Do you wonder why it is that different patterns appeal to you at different times? I can’t even remember why I bought this pattern, other than thinking that it would work well for me and for my daughters, and I liked the length options. But it’s a sleeveless dress, and I didn’t want to wait until summer to wear it – so I made it as a pinafore.

This is the Style Arc Nova Midi dress, winterised! I think that it has layered beautifully over a wool long-sleeved tee, with tights and boots. The stunning scarf/shawl that Mum knitted me tops it off beautifully! (The pattern for the shawl is Dirty Lace, by Libby Jonson of Truly Myrtle).

I bought what was described as tencel corduroy from Super Cheap Fabrics specifically with this pattern in mind. Except when the fabric arrived, it wasn’t what I would describe as corduroy. There was no pile at all to it. Yes, it has raised ribs, but it’s not corduroy. I would describe it as ridged or textured. Fortunately I liked the fabric, and it has the wonderful drape of tencel. It’s just not quite what I was anticipating! Colour wise it’s an olive green/brown, one of those colours that can be difficult to capture in photos.

I sewed size 12, and don’t think that I made any alterations. I wanted it to be fairly long, so didn’t alter the depth of each skirt tier. The tiers are beautifully proportioned with increasing depth as you go down. Really lovely drafting. I am 158cm tall, so as anticipated this is much closer to a maxi dress than a midi dress on me. I am also happy with the bodice fit (maybe I did do a forward shoulder alteration on it).

From the pattern website: The Nova Midi Dress is a slip on sleeveless tiered dress that has a Boho inspired look. This pattern works well in a print or plain fabric that’s perfect for spring and summer months. We love this easy slip on dress that can be paired with a heel or slide or styled for everyday with a classic sneaker. The double bodice with no fasteners makes this an easy and quick make. If you prefer a shorter style just leave off the lower tier, but do check your personal length. FABRIC SUGGESTION: Silk, crepe, rayon, washed linen.

Because I was sewing this in a slighly heavier weight fabric than designed, rather than self-lining the bodice I used a lightweight quilting cotton for the lining. I didn’t follow the instructions for the bodice construction, but chose to construct it burrito style. In summary: sew shoulder seams of bodice and shoulder seams of lining. Place right sides together, sew the neckline. Sew each armhole separately burrito style, and sew the side seams last. Then I treated the two layers as one at the waist seam, attaching the bodice to the top tier of the skirt and overlocking the raw edges to finish them. Now, here is where I sent you over to read the incredibly detailed blog post that Mie of Sewing Like Mad has written about how to bag the bodice of the Nova midi dress. It’s an excellent tutorial, and the principles can be applied to any lined sleeveless bodice. Mie is a superb sewer with a background as a sample machinist in industrial sewing, and she is very generous in sharing her knowledge. Always remember that there are a variety of ways to sew most things, each with varying levels of complexity and sophistication in finish, and as a home sewer you get to choose which ones that you want to use!

I love this pinafore, and I’ll be sewing this pattern again. I can picture the shorter version on one of my daughters for summer.