StyleArc Winsome Designer Dress – into the unknown…

I’m on a StyleArc roll!

And you can tell from the twirly pic that this worked.

When StyleArc released the Winsome Dress pattern recently, I was sold immediately – I love the drawstring detail on the back. I would have bought the pattern just for that – I smoosh and hack patterns all the time. But I was also drawn by all the piecing and seams. And draped pockets and asymmetrical hem. There’s a lot going on in this pattern…

I’m always more comfortable starting a new pattern if I can find reviews and tips from other sewists. In this case, I couldn’t find any. There are just a couple photos on the StyleArc site, and the dress shown is done in a woven fabric. The suggested fabrics: Crepe, silk, rayon or any fabric that drapes.

So of course I chose to do this in a thin rayon/lycra jersey with 4-way stretch! No-fear sewing for the holidays…but it worked 🙂

The fabric looks wavey in some of these pics. But it’s really just heathered, no waves or stripes.

My sewing notes:

• I purchased the PDF version, the 10-12-14 bundle, and sewed size 10.

• I lengthened the dress pieces by 2″ using the lengthen/shorten lines on the pattern (I’m 5’7″, and the extra 2″ are perfect). 

• And I added 4″ to the sleeve, just because I didn’t want to come up short. A couple inches would have been enough. 

• As usual, I drafted my pattern with 1/2″ seam allowances everywhere (StyleArc includes 3/8″ seam allowances in the main bits of the pattern and 1/4″ allowances at the neckline).

• I didn’t sew the front button placket – that’s scary sewing on a thin knit. And IMHO, the placket is kind of  the wrong vibe for this dress – it seems so sporty. Instead, I trimmed about 1/4″ from the neckline (I tested to be sure it would go over my head) and finished it with self-fabric binding.  

Sewing the back drawstring casing was easy and fun. Those buttonholes – practice, practice. Putting a buttonhole into knit fabric can be challenging. I settled on a mid-weight fusible non-woven interfacing to stabilize the area, then trimmed away the excess once the buttonholes were done.

A couple pics of the casing and drawstring – so pretty!

The sleeves were way too wide, although they might be fine in a woven fabric. I trimmed away quite a bit (1″ or so) from the sleeve seam, continuing under the armscye, and down for about 5″. In my next knit version, I’m going to use the armscye and sleeve from a knit dress, maybe M6747.

So – Black Friday. I did my part,  and the stash will be much fatter for it. I also got the Nook Samsung Galaxy Tab A, a Barnes & Noble special offer!! It’s terrific. Small, light, slips easily into my handbag, and I can do everything on it! Much better than my old IPad and original Nook. I’m feeling so spoiled.

Bye for now – Coco