The first time I sewed the Style Arc Skye top I used pleather (and promptly passed to the top on to a friend who looks much better in it than I did).  Pleather really doesn’t give you the best idea of fit from a muslin or toile perspective!  So for my second go at this pattern I sewed size 12 without alteration again.

The fabric is Thai cotton double gauze and I really had to work hard to eke this top from the scraps I had left from the Toni dress I sewed back in March. I even had to piece a little bit together at the bottom of the back, and there was no way that I could manage facings from the same fabric. Instead I used some printed cotton voile that was in stash.  I bought it from Spotlight for a bargain many years ago, and it has been the gift that keeps on giving!  There is still enough left for another garment.

The wide facings really make this style, as does the shaping at the sides. If you have a shape like mine, very thick through the middle and tummy without a defined waist, the curve up at the side seams really does add something a bit more special to a top that is worn out. To see how it looks tucked in on a completely different shape, one with a lovely defined waist, see Anne‘s recent post here.

This softer, more forgiving fabric has a nicer fit on me than the pleather. I eliminated the centre back slit with button and loop opening since I can get this on and off easily enough with out it (I have a rather small head). Facings were stitched down a quarter of an inch from their edge, which gives a topstitched feature on the right side.

The bust darts are still too high. Must remember to lower them in any future versions! I also think that I would prefer facings for the arm openings, instead of the simple turned back and topstitched openings. The hem and neck facings are so nice that I feel the armholes could really benefit as well. Binding would also work okay. I just think that they need more substance.

You can see that this is drafted for a much closer fit than the Ethel tops, that I also sewed in size 12. It’s also shorter. Different style, different ease! I reckon that I’ll give this top another try. It would be good paired with pants for work in warmer weather.

We head home again from our week on the Tweed Coast later today. We’ve had a great time, and our nephew’s wedding on Friday was lovely. Blog posts of the dresses that Clare, Stella and I wore should be coming up in the next week or so!

I’m jumping back in time a little with this garment, as it was sewn in time for a Professional Association dinner back at the beginning of August.  This pattern has been around for a while, and I’ve seen a number of positive reviews on the blogosphere.  It’s the Style Arc Kate dress.

For the dinner I wore this with sheer stockings and heels, plus turquoise jewellery. For work I wore it with thicker tights, boots, and a jacket. This is a very versatile style.

I sewed this in size 12 without any fit alterations. I should have made a short back waist alteration (I sound like a broken record on that one – I really need to get into the habit of doing that alteration pretty much as standard). I am currently at my highest weight, and am very thick through the middle, but think that this style is fairly forgiving in that regard. (Side note – this dress would probably be a great one for early to mid pregnancy, if that is something that you need). There is one thing that I will do differently next time, and that is the neckline. I stabilised it with fusible tape and elastic, and as a result it is actually too firm and has no give at all, especially around the back of the neckline. You can see that it is pulling a bit in some of these photos. Next time I’ll just use the elastic and will leave out the fusible tape.

I did leave off the sleeve pleats and so shortened the sleeve accordingly. The waist is a little on the high side. I was aware of that from the reviews I had read, and because I am short-waisted that actually works pretty well for me (and is one of the reasons why I didn’t do a short back alteration). I also took a decent chunk from the dress length.  This is a proper wrap dress. It is well drafted and doesn’t fly open once tied. From the Style Arc website:

KATE DRESS: Fabulous versatile wrap dress – easy to wear, great for any occasion. Try it Royal Blue for that special occasion. Or in pattern to imitate Kate’s Australian wardrobe item.

FABRIC SUGGESTION & DESCRIPTION: fine knit jersey, any soft knit fabric

I especially love the fabric, which came to me from Liz via the Jungle January swap.  It’s got it all!  Animal print!  More than one type of animal print!  Paisley!  And it was great to sew with and to wear. This photo of the dress on Ada shows how beautifully the pleats sit if you have more of a waist and less tummy than I do. On me they provide lovely fitting ease.  I used a twin needle for all the hem edges, including along the neckline and fronts.  Most of the construction was on the overlocker.

