Housedress: McCall’s 1948, 7354, 6618, 5411

A mashup of the Mccall’s housedress patterns; 1948 (c (1955 but re-released recently as M7354), 6618 (c1962), 5411 (c1960)

How I Started

I used my “basic bodice block” and and made the following alterations:

Back
  1. -3cm from NP along the shoulder seam.
  2. -2cm from SP along the shoulder seam. (The shoulder seam will be 7cm +1cm long.)
  3. Neckline is 31.5cm up from the CB waist.
  4. Button hole is 1.5cm down from CB Neck
  5. Add 0.8cm to the side waist for extra ease.
  6. Leave 4cm open on the bottom left side seam to pass through belt when sewing.
  7. Add 1.5cm to the left at CB neck and 11cm to the left at CB waist and join with a straight line. This is for the wrap closure.
  8. Draw out a 5cm all-in-one facing.
Front
  1. Transfer bust dart to side.
  2. -3cm from NP along the shoulder seam.
  3. -2cm from SP along the shoulder seam. (The shoulder seam will be 7cm long.)
  4. Neckline is 29cm up from the CF waist.
  5. Add 0.8cm to the side waist for extra ease.
  6. 0.5cm gaping neckline adjustment at the Middle Neck contour line.
  7. Draw out a 5cm all-in-one facing.
Skirt
  1. I used the remaining rectangle of fabric which was 86cm wide, and 205cm long for the gathered skirt.
  2. I gathered it along the length, and bent back 5cm for the “facing”.
  3. Once I attached it to the bodice I top stitched along the fold of the facings to make sure they stayed folded.

Ties are 4cm wide, and however long they need to be with a rounded edge.

The fabric is vintage pink gingham from the 1960s, as are the buttons. It is possibly a viscose.

Finishing Details
  • Serged seams
  • Machine hemmed skirt at 65cm length
  • 1 button at centre back neck
  • 1 button at centre front waist
  • 5cm facing

Pictures coming soon