Sunday People 706 - 1970s Mama Dress

[quartercentury]

Patterns

Pattern Manufacturer

--- OTHER ---

Pattern Name/Number

Sunday People 706 - 1970s Mama Dress

Pattern Description

Pattern for past-the-knee sundress with empire waist, wide shoulder straps, back zip. Optional frill at hem.

Which view and size did you make?

View A, no frill; size 12 (the only size!)

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?

Yes

If not, why?

Yes from the front, not from the back. Instructions were incredibly sparse and I had to improvise the zipper, so that doesn't quite look like the picture.

Were the instructions easy to follow?

No

If not, why?

'Otto-style' instructions. Not very suitable for a beginner. No illustrations, just text. "Sew bodice sides to bodice back. Sew skirt to bodice. Insert zip." Maybe I am exaggerating a wee bit, but they were sparse.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

I liked that I didn't have to cut it out. It was pre-cut to the size on the envelope. I didn't like that even though I had the right size according to my bust measurement, I still took in 2-3 inches from the side seams to make it fit decently well. Given that the instructions were sparse, it's a good thing there weren't too many pieces to put together! Also, I was thrown at first by there being no printing at all on the paper pattern, just pre-cut notches and punched holes to indicate where things should line up or be attached.

Fabric used

Cotton lawn for dress, cotton shirting for lining

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made or would recommend

I narrowed the straps by about 3/4 of an inch - they would have been extremely wide according to the pattern and, IMO, would have made the dress look dated enough that I didn't want to wear it. I added a lining (in contrasting fabric) to the skirt (the bodice is self-lined as per pattern instructions - next time I would line the bodice and the skirt in the same fabric). I added a ribbon that matches the contrasting lining at the waist. I added a loop & button at the top of the zip instead of using a hook & eye.

Would you sew this pattern again?

Yes

Would you recommend this pattern to others?

Yes

Any additional comments

Now that I've done it once, I could do it again, and it's not hard, objectively. But it was tricky for a beginner.

These Sunday People patterns were, as far as I can tell, distributed free with a Sunday newspaper here in the UK. I have only ever seen them for sale on eBay, and all the designs seem to be from the 1970s. This one dates from at least 1971, as there's an ad inside for a shower head that is in full UK pounds, not pounds and shillings - the shillings were phased out from 1971.

I have attached two photos - 1 shows the front of the pattern envelope, 2 shows how the pattern isn't printed.