Style Arc Hampton Woven Dress

Today's project mainly came about because of a sale that Style Arc had on their patterns a little while ago. Ever the bargain hunter, I was browsing their site to see if I "needed" to take advantage of the discount and was reminded that I've always liked the look of the Hampton Woven Dress, so I decided to give it a try.

The Hampton dress is a modern take on a classic shirtdress, featuring princess seams, a curved high/low waist seam and a gathered mid-calf skirt. It has a classic collar and collar stand, button plackets, in-seam pockets and a hem facing. There's a long-sleeved option in addition to the sleeveless version that I made.

The sizing covers bust measurements from 30.3" to 67.75, and hips from 32.6" to 70.1".

All the shirtdress features are lovely, but they do mean that this isn't a quick project. That's completely fine by me though – I like a slightly more involved project every now and then. I enjoyed gradually working through all of the steps and seeing my dress slowly take shape.

I'd say the instructions are on the brief side, and they're the kind that can sound confusing if you read them through before starting your project, but I found them perfectly detailed enough and easy to follow during my sewing process. I'd say the diagrams are fine as a support for the written instructions, but if you're someone who prefers to use visual instructions then they might not be the best.

The only real problem that I had when making my dress was when I was tracing my pattern pieces – I found it really difficult to distinguish between the sizes. I eventually realised that when I ordered the printing of the A0 pattern, I'd asked for colour printing but for some reason the printing company printed it in greyscale, which obviously wasn't very helpful! So make sure you have the pattern in colour to make life easier for yourself than I had it!

I made a size 12 as recommended for my bust measurement. My waist and hips would be in the size 14 according to the size chart, but I could tell from the finished garment measurements that there was no need to blend out to the larger size. I think the fit turned out nicely – it's shaped but still very comfortable.

The only fitting alteration that I made was to take a triangular wedge out of each bodice side seam going from a centimetre at the underarm and rejoining the original seam line just above the waist. I find that I often need to do this on bodices of dresses with sleeved and sleeveless options that don't provide different armscyes for the sleeved/sleeveless versions.

The fabric that I used for my Hampton dress is a pretty printed chambray that I bought from Croft Mill. I'm a big fan of printed chambray, and Croft Mill have a lovely range of them. I thought it would be a great option for the pattern, and I'm pleased to report that I think I was right. It was very easy to work with and hangs nicely as the finished dress.

I'm glad that the sale prompted me to buy the Hampton Woven Dress pattern – I enjoyed sewing it and I think I'll wear my finished dress a lot!

Little Rosy Cheeks Maize Dress

Usually when I write a blog post it's to share my first version of a pattern and some thoughts about the sewing process. While that's true again for this review of the Little Rosy Cheeks Maize dress, today I already have a second version to share too. It'll therefore be no surprise to hear that I'm a fan of the pattern!

The Maize dress is like a classic t-shirt dress, but reimagined to use a knit fabric bodice combined with a woven fabric skirt. The pattern covers bust sizes from 32 to 55¼" and hips from 33½ to 59⅜". It's drafted for a height of 5'7".

Maize has two views, with view A featuring a pleat at the bottom of the bodice and a maxi length skirt with patch pockets. View B has a simple bodice with a midi skirt and in-seam pockets. Both of my dresses are view B.

This was my first time using a pattern from Little Rosy Cheeks, and I was definitely impressed. I ordered a paper pattern, and it comes printed on regular paper (rather than pattern tissue paper) and is presented in a sturdy plastic folder – perfect for storing the pattern without things getting ripped.

The instructions were also excellent. I found them very clear and easy to follow, and they're accompanied by helpful diagrams. I didn't have any trouble sewing either of my dresses, and they both came together pretty quickly. I found Maize an enjoyable project to sew, and I'd happily make the pattern again.

I made my dresses in a size 14, which is the size recommended for my bust and waist measurements. My hips are closer to the size 16, but there's plenty of ease in the hips so I didn't feel the need to blend between sizes in the skirt. 

I lengthened my bodice by an inch (a very standard adjustment for me – I'm about 5'9"). I also made my skirt slightly shorter than intended in the pattern – the hem is intended to be 3 cm, but I ended up cutting an inch off the bottom of the skirt and using a 2" hem to get the length that I wanted.

The pattern is intended to have a semi-relaxed fit, and I think that's a good description and it comes out true to size. My dresses fit me well on the shoulders, and then have a relaxed fit without straying into the too big/sack-like territory.

For both of my versions, I used cotton jersey for the bodices and linen viscose for the skirts. Both of the jerseys were left over from other projects. I bought the denim blue linen viscose that's paired with the pastel spotty bodice from Oh Sew Crafty, while the turquoise linen viscose that goes with the bright multicoloured bodice was from Jenny Stitches.

I wondered whether the linen viscose might be a bit heavy (at 220 gsm), but then I reasoned that my jersey was pretty much the same weight so it should be OK. I probably wouldn't go any heavier for the skirt fabric or you'd risk it dragging the bodice down. As it is, I think the linen viscose works really well and the skirts hang nicely and swish beautifully.

