Style Arc Lacey Dress, Take Two

I first made the Style Arc Lacey Dress in 2018, in green seersucker. It was a heavier fabric so I ended up changing the Lacey's gathered skirt to a pleated one. This time, I am using a vintage rayon, very soft and drapey, so stuck with the original design. 

It's kind of nice making a pattern for the second time: most of the adjustments have already been made! I often write all the changes I've made, when I'm first trying a pattern, onto an index card and slip it into the pattern envelope. It's very handy to see what I might have done that I haven't marked permanently onto the pattern pieces.

I was glad I had noted that the Lacey needed to be taken in by an inch at centre front and back -- I often do this for many patterns as it is a quick way to narrow my shoulder/chest area. I shift the pattern 1/2" off the fold at the neck and angle it so that the wedge is a few inches long. This isn't exactly kosher patternmaking/altering but it always works for me. 

In any case, I was very happy to finally get to this project, which I've had in mind since last summer. This fabric was given to me a couple of years ago by a friend's mother -- it's quite old rayon and had some frayed holes along one edge of the selvage. Fortunately I was easily able to cut around the holes and get this amazing striped fabric to shine to full advantage in this pattern, which really highlights a good stripe. 

I switched the pocket bags to my default pocket, as the drafted one is teeny. Because this fabric is so soft and drapy, I was able to avoid having to make any other size alterations. The Lacey is an easy make, no closures and a loose fit that looks good and will be very cool in the summer. But it's not too loose, so I don't feel sloppy in it. 

I love the way this vibrant fabric looks with alternating stripe directions and a gathered skirt. It's a straightforward design, with minimal Style Arc directions, but then it isn't very difficult at all. The bodice design is clever and goes together quite nicely, with the front and back shoulder/sleeve all in one piece. 

This Lacey dress gets a thumbs up from me -- I have a feeling I will be wearing it a lot this summer. This is one of my planned May projects done; two others are cut. I am feeling much more like sewing lately!

Style Arc Adeline: A Real Green Tablecloth Dress

I did it! I finally made a StyleArc Adeline dress :) 

It was the perfect time for it: not only did I find this wonderful green linen at the thrift store, in its original form as a tablecloth, but I've also been rereading some Virginia Woolf this summer, and her given name (that she never used, but still) was Adeline. So I was inspired! Maybe in this dress I will go buy the flowers myself. 

This wasn't a terribly hard project, but there were some little things about it that I found challenging. I tried to figure out how much to shorten it: that was difficult with this pattern -- should I take anything up above the waist? At the shaped hem? What to do? In the end, I folded out 1/2" above the waist, then took almost 2" up in the back. I cut the pattern at the lengthen/shorten line on the back and slid it up 2" so as not to disturb the shape. But then I had to smooth out the front curve a bit to match the back once I'd sewn them together. I just did a bit of similar shaping on the facing and it all worked out in the end -- not as much fiddling as I'd expected, really. 

The only other iffy thing is that my pocket application is only so-so -- they aren't completely smooth so do bulge/wrinkle a bit. I should have lined them so they don't stick to the dress underneath. It is pretty tacky against itself. 

What do I love about this pattern? I'm very pleased with the pretty topstitching feature at the neck and hem (though I think a bit of a steam press would help with the little lumps and bumps here and there). 

It also gives me the chance to wear this Cuban made necklace which
 my sister brought home for me from her trip there

And I really like the sleeves. I was considering shortening them a bit when I cut this out but I'm glad I left it as is -- I like this length once the cuff is folded up. The hi-lo hem has been made very much less hi-lo, which I prefer, though there is still a bit of a curve to it. And I like how it narrows at the knee - I wasn't sure this silhouette would work for my figure, but I like it in a standing and posing position.

However, this is also one part I'm not 100% sure about. I have to shimmy into the dress, and the range of motion when walking is fine, as long as I'm not in a hurry and trying to stride. And sitting is a bit of an issue; when I sit I have to pull it up and bag it out a bit to fit it around my hips comfortably. So not something to wear if I'm on stage or somewhere that people are looking at me straight on while sitting!

But overall I am pleased with this dress and will wear it when it cools down a little, since I will most likely have to wear a slip as well when I wear it in everyday light and am not in the shade. It's just a bit see-through. 

Have you made an Adeline? What has been your experience with it? Or, have you ever upcycled a tablecloth into something you love wearing?

StyleArc Lacey summer frock

I just realized I made this dress, Instagrammed it, reviewed it on PatternReview, and never came back to my blog to share it! It's now a month old at least -- so here is a slightly delayed review of the Lacey Dress from Style Arc.

In quick summary: I liked it after a few alterations.

I started this pattern because I thought it would be a great design to highlight some striped fabric I picked up in Toronto in June (at King Textiles)

It does indeed look wonderful in stripes! But there were a few small issues with my fabric choice. It is a bit too stiff to work with a gathered skirt. I tried it, and it was quite dreadful. So I quickly unpicked it and converted to a pleated skirt. Fortunately for me, the amount of gathering I need for the skirt to fit the bodice was an even number - 6" exactly. So I folded out two pleats on each side of both the front and back skirts, matching the inner pleat to the seam of the centre panel to keep things looking tidy. This skirt falls much better with some nice crisp pleats!

I also found that there was still too much fabric in the waistline and perhaps that is again down to the body of the fabric. However, I pinched out a crescent of fabric between the underarm area and the top of the pocket, with the widest part being one inch at the waistline seam. Once I'd basted that and tested it, I stitched it down permanently and much prefer the look this way. I'll go back and make those changes on my pattern pieces for next time for sure -- this is such a fun style and so comfortable to wear I am sure I'll make another one in more suitable fabric!

This is a very cool dress to wear in the muggy weather we've been having because it just floats around the body. It was fairly simple to make - no closures and the side panel/sleeve is a neat feature. I really like how the centre panels at front and back make it easy to add little touches like stripes going in opposite directions - it would also highlight some colour blocking nicely I think. This is the first Style Arc pattern I've made which fits me well, and I am very pleased with it!