So overall, this dress is definitely a winner. I have some more fabric earmarked for a 3/4 sleeve version. It’s perfect for the air-conditioned office but transitions beautifully to other situations as well.

There are loads of different wrap dress patterns around, and it intrigues me how they differ from one another. Full wrap, fake wrap, straight skirts, flared skirts, gathered skirts, waist seam, no waist seam, collars, no collars…the list goes on. There are some others already in my stash that I want to try, but I can tell that this wrap dress pattern is one that I will return to.

I’m blogging out of order, because this Style Arc Ethel top and pants were sewn before the linen ones.  I wanted to try out the patterns before cutting into that luscious (and expensive) linen.

The top was sewn from Thai cotton double gauze, bought from Notionally Better on Etsy. Gaye has such lovely Thai fabrics, and every time I wear something I’ve made from them I have the added bonus of remembering our wonderful trip to Thailand last year. The double gauze has two distinct sides, so is the perfect fabric for a pattern like this that lends itself to some colour blocking.

I sewed this in size 12, no alterations. The double gauze lent itself beautifully to the design, without any stretching out along the diagonal seams. The seams and the facings were topstitched in place on the machine, but most construction was on the overlocker.

The pants fabric is linen/viscose from Darn Cheap Fabrics, the same fabric I used in the pants I blogged yesterday but a different colour. There were a few other colours available but I can’t remember what! Possibly navy, a light neutral, maybe even black? I’ll have another look next time I am at Darn Cheap, because this fabric is great to sew and to wear.

I sewed size 10, with a tuck at knee height to shorten, and this time have rolled the cuffs up to change the look a little bit. I rather like the in seam side pockets as well. I often leave pockets out of pants, especially if they are not actually a design feature, but sometimes they come in handy.

More information on the Ethel top and pants is in my previous blog post.

Goodness, I just realised that I haven’t written a blog post for just over two weeks!  I have still been sewing, there is plenty waiting to be blogged, and maybe this week I will find (make!) the time.  We’re currently in Kingscliff on the northern NSW coast for a week’s holiday (with a house/dog sitter at home of course).  Surely I’ll have some time in the evenings to catch up a little bit on blogging!  Instead of blogging some of those sewn ages ago garments, I’m going to show you one that I sewed in the last week, in time for our holiday.

This is the Style Arc Ethel top and pant combination. Shall I start with the top?  From the Style Arc website:

ETHEL DESIGNER TOP: This gorgeous boxy shaped top with angled design lines gives your wardrobe a new and fashionable look.
The wide facings give this top structure and style.
This pattern has been cleverly drafted to cover the top of the arms whilst not losing any of the design elements.

FABRIC SUGGESTION: Linen, Crepe, Silk, light wool

I used white Merchant and Mills linen from Stitch 56 for the top.  It was absolutely divine to sew.  This is a rather roomy top.  I sewed size 12, which is my usual Style Arc size, and it’s quite a bit larger than the Skye top that I made recently.  I like the sizing though – it works nicely in this style; it’s not meant to be fitted and the ease works beautifully with linen.  The angled front and back seams add a lovely design line, and are also great for colour blocking the top if that is something you want to do (it’s something that I did do with my first as yet unblogged version).  The wide stitched facings also look very stylish and are especially effective on the white linen.

The only thing that could trip you up in this top is in the application of the armhole facing. The key is to NOT do what are used to doing and stitch the short ends of the facings together. The short ends actually end up sitting beside one another. Take a good look at the line drawings and illustrations and do some pinning and basting if you need to get your head around it.

I also suggest that you take a little more care than I did when sewing those diagonal seams to ensure that you don’t stretch them out as you join them.  Bias seams!  I used the overlocker for construction, and did the topstitching on the sewing machine.  Nothing new there!  So, to the pants.

