Style Arc Blaire in Upcycled Duvet!

 

I'm very happy with my new Style Arc Blaire blouse! I had a lot of fun making this one. It's the blouse I cut out in April intending to make it for the various upcycling challenges that month - but I have just now had the chance to finish it! 

The lines of this boxy blouse are really interesting -- lots of chance to play with colour and/or print. I picked up this duvet from the thrift store a few months ago, finding the print irresistible. It's a lightweight cotton-poly blend, quite crisp but not a heavy fabric. Perfect for this blouse, both for the stripe play and for the double layer required on the bottom part of the pattern. 

I found this a straightforward pattern for Style Arc. The instructions are of course quite sparse, being Style Arc. But they are logical, and there are some illustrations for the more confusing bits, which was very helpful. The most unique thing about this pattern is that the bottom piece is two layers: the inner is a straight bottom band , and the outer has a large U-shaped cutout on the sides, to highlight the underlayer, whether that is stripes in a different direction, like mine, or any colour blocking you might be doing. It's quite fun! I did find the U angle a bit hard to hem neatly, but that could be because my fabric has zero give at all. In a cotton or linen you might be able to smooth out the curves a little more easily. But my fabric is so busy it hides the small wrinkles so it all works out LOL! 

I love the cut on sleeve as well, it's just the right size for my preferences. There is a sleeve cuff, which gave me another option to play with stripe direction. The instructions are to sew the outer cuff, turn it under and stitch in the ditch to catch the inside. With the small size and angles I thought that would be too fussy for me, so I just sewed the cuff on in one go with a zigzag finish and pressed toward the bodice. That was very easy and gives a tidy finish as well. 

I was really lucky to find the perfect buttons in my stash. I had a card of vintage buttons that were just the right size and finish for this blouse. I had another set in mind at first, but found they were too shiny and distracted from the black tones of the blouse. These ones are matte and have just a little extra interest to them. I love how they run down the white stripe on the button placket. 

This is super comfortable - the fit is great. The only alterations I made were just for length - I added 2" to the bottom sections only. I like this length and the whole vibe is a lot of fun. I'm really happy with this one, so glad I finished it :) 

Style Arc Ines in Purple Knit

In another addition to my Fall wardrobe focus on purple, I thought I'd try a simple shift using a thrifted knit I picked up a while ago. I looked through many patterns to try to find something like I had in my head; I finally decided on the Ines knit dress from Style Arc. 

I used the Ines as my base pattern, but made quite a few changes. I lengthened the short sleeve to a 3/4 length, for more of a fall style. And I decided, because of the glen plaid print of this fabric, to leave out the seam at the waist, to avoid pattern mismatches. I just cut it with the bodice and the skirt pinned together on the fabric. It worked but does take out one of the interesting details of the pattern, the topstitched waist seam. 

I also added side seam pockets. Those pocket flaps on the front of the pattern are just decorative but I wanted real pockets -- I still find the buttoned flaps a nice touch though, and so still added them to the dress for a little more interest in this very plain outfit. 

It sewed up fairly easily. The pocket flaps take a little bit of concentration as you do want to get them perfectly even. And I had to baste and redo the neckline a couple of times; the first time I had to take it off and shorten the neck band by an inch to get it to sit smoothly on my neck. Then it seemed to be okay, although I don't think it's perfect, there is a little bit of pulling but I'm not redoing it again! 

I was planning on lengthening the dress quite a bit, as it looked pretty short in the pattern illustrations, and when I measured it, I thought I'd need to add a few inches. But in fact I did not have to add any length, rather, I had to shorten it by about 1/2" from the original length to get the hem where I wanted it. Style Arc does draft for 5'6", and I am barely 5'2" so that could be why! I'm not sure why I first thought I'd have to lengthen it. Oh well, better than making it too short to start.

It's okay, a functional dress, but I'm not loving it. I am wondering if that's because the fabric and the neckband make it feel a bit too casual or t-shirty for me. Or if the overall silhouette just doesn't work. I may test it out with a belt to see if that works. I'll give it a try and see if wearing it makes me feel good, or if this is destined for a donation to a friend. 

