As regular readers of my blog know, I love a knit.  I love a dress.  I love a wrap.  And I especially love a knit wrap dress – even better when it is not REALLY a wrap dress and will fly open exposing leg whenever a breeze passes by, but is a “faux” wrap that has a full skirt piece underneath.

This is the Style Arc Tia. The description says: This is a designer wrap dress that is easy to make and easy to wear. Make it in stripe jersey for an eye popping look or choose a plain jersey for a more understated feel. The all in one sleeve and shaped front overlay gives this wrap dress a point of difference to this timeless style.  

How could I NOT make this in a stripe, when the illustration showed how effectively a stripe could be used and when the pattern pieces had placement markings on them to make it even easier?  This stripe cotton/spandex from Darn Cheap Fabrics was just the ticket for this dress.  Substantial without being heavy, and not super-drapey or super-clingly.  Just right for something fitted.  The rusty orange/red of the stripes really appealed to me too.

I made size 12, my usual Style Arc top/dress size. However, it’s a bit too tight through the mid-section for my apple shape, which is particularly evident when I look at these photos of the back. I am currently in the process of losing some weight, so by the time that summer really hits I think it will be fine. Otherwise I need to remember to cut it a bit larger through the middle if I make it again. I shortened it a few inches at the hemline, but otherwise didn’t alter anything. Half an inch out of the back bodice length would probably have been a good idea, however.  The shoulder curve keeps the extended sleeve sitting in the right place, and the neckline also sits smoothly and doesn’t gape. I actually followed the instructions and stabilised the neckline with elastic before turning it to the inside and twin needling. It’s worked rather well.

But check out that stripe matching! High fives to me! I took much more time cutting this dress out than I did in sewing it, in fact. There are only four pattern pieces – the back, the front (cut twice), the skirt (cut twice) and the front skirt overlay. Each piece had to be cut separately with a great deal of care taken to match the stripes and keep them all running from thinner stripes at the top to thicker stripes below. The fabric isn’t symmetrically striped – take another look at it – so there was a definite “top” to it.

I left off the belt – why would I want to cover up those perfect stripe intersections? I used loads of pins to hold everything where I wanted it before basting on the sewing machine then whizzing the seam through the overlocker. Hems were stabilised then turned to the inside and stitched with a twin needle.

I’m fairly sure that I’ll sew this pattern again, maybe in a print (which would be super fast to cut as well as to sew). It will be a great pattern for the warmer days when I don’t want to wear one of my usual sack style dresses.