Sunday 2 April 2017

Style Arc Hedy Designer Dress in Blue Bamboo Print

Style Arc Hedy Designer Dress

This is the Style Arc Hedy Designer Dress in the longer calf length version. I have made the shorter version previously here. I cut a straight size 12 with no alterations at all. The line drawing is a little misleading as the sleeve length finishes above the elbow and is definitely not 3/4 length as the illustration shows.

Style Arc Hedy Designer Dress

I am loving this longer version. It feels very elegant to wear. The fabric is a poly/spandex knit from Knitwit. I can't find it on the website today so I assume they have sold out. It's a lovely quality fabric with the perfect drape for this style. Also, no ironing required which makes it the perfect travel dress.


The fabric is thin which is ideal for this pattern, because the crossover fold at the front is several layers thick and can end up quite bulky if a thicker fabric is used. I had this problem with my first version, but this one was smooth sailing.


The design lines get a bit lost in this gorgeous bamboo print but I am happy with the overall look of the dress.


A close up view of the front cross over fold at the neckline. The neckline is finished off with a facing and it sits beautifully in this poly/spandex knit. I secured the facing with a few hand stitches at each seam allowance around the neckline, so it doesn't flip out at all.


A close up view of the side seam and front in seam pocket. This is such a clever design and comes together very nicely.


There are side slits at the hem line for walking ease. I over locked the raw edges of the side seams, before sewing the side seams with my sewing machine. The seam allowances were then pressed open and the side slits top stitched. The hems were all cover stitched.


The shape of the dress with arms out stretched is quite voluminous but the fabric drapes beautifully with your arms in the usual position.


I wore this dress out to dinner with my hubby for date night, last night. I felt elegant, stylish and comfortable so I guess it's a winner.

Happy Sewing

Jean

16 comments:

  1. Fantastic fabric, fantastic dress and it has pockets too. What more could you want. :)

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    1. Thanks Kathy. It is a great pattern and the way the pockets are inserted in the front designer seams is very clever.

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  2. Very stylish dress.

    You could also use your Coverstitch to topstitch the vents, go to the corner, turn the hand wheel so the longer needle stays in the fabric, turn the fabric and off you go again.

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    1. Thanks for your lovely comment Sharon and the cover stitching tip. I will give this a try for sure. I did think about cover stitching the vents, but I was not sure how to get around the corners neatly.

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  3. What an absolutely gorgeous dress! You look beautiful in these blues and that drapey fabric handles the design lines beautifully. :)

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    1. Awww thanks so much Lisa. I do love the blues in the print. I think the black background really makes the blues pop.

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  4. Very nice, love it on you.

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  5. It certainly is a winner. It must feel beautiful to wear, as well as looking elegant. The colours/patterns really work on you. You sew knits so beautifully.

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    1. Thanks so much Sarah Liz. I do love to wear knits due to the comfort factor as well as the low maintenance (no ironing required), therefore I sew more knits than wovens.

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  6. Yes, another winner here. Very swish!

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    1. Thanks so much Paola. It does feel quite swish on, too.

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  7. This is a really flattering dress on you. I love the colour of that fabric, and the drape makes it perfect for the pattern. Did you use your coverstitch machine on it, or is that old hat information now??

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    1. Thanks Sue. I did cover stitch the hems but I wasn't game to do the side vents, so I just top stitched those with the sewing machine. Sharon has given me a tip on how to coverstitch around corners, so I will try that next time. I am still a little intimidated by the cover stitch machine.

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  8. This is just so cute on you. So easy, breezy cool!

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