Well, this year really has gone off the rails.  Dad was in and out of hospital then died just after we came out of fourth lockdown.  Since then we’ve had a fifth lockdown and are now in a sixth lockdown – and much of the rest of the east of Australia is in lockdown too.  Bloody covid, the Delta strain is so difficult to contain.  We were so lucky here in Australia to get through 2020 pretty well, but now things look to be going down the gurgler while we try to get more people vaccinated (Dan, Clare and I are all fully vaccinated but Stella is still too young to be eligible).  Toss grief into the mix, as well as general exhaustion and there’s no wonder that my blog is neglected.  Anyway, enough of that.

Thank you SO much to all of you who left such lovely messages after my last post about Dad’s death.  I really did and do appreciate them – you are all very kind and it’s comforting to know that people care.  Grief is a challenging and sometimes confronting thing.  I continue to be constantly grateful for the long and full life that Dad had, and that we were able to have a ‘proper’ funeral for him between lockdowns.  You timed things very well Dad!

Back to the sewing.  The Style Arc Sydney pattern had been in my stash for ages.  It’s one of those ones that I’m now saying ‘why didn’t I sew this up earlier’!

This is a garment that I sewed and photographed in December 2020. I sewed size 12, my usual Style Arc top/dress size, left out the inseam pockets, and shortend it around two inches (maybe more?) by taking a fold through the centre of each skirt pattern piece in order to retain the cocoon shaping.

The fabric was a gift from a generous friend; I really love this sort of print. And it’s so soft! I suspect that it’s a Merchant and Mills block print, but can’t be sure.

You can see the folds created by the curved seamlines and the slight high-low hemline in the above photo. I was concerned that inseam pockets would drag on the seamlines in this soft fabric, so didn’t include them – which also made sewing time much faster, of course!

From the Style Arc website: Architecturally designed cocoon shaped dress. Each panel has been engineered to create the drape and fall of this interesting style. Mid length front and longer back along with the extended shoulder line completes this avant-garde look. This pattern is a clever design but is also an easy make. FABRIC SUGGESTION: Crepe, silk, washed linen, even a knit or any fabric with drape.

It looks as though I forgot to fold up the sleeves properly in these photos! They can have a folded cuff – as per the fashion illustration – or you can leave them longer. Might be a good idea to pick one or the other!

Anyway, this dress is a winner and will be part of my wardrobe for ages. It’s really comfortable in hot weather, provides some shoulder and upper arm coverage to keep that sun off, and I think that it’s rather stylish too! Just make sure that you adjust the pattern length before you cut out the dress if you are shorter than average.