Pattern Description: McCall’s 7429 is a close-fitting pullover dress has front twist detail at waist and neckline variations. A, C: Sleeveless. A, D: Mock-neck collar. B: Long sleeves. D: Short sleeves. Note: No provisions provided for above waist adjustment.
Pattern Sizing and Other Info: The patterns comes in sizes 6-22. There are no finished measurements on the pattern pieces so I used the standard measurements on the envelope of Bust 44, Waist 37 and Hip 46. My bust measurement is 44 but based on my sloping shoulders, I would normally cut the 20 and adjust the rest of the dress but based on the description of the dress being close fitting, I chose to cut size 22 because I’ve learned over the years to believe them when they say close fitting even if it doesn’t look like it on the pattern envelope. I still struggle sometimes with things that are even body skimming but since I was making this dress to wear on my birthday, I decided to be daring and go with it. I’m glad I did because I think something would be lost if the dress was too loose.
Fabric Used: I used an ITY knit from fabric.com
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I had seen this dress on someone who I know is the same height as I am (5’4”) and knew I wanted the dress to be slightly longer, but not as long as View D, because I like my dresses to hit just below the knee so I just added two inches to the hem. I also shortened the sleeves for the view that I made which was View B but I used the shorter sleeve of View D.
Instructions/Construction Method: Up to the point of the construction of the twist, the instructions were fine, after that, they were super confusing because of the upper left front, lower left front, switching the left side of the dress to the right to form the twist detail. I think both the language and diagrams were confusing. I even took the dress apart once because I thought I had put it together incorrectly only to learn that I had, in fact, done it correctly.
I am definitely enamored with the style and I think it’s super flattering on me and everyone else that I’ve seen it on, however, the instructions go completely south when it comes to assembling the dress from the twist on. Luckily I’m confident in my sewing abilities and understand construction so I ended up abandoning the instructions after a bit, laying the dress out first flat on the floor to figure out what went where for the twist and then later pinning the front on my dress form to figure out the construction after the twist. The skirt portion of the dress is actually a wrap skirt which you can’t really detect from the pattern pictures or line drawings but certainly would have been helpful to know at the beginning of construction because all of the pieces are so oddly shaped, it’s hard to blindly tell what actually goes where. The good news is that now that I have successfully made the dress, I could put another one of these together in an afternoon.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? This dress gave me fits because of the instructions but once I figured it out, it really is a pretty easy sew. Once I get back on speaking terms with this pattern, I’m sure I’ll make it at least once more because it is very cute and has lots of possibility. Another curvy seamstress Brittany Jones has a YouTube video tutorial some have found helpful. Honestly, the video only confused me more, BUT I know that it has been helpful for a lot of people and we all have different was of learning, so it’s definitely worth giving a shot if you want to make this dress.
Conclusion: This pattern results in a great, very flattering dress and is something that you can make and wear year-round with all of the options, BUT be sure to read through the instructions and study the design lines of the pattern so that you get an idea of the construction of the dress before you start the sewing and proper marking is key. Also, because this skirt is a wrap skirt, if you have any substantial junk in the trunk, the front pieces will not hang evenly like the pictures which is fine because the dress still looks great but can be alarming if you think you’ve done something wrong.
Pattern Rating:
Size Range – 5: With sizes ranging from 6-22 this dress can be made for a variety of figures. Because this dress is so flattering for many figures, it would have been great to see the size range extended to size 24 or above.
Instructions – 2: I’ll give the instructions a 2 because up until the twist they were pretty straight forward.
Construction Process – 4: Aside from the confusing instructions, the actual construction of the dress was pretty easy.
Final Fit – 5 – I think the fit of this dress is AMAZING, even better than I had hoped because I thought the front hem would be uneven based on so many I’d seen made up online but I guess my backside is flat enough not to disturb the lines too much.
Overall Rating – 4.5 I really do love this dress, it’s one of my favorite makes in a long time. I would definitely rate it a 5 if not for the instructions but it’s still better than a 4. I’m always in favor of a dress that is flattering on a lot of people and this one definitely is.
This dress is amazing!! You look fabulous!! And your write up of the pattern has given me the boost to try it once I get a little more comfortable in construction with my serger!! Girl, you rock this dress!!
This dress looks amazing on you!
pretty dress, pretty print. It looks great on you. I’ve seen this pattern but never gave it a second thought because of the wrap and my difficulty with fitting because of a large, low bust, large tummy and rear end. . My front waist is lower than my back waist, so although I need the extra length to cover the bust and stomach, the front skirt has to be shorter than the back skirt on a dress so it hangs level. I’m constantly adjusting lengths as I hate that hiked up over the rear, shorter in the back look. . I even alter store bought clothing prior to wearing.
