Do you ever come across fabric that’s so beautiful, so perfect, that you can imagine making several garments out of it? Then, when it’s time to actually make something with the fabric, you’re frozen because of all the choices? That’s what happened to me the first time I saw this gorgeous floral Lady McElroy Linen Viscose Blend from Minerva. It’s got everything! High quality material? Check. Bold, bright colors and design? Check. Lightweight feel for these stifling Southern summers? Check! Now don’t get me wrong – one of things I love about sewing my own wardrobe is the ability it gives me to create unique garments to my heart’s content. But sometimes, the world is overwhelming, my brain is exhausted and I just wanna make stuff without too much thought! It’s times like these that I’m so incredibly thankful for the Minerva sewing kits. The fabric, the pattern, and any necessary notions are compiled and sent to me in one tidy package. Using the McCall’s M7969 Tracy Dress sewing kit from Minerva, I was able to create this stunning linen dress without stressing out over it.
The Lady McElroy Linen Viscose Blend is a breathtaking fabric! Set on a base of rich forest green, giant clusters of pink and white flowers dance with freshly sliced oranges across the fabric. I feel like I can almost smell the freshness of the design – it’s that beautiful! It sews like your typical linen fabric – like a dream. As always, be sure to use a new needle from the kit and finish all your seams. The one spool of thread in the kit should be sufficient, but it never hurts to have extra thread. A dress made from this fabric will be too beautiful to lose due to fraying edges and seams.
Based on the more than 6,000 tags on Instagram, McCall’s M7969 Tracy Dress pattern is a very popular pattern that I somehow never heard of until I received it from Minerva. It’s not too surprising, especially since I mainly work with indie patterns. The dress pattern is gorgeous in its simplicity – a knee to full length skirt with optional ruffles, faux wrap bodice, and four sleeve options. I combined the billowing ¾ sleeves from View A and the floor-length skirt of View D. The pattern doesn’t include pocket pieces, but I had no problem adding pockets to the side seams. I think it’s so flattering as it accentuates my bosom before nipping in my waist a bit and flowing gently to the floor.
I also added a modesty panel to the very deep V on the bodice. I planned on wearing this dress while on vacation in Egypt and there was no way I was walking around Cairo with all that cleavage out 😊. To make my modesty panel, I simply took a scrap of leftover fabric, decided how much coverage I wanted, and cut the scrap accordingly. Then I serged all four sides and hemmed the top of the panel. Finally, I sewed on some snaps to the panel and neckline. I love the way it looks and the modesty panel makes it instantly more wearable. I’m so happy I added the panel because while wearing this dress in Cairo, I got to meet, chat, and take pictures with international megastar bellydancer Soraia Zaied! The picture is adorable, and I didn’t have to worry about accidentally flashing boob in the photo!
