Sewing Josie: McCall’s 8030 pattern review

My first foray with McCall’s 8030 was sewing up the sample for a Love Sewing magazine photoshoot a few years ago. Even though I couldn’t squeeze into the sample, I could see it was a winner – the gathering under the front yolk and the construction of the grown-on sleeves being particularly pleasing to a vintage pattern lover’s eye.

The only snag was the front placket and the way it connected with the collar, it didn’t seem to fit too well – an issue that could be chalked up to sewing at a rate of knots to hit a deadline. Luckily I’d traced the pattern so as soon as there was a window I set about making my own at a more leisurely pace in a nice stable cotton.

I love how this version turned out, but the front placket issue remained – I followed the instructions (so I thought) to the letter and still, when trying to button up to the top, the plackets failed to align. It doesn’t matter much as the dress looks fine with the top buttons undone (and, let’s be honest, no normal human is as eagle eyed as we are about our own sewing) but it was a bit disappointing to see the same error, even when sewing like a snail and using the most reliably stable fabric I could find for the job.

Having never had issues with a McCall’s pattern before – I find they’re always well-drafted and reliable – I’m prepared to believe the issue is all of my own making. After spending a little bit of time playing around with the pattern pieces and reading the instructions over again, I worked out that if, in step 11, you turn the seam allowance by 4/8″ only (rather than the given 5/8″), you’ll end up with a neat 1″ wide placket (taking the full 5/8″ to sew the placket to the front opening edges). The plackets will then line up neatly together and with the collar.

I’d recommend reading through the pattern before you get started, checking you’re certain of the placket instruction and – mea culpa – being really exact when cutting out the placket pieces (McCall’s refers to these as Front Bands). After ironing out this issue (which I suspect was down to losing an extra 1/8″ here and there while folding the placket) I went on to make a few fantastic Josies with button-uppable collars – and in slippery viscose to boot.

For each version, I went for the full collar and sleeve bands. I also straightened the hem from the longest point to create a simpler midi version. The silhouette is fairly long and lean, so be sure to check final garment measurements on the tissue before cutting and, if necessary, grade out at the hips to get a little more room for the pockets (which, if too tight, will stick out slightly).

The pattern is easy to hack into a shirt too – simply mark the length you want and fold the front and back pattern pieces so the lower section is out of the way. Cut and sew as usual and voila, a very on-trend summer shirt. It looks great with matching trousers for a faux jumpsuit (see the version I made for Love Sewing, below).

One final pointer: if you decide to crack on with this pattern (and I would recommend you do!), I’ve heard some people find the sleeve to be a little too deep and reveal more underwear than they bargained for – if this is a worry, you could reduce the depth of the sleeve by an inch (perhaps toiling first to check you have enough movement) or pop on a vest or camisole to protect modesty.

Have you made Josie? Or do you have another favourite shirt dress pattern to recommend? Let us know in the comments below!