to save time and keep the ruffle as long as possible.

I wanted to make it with a true 70's vibe which meant soft flowy fabric in earthy or muted colors.
Fabric Mart had a challis that was just perfect for it with a Muted Teal and Fiery Orange Rayon Challis.

I haven't worked with challis for a while, because it is one of those fabrics that has a mind of it's own.  You know the kind- you can cut it absolutely on the pattern lines, and then you turn around, and it's completely shape shifted into a different piece!  It is however, incredibly soft and has the most beautiful drape, so if you can be patient with it, you will be rewarded.

I actually had quite a time with this one because it ended up being way too big.  Then when I went to check the pattern pieces to see where I went wrong, I found out that the pieces had really grown quite a bit- for example the yoke piece was a full 1" wider than the pattern piece on each shoulder.  I had to take up the collar, shoulders, sleeves and the sides- I almost felt like I was resewing a second dress.   Lesson learned- when working with challis, make sure to check pieces against the pattern before you sew, as they might have relaxed and grown larger since you cut them.

I could tell that the dress was going to slip easily over my head, so I skipped the buttonholes, and just sewed the buttons through all layers.

I'm accenting it with cognac leather boots, belt and purse that I was quite lucky and found all of them at a consignment shop in town.  If I sew something myself, I don't feel guilty about finding the perfect accessories for it, especially when I can find them second hand!

Do you remember Peasant Dresses from their first incarnation?  And if yes, would you wear one today?

Happy Sewing!

Ann