Made by a Fabricista: Wrap Battle

This month I said I was going to do an “easy” sew so I was pretty settled on a knit project. Thankfully Fabric Mart always has a great selection of knits. So much so that when it was time to select my fabric for this month’s post I could only narrow it down to these four ITYs.

Four prints means four makes (so much for easy) and I thought why not make four different patterns of one style and compare them! Since ITY is perfect for dresses you just throw on I originally thought maxi dresses, but then the light bulb went off...WRAP dresses. It's a WRAP BATTLE!

L to R: a B&W interlocking print (sold out but available in tomato red here), a multicolor abstract print (here), a B&W chevron/arrow print (sold out) and a blue and white nautical print (sold out)

As you can see in my vision sketches (learn how I create them here) I choose McCalls 6884, Burda 6829, New Look 6301 and McCalls 7504. All are faux wrap dress...well NL6301 is really just a wrap bodice dress, but they all have a wrap detail.

I love to wear and sew ITY knit. The drape is great for flowy looks like dresses, skirts or wide leg pants. They typically have have nice stretch and recovery which is great for comfy lounge pieces. ITY garments are also perfect for travel wear because they are not prone to wrinkle. Some may find this lighter knit a bit trickier to work with than a double knit, but I rarely have issues.

First up is McCalls 6884 which I have sewn twice before with good results (this one is still in pretty constant rotation). This pattern wins for the quickest sew; no darts, no gathers, the back is cut on the fold and the front pieces are mirror images. That said, obviously it's also the simplest which actually works for this smaller pattern or any pattern you wouldn't want to break up with seam lines. The only adjustment I did was to lower the side ties about 2" based on my previous sews. I don't particularly love the ties, but it does look pretty plain without them.

The great thing about faux wrap dresses is there is no chance of mistakenly flashing strangers while walking down the sidewalk on a windy day. It is interesting that the under layer is not caught by that side seam, both side are free below the hip. I supposed that is for a more comfortable wear while sitting? Still the overlap is great so you're never at risk of being exposed.

Likes: only three pattern pieces, quick sew, length, coverage
Dislikes: some may need a swayback adjustment, tie placement

Out of all the prints I selected I was most unsure about this one. I loved the colorway and it reminded me of stain glass, but it is very busy. I decided to use it for the side gathered Burda 6829 which lacked any front seams that I felt would busy up the print even more. Though I can't say I love Burda's instructions, the dress is simple to put together. I do wish Burda used notches instead of lines, because I almost missed them when I was transferring the markings. Burda also called for interfaced facings for the dress which I omitted. I just felt the ITY was to light to add facing, instead I turned over the neckline and finished with my coverstitch.

Gathers at the waist are always flattering and the tulip hem is a nice detail. The back for this dress is not cut on the fold to allow for some tapering at the waist. Even for a knit dress this detail helps with the fit.

Likes: tulip hem, midsection gathers, 3 pattern pieces, no ties
Dislikes: facings

How awesome is it that I had they shoes that complement the print so well! They are old GX by Gwen Stephani 

Full disclosure when I first sewed New Look 6301 (here) I declared it to be my favorite wrap bodice dress. Which is probably why I included it even though it isn't actually a wrap dress. This is the only dress that features a banded neck and armhole finish, which just looks more professional to me. Though this skirt doesn't have a wrap detail you could certainly frankenpattern the bodice with a wrap skirt or you could cut to skirt fronts and draft your own wrap. For the sake of time (I had 4 dresses to sew after all) I simply sewed it as it was designed. Well, I did eliminate the elastic at the waist, it just wasn't necessary.

Thankfully I love it just as much as I did the first time! The ties hit me at a better place than those on M6884 even though I typically tie them to the back. The waist seam somehow adds more interest than the plain front of M6884. The back bodice is also cut in two pieces which along with a skirt allows for more fitting at the waist.

Likes: Fit, pleat details, arm and neck bands.
Dislike: elastic casing at waist

Last up is McCalls 7504 which I have attempted to make before but things went awry and it is currently a UFO. This time I was much better! The pattern calls for a skirt lining which I omitted based on my previous attempt. I think the lining is there to eliminate the need to sew a curved hem, but it then creates 6 layers of fabric to be sewn at the waist, which would be too much bulk even in a light weight ITY like this one (my first attempt was stretch velvet so that's why it's a UFO).

I actually ignored the pattern directions completely for this one. If you've sewn enough dresses there's nothing tricky here and since I wasn't including the lining most of them wouldn't apply anyway. Due to the busy print you can't see my favorite detail, which are the side pleats, but there are two pleats on the bodice and three pleats on the skirt.

Likes: side pleats, tulip hem, fit
Dislike: the skirt lining 

All in all I love each one of these dresses. I've already worn two and received a major complement in one! I'm really happy I finally had a success with McCalls 7504 and got around to sewing Burda 6829 which has been on my list for quite a while.

So which one wins the battle?

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For me its........Burda 6829! (though NL6301 is a close second). I love the gathers and the hem line, truly my only issue was the facings which I might actually include if I was using double knit. It sewed up quickly and I feel great in it even out of the most questionable fabric choice. I will definitely be making this again in a solid and other prints. I just LOVE it.

Which is your pick? How was my fabric/pattern pairing? 

See ya'll next month!
Tiffany
TipStitched