, I routinely have to grade up even size 22’s so I’ve developed a few methods of adjusting patterns to increase width, lengthen/shorten patterns prior to cutting without destroying the design/flow of the garment. I tend to stay with simpler lines; but you’ve done a beautiful job.
Wow, Kelly, you look fantastic! It’s a gorgeous dress. I love your entire outfit; the boots, the necklace. What a great birthday present to yourself. Thank you for including the inside view of the garment. It really helps to see how it went together along with your comments. I would never have tried a pattern like this before, but now, I will! Thank you!
Love this, is fab on you, the print is superb! Have never made anything with a twist, but having ironed one I know they are more complicated than they look. Congrats on persevering with the make am sure I would have abandoned it in a fit of pique on learning I was right the first time,
Looking forward to seeing your next one, Definitely a winner
You fabulous in this dress, fit and color!!!
You look fantastic in that dress!
You look sensational in this dress. Really quite beautiful! And who knew it was a wrap dress!
Really nice, thanks for the review.
YOU LOOK AMAZING! Great job. I’ve looked at this pattern before but worried it wouldn’t look good on someone with a big chest. You’ve made me reconsider it!
I love everything about this dress on you. Color, print, fit – everything! You nailed it. Thanks for sharing – this is such an inspiring dress story!
you look awesome!
Thank you so much!
This looks beautiful on you! I love the dress and the fabric!
Thanks, I really appreciate it!
You look amazing in this dress. Love the style and your fabric.
Great review and a great birthday dress. Super cool!
What a fabulous dress! I love your boots too. Can you give any info about them?
Hi, Thanks so much! I got the boots from Lane Bryant earlier this Fall.
Gorgeous and very sexy results!
Sexy? Yes! Just what I was going for. LOL
This is really cute on you. You sew AND have a doctorate in Psychology? Cool.
Beautiful job, beautiful dress, beautiful results!
You look ABSOLUTELY DIVINE! My bust is like yours and this dress looks SUPER GREAT and sexy without anything hanging out (I hate having to tug and pull and “hitch up” a neckline – I bet you do too). With you ahead having beaten a path and proven it can be done with patience, and seeing how fabulous it looks on you, I will be making one too! THANK YOU SO MUCH for bravely showing the way. My sewing hours are so precious and few, I never make something that I have a doubt about, because I can’t afford to spend that much time and then not end up with a wearable garment. You, and the rest of the Curvy Sewing ladies, are my HEROES!
This means so much. Thank you!
This dress looks fabulous on you! You did a great job! I like the twist detail and I love that fabric you chose. I really like bright, bold colors and so many people are afraid to wear the color yellow.
Good job, your dress is very pretty! And that watch you are wearing looks fantastic on you!
I can’t get over how pretty you are and how well your dress fits and flatters you. Just lovely!
Looks great on you! Love your fabric choice, too! I might have to give this pattern a try.
You wouldn’t ever know the dress was a pickle to sew – it looks amazing on you. Very well chosen print, color, and fabric, I must say!
You definitely looking AMAZING in this dress. The style is perfect for you and the fabric/print are so cheerful and fun! I have the pattern too and now it’s definitely getting moved nearer to the top of my list. (But I’ll heed your warnings about the head-scratching parts!)
Wow, Wow, wow! You look like a million bucks! I think I might have to try this pattern out!
You look amazing in that dress!
You’re so right this dress is just perfect on you! Great style and fabric choice. I can’t say I’m surprised that the instructions would be confusing – when I look at that twist in the front I am confused already about how you would ever put that together 🙂
This is gorgeous! You did a fantastic job. Outfits like this is why I sew.
Wow! Reading what you went through and your determination, this turned out amazing. You look absolutely great in it. I’m a beginner and I appreciate the complete dissection you did, it really gave me hope. I might go ahead and tackle this. Thank you for giving me courage. 🙂
You hit it out of the park with that dress! The colour is perfect for you, and the style is very flattering to your figure. Don’t you just love those ITY knits? Well done!
You did a fantastic job on this! I have a similar pattern here, and I should dust it off and make it. I love how detailed you got with the review too.
And, on top of it all, you look amazing!
Love the fabric! As a matter of fact I scored a small bit of this fabric (remnant bin) and made a scarf out of it. It is beautiful as a dress. This pattern is great for the fabric. Great job!