You Know Your Closet Needs this Quick Cold Shoulder Top

This month’s Sew Your View, McCalls 7873 (M7873) was already on my Make Nine list so I figured this is double bonus points for sewing. I was a little worried about this pattern though.  For me, sewing is all about inspiration.  This year I’m doing the Make Nine Challenge, Sew Your View, and Black History Month Pattern Designers to push myself out of my comfort zone of sewing.  

What I truly loved: Serious asymmetry!!! This makes the pattern interesting.  I also love the versatility of the pattern.  

My brain thinks of the many ways you can vary the pattern–a sequined strip, color-blocked, lace overlay, prints, and all sorts of interesting ideas.

McCalls 7873 Challenges

This pattern is like a puzzle.  I did not construct the top in the order suggested because it made no sense to me to do it that way AND I wanted to topstitch so I needed to leave certain areas open.

Sewing Recommendations for M7873

When I cut a pattern, I generally don’t utilize all the markings and notches available.  Sew enough and you can put just about anything together without the instructions. However, with McCalls 7873, I would strongly suggest using the markings for the neck binding, contrast band, and sleeves –which is essentially the entire top right.

Also, I reinforced part of the proximal area of the cold shoulder sleeve seam with interfacing since the knit is so flimsy.  This, in my opinion, helped the right shoulder to look slub-polished but not sloppy.

McCalls 7873 Petite Sewing Adjustments

The final measurements are NOT correct on this pattern.  My hips are 41-42″.  In theory, these pants should not have fit or should have been very tight on my bottom.  The finished, with negative ease for the knit, is definitely too big for me and I made a medium.  The next make will definitely be a size small because the medium is on the baggy side. I made the top in a small.  Still a little on the baggy slub side for me so my next make will be an x-small. 

I would also recommend being choosy with your fabric choice because the right shoulder is loose fitting so if you choose jersey, ITY, or modal it may be too soft, requiring more stabilization.  The converse is true– a very firm, heavyweight knit may not be comfortable or fun to wear.  Also, heavier-weight knit fabrics tend to wrinkle more.

Petite gal Alterations

This time I shortened the length of the pant by 2″.  I likely will decrease it by about 3-3.5″ next time and also decrease the arm length by 1-2″ for a more fitted look. This is an excellent pattern for a tall, thin girl because your body won’t get lost in the fabric.  If you are petite, I suggest making a number of flat pattern adjustments to the side seams of the top and length of the pants.

Personal Touches:  I added topstitching in every possible place I could find to give this sportswear suit a more polished professional look.  I would especially recommend topstitching the shoulder seams, neckline, armbands, and contrast bands.  In the future, I may use a contrasting thread.

Future hacks:  Shorter sleeves might be cute as well as a capri version.  Also, I need a more tapered look for the pants.  I will likely cut a small size next time. 

ANATOMY of PATTERN McCalls M7873

FABRIC ORIGIN: Mood Fabrics

FABRIC MAIN: Black Donna Karen medium weight Ponte

FABRIC contrast: Italian Abstract Digital Print

PATTERN: McCalls 7873

KEY PATTERN FEATURES: Cold shoulder, asymmetric arm, contrast

SKILLS: Putting together a jigsaw puzzle, working with knits, underlining, topstitching (if you want), inserting elastic