The Style Arc designers are clever women.  The Lacey dress is great for me – and it’s great for my teenage daughter!

I sewed Clare a Lacey dress on the same weekend I sewed mine, and I have to say that I absolutely love it! Clare’s is sewn in a Girl Charlee knit that came to me via Restash. I had to tetris the pieces extra hard to get this dress out of the fabric that I had available, and as a result a couple of them are cut slightly off grain. Fortunately it doesn’t appear to have affected the fit or the hang of the finished dress.

Clare’s dress is size 4 (mine is size 12). I didn’t make any alterations, and think that it fits her beautifully. I included the side seam pockets in her version – all the better for a teen to keep her mobile phone in.

Did you notice the necklace Clare is wearing? She made it herself, and it coordinates perfectly with this print!

This dress has lovely wide facings around the neckline. I used a cream woven rather than the same fabric for a couple of reasons – firstly, there absolutely wasn’t enough of the print for the facings, and secondly I wanted to use something that wouldn’t show through. This dress has positive ease, as you can tell, and it’s designed to be sewn in a woven or stable knit. The woven facing allowed for very neat topstitching, which is mirrored by the topstitched wide sleeve hems and skirt hem.  I also topstitched the vertical bodice seams.  Most construction was done on the overlocker.

From the Style Arc website: Slip into the fabulous Lacey Knit Dress. It’s easy to make and easy to wear. Lacey will work with either knit or woven fabrics. Sitting on the waist, Lacey has a slightly gathered skirt with side pockets. The interesting bodice has an extended shoulder line that creates a short sleeve that can be worn straight or rolled. The bodice has clever design lines that allow directional stripes or mixed textures. FABRIC SUGGESTION: Knit, jersey, rayon or silk.

I think this could be a strong contender for perfect hot summer dress pattern!  Clare wore this on a 41 degree day and it was cool and comfortable.  And, according to many, this dress looks ‘very Gorman‘.  It’s a winner.