This season I’ve been all about ruffles and puffs and big, statement sleeves. One pattern in my stash that checks all those boxes (and is a joy to sew) is McCalls 7977. I’ve made it up a bunch of different ways - short sleeves, no sleeves and in both upcycled and new fabrics. My latest shown here, is one of my favorites (who am I kidding? I love them all!)

I did make a few modifications as follows: I cut the neckline slightly higher than the pattern pieces and drafted facings to fit. Then I gathered a short ruffle and sewed it between the bodice and facing (plus understitching on the facing side).

On the sleeves, I cut them long (27” from the sleeve head) and made a bias casing, which I sewed 1.5” up from the hem of the sleeve. This is a lot quicker than a full cuff with three buttons on each side.

The bit that makes me most proud of this piece is the plaid matching. It adds another level of attention to detail and engineering to get it to work out and there’s no where to hide with 1” plaid. In fact, when I was learning proper techniques in college we always worked in 1 or 1/4” gingham. I’ve had some requests for a tutorial on this and it’s on my list! Stay tuned!