ETHEL DESIGNER PANT: As well as being a designer pant this is most comfortable pant you will ever wear! The tucked elastic waist and dropped crotch along with the slight balloon shaped leg gives this designer pant an edgy look. 
The leg narrows off at the cropped hemline therefore can be worn rolled up if preferred.

FABRIC SUGGESTION: Linen, Crepe, Silk, Fine Wool

I sewed these in Merchant and Mills linen from Stitch 56 as well. I just adore that colour! It’s called Boston Fall and I wish that I had a whole bolt.  These are such comfortable pants.  As the description says, they have an elastic waist – always a winner in my books – and a slightly dropped crotch and ballooned legs.  My first thought when I made them was MC Hammer crossed with clown pants – but as soon as I put them on I could appreciate the shaping from the front tucks and narrowed and ankles, and the crotch didn’t feel all that low in wearing.  The hems can also be rolled up a bit.  I sewed size 10, my usual Style Arc pants size, and shortened them by taking a fold out of the pattern at about knee height.

I really, really, really like this outfit!  As regular readers of my blog know, loose and comfortable is right up my alley.  Fingers crossed that it will be a nice enough day to wear this tomorrow on our trip to Movie World…

Sometimes there are patterns that I always pause at in the pattern catalogue.  I stop, I ponder, I wonder if maybe that would be a good look for me?  Then I decide to wait until the next pattern sale, because surely that is such a popular style that it will be in the catalogue forever.  Then I see the pattern made up,  and realise that yes, it would be a good pattern on me!  Then I go to buy it – and realise that it has recently gone Out Of Print!  That, my friends, is the story of Kwik Sew 3801.  First I saw view A made up on Sarah, and shortly after I saw it on Kate as well. I had to have it.  It was no longer available.  Oh, what to do?  I whinged, I moaned, I complained – and one day whinged in front of the right person, who loaned me a copy to trace!  Oh, how wonderful!  And now I am the happy wearer of Kwik Sew 3801, view A.

There is a great deal about this style that appeals to me.  First, it’s loose through the body.  Second, it’s in a knit.  Third, the narrow sleeves balance out the volume in the torso.  Fourth, the edges are simply finished with an overlocker rolled hem.  Fifth – it’s so easy to wear!

The fabric is a wool/acrylic knit from The Cloth Shop. It is incredibly soft and cosy to wear, and was straightforward to sew. Actually, I sewed this the same day that I bought the fabric, so although it’s taken a while to get to the blog it has been in relatively high wardrobe rotation for quite a few weeks now. There was no sewing machine involved in sewing this top – it was all done on the overlocker.

I strongly suspect that this is a pattern I will return to over the years. It is a distinctive style, and you do need to use a fabric where both sides look to be the right side. One half of the front has the “wrong” side showing as a consequence of the centre twist. You can manoeuvre the twist to sit higher or lower; whatever your preference happens to be. I sewed this in size Medium, but the sizing would be influenced by the fabric composition and drape. In this fabric I could have probably sewn down a size, but I like the volume and coziness of the finished top. In fact, I think that I’ll wear it today!

The Style Arc Ricki top I blogged a couple of posts back was actually a wearable muslin for this one.

Same size, same slightly too long sleeves, different fabric. This time I used some printed scuba from Spotlight. And had enough to make a skirt to go with it!

The skirt is the Itch to Stitch Petal skirt – I’ve made it before here.  This time I remembered my own advice and cut a waistband piece to encase the waist elastic then attach to the top of the skirt.

Scuba fabric is quite substantial but is also rather slippery and not all that heavy. I don’t have the same issue with the top pulling backwards in this fabric. It was very easy to sew – mostly on the overlocker – and simple to hem with the twin needle. I did pay attention to the pattern piece placement when I was cutting out in order to have the colours of the print where I found them most pleasing.

