Pattern Review and a Refashion: McCall's 4842 dress

This is both a pattern review of McCall's 4842 (out of print) dress and a refashion. I picked up the pattern from the cheapy bin years ago and never made anything from it until now. I was attracted to the knit dress on the envelope. The material I used for this dress was an XXL teal blue elastic waist cotton knit skirt with pockets that I found in my local thrift store. I liked the colour and the fabric and thought I could make a top or dress out of it. This is the before:

I used size 14 which was actually a bit big on me. I had to re-sew it down to size 12. I upcycled a black ponte knit nursing shawl (already cut up for other projects) to make the neckline band and the armhole bands. The neckline was too wide so I had to redraft the neckline by folding out about 2cm from each side of the front and back neckline pieces. I didn't recut the dress portion because I thought the armholes were a bit low and this change in the neckline might pull up the armholes a bit. Good thing this is a moderate stretch knit material. If this were a woven fabric, I would definitely have to redraft the dress part as well after the neckline changes. The armholes were bounded with the same black ponte knit as I thought it would help prevent the armholes from stretching out.

The pattern was easy to sew but the neckline was too wide for me to wear a regular bra. I suppose if I had wanted an off-shoulder look it would be perfect but I didn't want that. So the neckline adjustments I made worked better for me. I'm sure if I were to make it again with sleeves I will have to make adjustments to the sleeves pattern pieces as well due to the neckline changes.

I have worn this dress out (as you can see I got a stain on the front already!) and it's very comfortable. But I don't think this particular neckline is flattering for my broad shoulders and back. I think it makes me look even broader. Well, I'm wearing it anyways, probably with a cardigan or a jacket. I do like the colour and the weight of the knit. I hope that this will be another dress I can 'winterize' for later this year.