These are McCall's 2401 - an Easy shift dress pattern with six variations. I made view E, with a boat neck and elbow length sleeves.
The material is Ponte Roma - I can't remember where I bought it from now, but it was less than £5 a metre, and each dress took less than 2 metres. I still have some left over, maybe enough for a top or a pencil skirt.
As the material had some stretch, I left out the centre back zip and cut the back as a single piece. I didn't make a very good job of the front darts on the red version - they aren't sharp enough and have ended up more like pin tucks. And my hem is a bit goofy because I trimmed the hem allowance too much and just did a narrow, machine stitched hem.
What I love about these dresses is that I can chuck them on and immediately look smart without making any effort (low maintenance, me?). And they are soooo comfy - basically a big sweatshirt. Just today my son's schoolteacher asked me where the dress I was wearing at parents' evening was from - yay, I made it!
I would definitely recommend this pattern for beginners, and a Ponte is great because you can do away with the zip. My main issue was with the facings, which tend to have a life of their own. I ended up top stitching close to the seam to try to get them to lie flat.
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