McCall's 8141 dress - DIY Fashion

It’s been quite some time since I made a glamorous dress! I am very excited to present you with McCall’s 8141 dress in a beautiful crepe back satin. It feels good to be back in my element.

Pattern:

The pattern I used for this dress was McCall’s 8141, in view A but without the sleeves. Removing the sleeves made it slightly challenging for me as the pattern booklet does not cover the step-by-step instructions for this exact construction of the neckband. If you are interested to do the same view, make sure you read the tips in the mod section below!

Fabric:

The fabric I used was a crepe back satin in colour ‘S Eggplant’ that was gifted to me from Zelouf fabrics. It has such rich purple colour with the most beautiful satin sheen. It feels very luxurious and glam in person – I loved the look and feel of it.

Modifications & tips:

Routine petite size adjustments and waist to hip size grading
Basted the necktie to the bodice’s neckline first in order to a) mark the exact openings of the ties on the left side of the neckline and b) to mark the start and end of where the neckband would be sewn to the bodice. Next, unpicked the basting stitches to remove the neckband. Then sewed the neckband (right sides together) on the length where it was not going to be attached on the bodice and left the rest open. For the lengths where the neckband was going to be attached to the bodice, I sewed one side of the neckband to the bodice and slipstitched the other side by hand.
I did not end up interfacing the neckband despite the pattern instructions. At first, when I interfaced the neckband, I did not like the stiff look of the tied bow. It did not quite go with the flowy vibe of this dress. So I cut another piece of neckband without the interfacing and loved the romantic flowy look. If your fabric is super delicate then you may want to consider interfacing, otherwise I do not recommend following this step of the pattern instructions.
For the closure of the neckband at the back, I did not use fabric loops or hook and eye. Instead, I made Thread Chain Loops following Erica Bunker’s YouTube tutorial on how to make them. I think they look so chic and elegant compared to the fabric loops. Plus they are so much easier and fun to make.
When working with crepe back satin or any type of slippery fabrics, make sure to be patient in order to get the best results. Rushing through the project is a big no-no and will show up somehow in the finished garment. Specifically, in dresses where there are horizontal panels to align the seams (such as the midriffs in the back of this dress), you need to ensure to use lots of pinning followed by basting before you go ahead and stitch the seams. Otherwise, due to the slippery nature of the fabric, the two pieces that you are sewing together are likely to move while you are stitching them and you will end up with uneven seams, hems etc.

Conclusion:

I am very pleased with how McCalls 8141 dress turned out. From the satin’y flowy vibe to the rich purple colour and midi length, this dress is the epitome of an elegant evening wear. I have gotten so many compliments on this post on Instagram, which makes me so happy to see you all love it as much as I do.

I hope you found the details and tips helpful! If you loved this dress, you will enjoy seeing other crepe dresses I have made: McCalls 7745, the Sia Dress and the Sicily Slip dress!

Looking forward to sharing more glamorous looks with you soon,

With love,

Ava