McCall's 7016

So...haven't updated for a while.  In my defense, I was wrapping up my last semester and looking for work, so I was a bit busy.  Oh, by the way, I graduated college!  The 89-page thesis has been presented and turned in, so that monument to historical rambling is done.  I'm still looking for work, but for now, it's nice hanging out with my family and Christmas prepping.

Anyways, my first completed project since I moved home -- McCall's 7016!

                                    Internet, meet Jane the dressform.  Jane, meet the Internet.

Ta-da!  Not bad for my first crack at this pattern.  I cut a size small, going down to a extra-small at the waist, and I still had to take in the bust about an inch.  The shoulders came out as a drop sleeve on me, which is not how the pattern is supposed to be.  I corrected it a bit, but they still droop.  It actually looks kinda cute, but on the next one I'll shorten the shoulders so they hit at the right place.  The fit overall on me is pretty good, and it looks nicely professional.

The fabric is a thin ribbed gray knit I think I got at Hancock, and which is probably not great for this project.  It's definitely more suited for a heavier knit.  You can see the bump where the shawl collar goes underneath the top layer, which doesn't look great on either Jane or myself.  It also makes it difficult to fit the bust.  The reviews I read noted this, and it holds true.  I think the way to fix it would probably be to make the collar a single layer and just hem the edges, but I feel like that would lose the nice drape.  Something to puzzle over.