And Lacey Makes Three

To recover from my missing sewjo in June I decided to make a pattern I've made twice before, the Lacey Dress by Style Arc. This is a great pattern to use with stripes, and it's also a nice loose summer dress to wear on hot days.

I had some rayon that I bought at a PatternReview weekend in Chicago in 2016 so it was time to use it! I really like the print but I do find the colours a bit duller than I'd remembered; the pale blue with red gives a mauve-y feel to the dress as a whole. Not sure I completely love it - but it is comfy! 

Because I've made it twice before I just cut without worrying about any pattern alterations. I cut the central bodice pieces with the stripe horizontal, and the outer sleeve and skirt with vertical lines. But I was challenging myself to see if I could sew it all together in 3 hours like a Great British Sewing Bee challenge -- I just made it -- but just like with the timed challenges on the Bee, there are therefore mistakes. I think I will take the skirt off and resew it more neatly and evenly. You can't really see it in the photos (or probably in real life much) but the waist seam is uneven, it's higher in the front, and it's driving me nuts! The problem with rayon that likes to shift and stretch... 

I wore it to work this week on a very warm day and it was cool and airy to wear. I stopped to take photos in the rose garden in the churchyard that I cut through on my way to work; it matches with the dress nicely! It certainly was quick and stress free making a pattern that I was already familiar with, but I have to remember the maxim, Haste Makes Waste, and not try to compete with Sewing Bee timing ;) 

20s Inspired Talulah for The Blue Castle

 

I had many ideas for my project for The Blue Castle round of the Literary Sewing Circle - many of the suggestions I made in our inspiration posts were things I was considering myself. But as I was rereading some passages in the book, I came across this image from when Valancy and Barney were going to town to be married, and I just couldn't get it out of my head: 

Everything seemed more dream-like than ever. Valancy didn't know whether she felt happy. Or terrified. Or just plain fool. 

Then the lights of Port Lawrence were about them. Valancy felt as if she were surrounded by the gleaming, hungry eyes of hundreds of great, stealthy panthers. 

To me this felt like a dark rainy night with lots of blurred coloured lights shining and reflecting, showing Valancy's confusion at the life changes she was experiencing. And I had a fabric that made me think of this exact image, too. 

I matched up this light poly-blend knit with a dress that has a 20s inspired silhouette, the Talulah by Style Arc. I've been meaning to make this for a while, in fact it was on my 2021 Make Nine list! So I thought the 20s inspiration together with the quote made for a perfect duo.

So now on to the pattern! I traced off a size 12, grading out to about a size 14 at the hip -- I added on about 1/2" to each seam line, and bumped out the sections to be gathered by the same amount so that I didn't skimp on the gathered panels, which are the highlight of the pattern. It worked out well! I also shortened the sleeves by 3", so that they are full length, ending at the wrist. I have short arms. 

The neckband went in nicely, although do note that it is quite a narrow width; if you are thinking of making a contrast band as a feature, you might want to increase the width a bit. I basted it in first to be sure it was the right size and then attached it properly. Easier than picking out a zigzag to begin with. 

I didn't shorten this one at all. I measured the line of gathering so that it would sit right at my lower hip (although the stretch in the fabric has made it sit just a touch lower in wearing) and then measured down to where I wanted it to end. I didn't need to make any adjustments. The pattern as designed is fairly short, ending above the knee but I wanted mine to sit right at the knee. I don't think this pattern would look right if it was longer than mid-knee, the proportions would be off, at least to me. But I left it and it's mid-knee for me as is. I have quite short legs, so if you are making this be sure to measure your pattern well before deciding what to adjust. 

I really, really like this one! There's a shaped centre back seam to give it a nice fit and it really adds to the pattern. I like the fit a lot - in fact I think if I cut it to a length just above the gathers, this pattern would make a nice basic tee as well. I like that it's close fitting but not clinging, and the little swish of the gathered panels is just perfect. The fabric is light but also substantial enough to hold the shape well, and I think the print is such fun. 

I'm happy to be able to think of this as my Valancy dress, and will definitely enjoy it. The only tiny flaw with it is that there are no pockets -- not easy to put into this silhouette. But I will overlook that this time as it is such a fun and comfy outfit!

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