Tuesday, November 29, 2016

StyleArc Winsome Designer Dress - into the unknown...



I'm on a StyleArc roll!

And you can tell from the twirly pic that this worked.

When StyleArc released the Winsome Dress pattern recently, I was sold immediately - I love the drawstring detail on the back. I would have bought the pattern just for that - I smoosh and hack patterns all the time. But I was also drawn by all the piecing and seams. And draped pockets and asymmetrical hem. There's a lot going on in this pattern...







I'm always more comfortable starting a new pattern if I can find reviews and tips from other sewists. In this case, I couldn't find any. There are just a couple photos on the StyleArc site, and the dress shown is done in a woven fabric. The suggested fabrics: Crepe, silk, rayon or any fabric that drapes.

So of course I chose to do this in a thin rayon/lycra jersey with 4-way stretch! No-fear sewing for the holidays...but it worked :-)


The fabric looks wavey in some of these pics. But it's really just heathered, no waves or stripes.


My sewing notes:

  • I purchased the PDF version, the 10-12-14 bundle, and sewed size 10.
  • I lengthened the dress pieces by 2" using the lengthen/shorten lines on the pattern (I'm 5'7", and the extra 2" are perfect). 
  • And I added 4" to the sleeve, just because I didn't want to come up short. A couple inches would have been enough. 
  • As usual, I drafted my pattern with 1/2" seam allowances everywhere (StyleArc includes 3/8" seam allowances in the main bits of the pattern and 1/4" allowances at the neckline).
  • I didn't sew the front button placket - that's scary sewing on a thin knit. And IMHO, the placket is kind of  the wrong vibe for this dress - it seems so sporty. Instead, I trimmed about 1/4" from the neckline (I tested to be sure it would go over my head) and finished it with self-fabric binding.  


Sewing the back drawstring casing was easy and fun. Those buttonholes - practice, practice. Putting a buttonhole into knit fabric can be challenging. I settled on a mid-weight fusible non-woven interfacing to stabilize the area, then trimmed away the excess once the buttonholes were done.

A couple pics of the casing and drawstring - so pretty!



The sleeves were way too wide, although they might be fine in a woven fabric. I trimmed away quite a bit (1" or so) from the sleeve seam, continuing under the armscye, and down for about 5". In my next knit version, I'm going to use the armscye and sleeve from a knit dress, maybe M6747.




So - Black Friday. I did my part,  and the stash will be much fatter for it. I also got the Nook Samsung Galaxy Tab A, a Barnes & Noble special offer!! It's terrific. Small, light, slips easily into my handbag, and I can do everything on it! Much better than my old IPad and original Nook. I'm feeling so spoiled.

Bye for now - Coco

18 comments:

  1. Cute dress! Lucky you with the new Nook! I've always wondered how the Nook compared to the Kindle.

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    1. thanks! I like the Nook reader because it handles all files, except the Kindle proprietary type. The Kindles have comparatively limited file types. And this little goodie is so cool! Internet everything, it's fast, accepts a microSD (I added 128GBs), and has great library and reading management. I don't use a smart phone, so I'm really easy to impress...

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  2. Oh my goodness, beautiful! The dress is perfectly perfect, and you wear it so very well. I really like the dress without the front placket.

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  3. Oh my, I really like this one. It's going on my wishlist for sure. And yes, the front placket would ruin the great necklace opportunities. Enjoy!

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  4. Coco, you nailed it! It was the placket that kept me from ordering Winsome this weekend...and I didn't even realize that that's what I wasn't quite sure about it. Thanks always for your beautiful posts!

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  5. Great dress Coco. It's so you (well I don't know you very well but according to what you show us here on your blog ). And what a perfect garment for so many types of Holiday get-togethers.

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  6. This is such a pretty dress and it looks great on you.

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  7. Awesome dress! How do you sew so fast? Very impressive . This is a great color on you and just looks so soft and comfy. I like SA but never even noticed this pattern. Thanks for all of your reviews...you motivate me.

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  8. I also want to know how you sew so fast...
    I love this dress on you. It looks so comfy, I especially like the pockets. I agree the front placket had to go, the way you finished the neck looks so much better. Great dress.

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  9. Love it! You are so right about the placket, it looks so much better without, and I adore the casing and drawstring detail is fantastic and will definitely be used in a future garment.

    Dress looks perfect on you. ♥

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  10. Love this on you, Coco! I've been eyeing that pattern too. Lovely to see it made up. Looks like just what I have to wear--just skims the body with no tightness anywhere. I'm off to look at it one more time.😉

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  11. That is the best dress, Coco. I luv everything about it. And I do agree with you about the placket - what's the point? I think I have dress envy now...

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  12. This is darling Coco! I have this all taped up and ready to go, now to find the right fabric. Thanks as always for your helpful review!
    Sue

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  13. Another great dress! I love the details on this one as well and the fabric is "luscious"!!! Looks absolutely adorable on you!

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  14. The dress is running and looks lovely on. Very winsome indeed!

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    1. That was stunning of course - darn spellcheck! I don't think running in it would be easy.... too much fabric!

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  15. Love this dress. You can wear maxis like no one else! They look great on you. This design is very appealing.

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  16. That looks fabulous on you!!! Really nice.

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I love it that you came by...and thank you for your comments! Coco