I was so excited to sew up the McCalls M8252 pattern for a wedding I was attending. Unfortunately, the pattern just did not live up to the expectation that I had in my mind. Most of my issues could have been maybe solved by choosing a smaller size or doing a toile (oops), but overall this pattern honestly just wasn’t very fun to make. Thankfully the end result still turned out okay with a lot of adjusting.
Choosing fabric + sizing
Usually I’m someone who doesn’t buy fabric with a pattern in mind, but I bought Atelier Brunette viscose specifically to make this dress. I’ve never used Atelier Brunette viscose before and OMG it’s amazing. It presses and sews like a dream. It’s outside of what I’m usually willing to spend on fabric boy was it worth it. It seems like most of the m8252s I’ve seen on IG are made with sturdier fabrics, but I like the way mine turned out with this drapey fabric.
Sizing is where I made my biggest mistake – I absolutely should have toiled. Anyone who’s sewn a McCalls pattern knows that their sizing can be really whack. I oscillate between an 8 and a 12 depending on the pattern. In this case, my measurements lined me up closer to a 12. However, looking at the finished garment measurements it seemed like the 10 would be a better fit. I figured the dress would be tricky to take in so I risked it and went with a 10. The 10 did not fit at all like I expected. I ended up having to take out over 3 inches from the skirt side seams. It also just didn’t lay right in the back – the skirt was much lower than I wanted. It’s possible that this is a design decision of the pattern and not a fit issue? I ended up taking out a little from the back too so that it would sit higher on the back of my waist. Given how many adjustments I had to make, I’d probably make an 8 next time. Realistically though, because of the difficulty I had with fit, I won’t be making this again.
Sewing the M8252
I made view C of the pattern as I thought it would pair the best with my fabric choice. I really like the longer length and the front slit. For the most part the construction is straightforward.
The trickiest part for me was sewing around the ring (I used this ring for reference.) The directions are honestly not clear at all. The pattern pretty much says “sew fabric around the ring”. So I have no idea if I even constructed mine as the pattern intended. I pretty much just wrapped the fabric around the ring and sewed – essentially making a casing with the ring inside. Also, if you’re wondering what kind of ring to buy and where, don’t expect the directions to specify. I just bought a thin metal ring online and made sure it was the type that didn’t open and close.
Overall thoughts
While I’m happy with my final dress and felt comfortable in it for the wedding I attended, the pattern was not a success in my book. I will probably never make this pattern again. If you’re someone who always makes a toile, you’re probably reading this shaking your head at me. I definitely should have done one, especially because I invested in nicer fabric. Lesson learned (maybe…probably not lol)!
