Style Arc Kate Dress... with some changes

I knew it wouldn't be long before I sewed the Style Arc Kate Dress again. My first version has become a firm favourite in my wardrobe and been worn at least once a week since completion.

My second version was made specifically to wear to my work Christmas Party which was being held at a fancy restaurant on the river front. I chose to stay with the 3/4 length sleeves as I knew we would be dining alfresco and it could be a little chilly on the water. There were a few changes made to the pattern for this version: I lowered the waist by 3cm and retained the extra length at the hemline. I also did away with the gathered front piece and just cut one pair from the left hand front.

This fabric was another poly/spandex knit purchased from Spotlight. It was quite lightweight and gave me a lot of grief during the sewing process. There was a lot of Bondaweb iron on adhesive used on all the hems to give  enough body for my twin needle stitching to lay flat. The print had some large darker areas and some large lighter areas and this proved a bit of a challenge to get the dark and light areas distributed evenly over the dress. I ended up with too much of the lighter area on the front, so I switched the overlap...problem fixed. You may have noticed that this version ties on the opposite side.

The neckline was lowered by 4cm at the back between the shoulder seams and then tapered to nothing at the waistline on the front. This gave the dress a more "party like" vibe as opposed to a "modest and work appropriate" vibe that the original pattern gives.

Self fabric binding was used to finish off the neckline. This time I didn't turn the binding to the inside. It gave a less bulky finish to leave the binding exposed and secure the seam allowance down with a twin needle. This gave a nice secure neckline with no gaping issues at all.

Very happy with my new party dress and I can report that I felt appropriately dressed, comfortable and feminine at my Christmas Work Party last night. I can assure you that I have not finished with this pattern yet. I have some short sleeved, work appropriate versions in the pipeline so stay tuned.

On a sad note, my Bernina 350PE died a very sudden and unexpected death, just as I was finishing this dress. There was a loud POP! and then ...nothing, no lights, no screen, no life.
It has been packed up and sent back to Bernina for repairs, hopefully covered under warranty. In the meantime, I have dug out my faithful old Bernina 1005 and dusted it off. Despite being totally neglected since the arrival of my new Bernina almost three years ago, it still sews like a dream. So the sewing will continue!


Happy Sewing