Red sweatshirt dress McCalls M8138

I began sewing this dress sometime ago. I stopped at the exposed zipper part. 

My joggers are awaiting the elastic waist. Well the elastic arrived so sometime this week I will hopefully get round to the waistband but in the meantime I returned to sewing the red dress.

I did the zipper insert exactly as directed. I am not really happy with the end result though.

It's just not quite right. This is the second attempt. First time I put the zip in too high and the end was completely exposed. Now I think maybe it's not high enough but it's going to need to remain I think. I do not feel confident a third attempt would be better and it may completely reck the dress so I decided to stop here.

When I tried this on I also decided more than likely I will wear it with zip open.

The bottom of the zip looks loads better that way since the pull hides the mess I made of the end.

But the pattern strangely provides no facings for the neck so I now need to make some and then sew up the collar. Probably I should not have a contrast coloured zip since I am so bad at inserting them and it makes it far more obvious its not quite right when its a different colour to the background.

 I decided the zip looked better being top stitched all around rather than just reinforce the end as the instructions dictate. However, now I want a facing it would have been better to topstitch after I think. Never mind!

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000I will live with this way and hopefully remember if I make this dress again. 

Despite my not so perfect zipped neck I may make another of these because I think I shall like the style.

I might have to consider a neck more like this one on an RTW top I was bought for Christmas.

It has taping that successfully neatens up an exposed zip wonderfully meaning you can get away with being a beginner when sewing something like this. Too late for my dress though because I don't think my fabric will stand up to more unpicking and sewing.

Also I suspect once it's worn this will be less noticeable than it seems to me right now. And if it does look awful it will make a rather nice skirt.

Well a day later and I had asked my partner's opinion. He was brutally honest and possibly due to that and the fact my courage has returned so I used yesterday's stitching like basting. Re-sewed around the end of the zip. That looked better so then I undid my stitching most of the way round and sewed as close to the zip teeth as I could. This is the end result 

Still imperfect but I feel much happier with this despite the small pucker by the end of the zip. I think once on me that will almost stretch out. I have since worse recently in a very expensive mountain climbing shop but I cannot honestly claim to be happy with this. Hopefully, this dress being a tighter fit around the top, it will look OK once on. 

It must be said this is the dodgiest zip I have ever seen with me redoing it in bits all the way round instead of as I was taught to do,0. sewing it in one complete run. Despite that I think it's passable now.

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I have also added facings. I have not decided yet whether to overlock around them or to hem them onto the top or just leave them? I think overlocking will work best really. Ideally the facings should be sewn down close to the zip but I am right now at time of writing unsure if this will be a good idea or not. I decided it was time to stop sewing here until another day rather than rush and ruin what is starting to look like an acceptable me made dress even if the zip is a bit wonky. I don't yet know if I can handle unpicking that zip a fourth time. I am considering that. Its such a shame to make a second rate dress out of what is nice fabric. 

Have a great week and thanks for popping by to see what I have made or messed up this week, Either way this is real sewing by an amateur and I hope it does inspire someone to have a go. I manage to make a lot of nice stuff. Though as in this case, things do not always go as sm00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000oothly as I wish for. Its all a learning curve.

Take care