As it turns out I tend to wear these pieces separately more often than I wear them together. The skirt is great with my chocolate brown long sleeved tee and Harper jacket. And the top layers easily over a long sleeved tee when the weather is cold and works well with Misty jeans.  Scuba is definitely not a summer fabric, but it works beautifully in winter (all that double knit polyester)!

This time I got the combination of fabric and pattern just right.

Another wearable muslin for you – but not to be worn by me!  This has already been passed on to my friend Kathryn – and it looks great on her! But you’ll have to make do with photos of it on me.

Kathryn wondered aloud “how would the Skye top work in pleather?” And that was all that it took for me to pull some pleather out of stash and get sewing. I knew when I started that this would definitely not be a great colour on me. But the pleather was only $2 per metre (yes, from Darn Cheap Fabrics) and I’d bought it to play with anyway! I cut the front and back pieces from pleather, and the neckline and hem facing pieces from blue viscose. I omitted interfacing completely, as I didn’t want it show through the perforations in the pleather.

As you can see there is no way to hide with pleather and this top could definitely have done with a short back waist alteration. There is a centre back seam that makes it easy to do, so I’ll remember that for the future. Those folds at the back waistline make me cringe!

I chose to do all the stitching with a zig zag in blue, to bring a little more colour into the top and tie it in to the facings. I like the curve of the front and back hems. The pleather was challenging to press and surprisingly it creases quite a lot, but with an organza press cloth I was able to tame it into submission. The bust darts are too high on me – I need to remember to drop them next time I use the pattern. I sewed size 12 again (forgetting that winter coat; I really need to size up when I sew during winter).

The back button is also blue. As it turns out I can easily get this on and off without undoing the button. I sewed a simple fabric tube from the viscose for the button loop.

The illustration and description from the Style Arc website is as follows:

SKYE TOP: This wonderful top has been designed to skim the body, the extended shoulder line and rounded hemline makes it a perfect top to wear with your jeans and skirts, it will be the go to top in your wardrobe

FABRIC SUGGESTION: Scuba, Ponte, Stable Knit, Silk or Linen

It’s rather fun to try things in an alternative fabric and just see what happens, especially when the fabric has been inexpensive.  And now I know what fitting changes to make the next time I sew this!

First things first.  This was intended as a wearable muslin.  I’m never going to wear it, and it’s going into the op shop bag.  But that doesn’t mean it was a failure.

This is the Style Arc Melinda knit tunic. The line drawing and description from their website is as follows:

MELINDA KNIT TUNIC: The boat neck on this style gives this tunic length top a sophisticated look. The band treatment at the neck is both interesting and clever. The sliced bodice allows you to create your own version by mixing colours or textures. This tunic will become one of your favourite go to garments.

FABRIC SUGGESTION & DESCRIPTION: Jersey knit, slinky

I used a linen knit from Darn Cheap Fabrics as my muslin, and it wasn’t a good choice. This would have been better in a fabric with more structure and stretch – such as the jersey knit and slinky suggested! I made straight size 12.

The fit overall is not too bad – although I have gained quite a winter coat this year, even since these photos were taken, and by now it would probably even be a bit too tight around my middle. I really liked the way that the boat neckline was constructed. It was quite unusual, with folded bands attached to the upper front and back. The bands are straight but the neckline on the upper front dips which makes the bands dip with it. However, the dip wasn’t enough for me and I felt strangled. If I make this again I’ll need to remember to scoop out the front neckline more before attaching the bands. I’d also sew the two bands further in at the shoulders to narrow the boat neckline a little. It felt much too wide on me and exposed my bra straps. That said, my shoulders are more narrow and sloped than broad and substantial.

So for me this was a classic example of a bad fabric and pattern match. I do like the lines of the pattern, with the above modifications. I’ve seen some rather lovely versions of it on the internet, so don’t let my review put you off entirely. Just consider the neckline depth and width before you sew – and don’t sew it in a linen knit.