By now it's probably fairly clear that the Maize pattern gets a big thumbs up from me. I'm very happy with both of my dresses, and I think they'll be worn a lot because they're very comfy. My mum quite likes the look of the pattern, so I might have to make a version for her too!

Wardrobe by Me Dukke Blouse

I've wanted to make the Wardrobe by Me Dukke blouse since I first saw the pattern last year, but somehow it has taken until now for it to find its way onto my sewing table. Better late than never though!

The Dukke blouse is a relaxed-fit button-up blouse with a flat Peter Pan collar, gently curved hemline and ⅞ or ¾ sleeves (I used the ⅞ option). It's designed to be worn either as a blouse or open layered over another top as an overshirt.

The pattern covers bust measurements from 30" to 50", and hip measurements from 32" to 53.25".

I enjoyed sewing my Dukke blouse. It's a relatively straightforward pattern, and didn't contain any steps that I wasn't already familiar with. 

The instructions were fairly easy to follow, although I found it a bit irritating that they contained quite a few typos and little mistakes (I was using a printed version of the pattern). It has to be said that I spend a significant part of my working hours proofreading, so it's likely that this might be less annoying to other people!

One point that I did notice is that the line drawing for the pattern and the diagram accompanying the instructions is wrong – the instructions tell you to sew the buttonholes on the right of the blouse (as is normal for women's clothing), but the line drawing and diagrams show the buttonholes on the left and the buttons on the right. So trust the instructions and your instincts, not the diagrams!

The fabrics that I used for my Dukke blouse are yarn dyed cottons that I bought from The Fabric Boutique. Both fabrics are the same colourway, but I used the checked version for the front and back and stripes for my sleeves and collar. I love how they look together!

In terms of sizing, I sewed a 10 at the bust blending out to a 12 at the hips. Those are the sizes recommended for my current measurements, and I didn't make any fitting changes – the relaxed fit is fairly forgiving. I think that it worked out well and I'm happy with the fit.

One thing that I did slightly differently was to ignore the buttonhole placement recommended in the pattern. Placing buttons at different points within the check pattern looked a bit odd, so instead I decided to use more buttons than recommended and just place a button in the middle of each lighter square down the centre front.

I'm glad that I finally got around to making a Dukke blouse, and I'm pleased with how this version turned out. I think the pattern would be great as a summer cover-up, so I'm already keeping an eye out for some nice white fabric to make another version – that's always a good verdict on a pattern, isn't it?

Summer Haus Patterns Spero Skirt

It's been a while hasn't it? At the end of each year, things tend to go quiet on my blog because I'm busy making Christmas presents. Now we're into a new year, I'm happy to report that I'm back to making things for myself, starting with the Spero skirt from Summer Haus patterns.

The Spero skirt is designed for knit fabrics, and is a simple high-rise, pull-on skirt. It has a relaxed silhouette and an elastic waistband, and falls to midi length. It has a slit at the centre back, which means that there's plenty of room for movement so you're not restricted when walking.

The pattern covers waist measurements from 23 to 58" and hips from 32 to 67".

Proceeds from the pattern go to supporting causes that are important to the designer. As I'm writing this post, they're going to Community Aid Network MN.

Spero is a fairly simple pattern, with just two pattern pieces – one for the front (cut on the fold), and one for the back (cut as two pieces). The waistband is formed by folding over the top of the skirt.

As a result, it's no surprise that the skirt sews up quickly and effortlessly. The instructions are very good; clear and easy to follow, with just the right level of detail and helpful diagrams.

The sizing is good. The pattern recommends that you choose a size based on your hip measurement, which I did. My hips are 42" so I made a size 10 – my waist is 32.5", so between an 8 and a 10, but it's easy to adjust the waist a bit by cutting the elastic to your preferred length. Personally, I think the skirt has the perfect amount of ease to make it comfy and relaxed for everyday wear, without being baggy or shapeless.

The skirt is drafted for a height of 5'5" (side note: I love that this information is stated clearly in the instructions, often it's the kind of thing you have to hunt down on a designer's website). I'm closer to 5'9" so I lengthened my skirt by 2". 

There is a lengthen/shorten line on the pattern (another plus point; they're often not included), but it's in the lower half of the skirt below the slit. I thought that I'd probably want the extra length above the slit so I drew in my own lengthen line in the top half of the skirt, and I'm glad I did that. The slit (and the skirt as a whole) falls at pretty much the perfect length for me now.

The fabric that I used is a French terry that I snapped up in the Threadquarters closing down sale. This fabric is now out of out of stock, but there are some other beauties still available at the moment if you're after a bargain.

My Spero skirt is so comfy to wear, and I love the colour. All in all, it was a really enjoyable project and I could definitely see myself making another Spero or two in the future!

Itch to Stitch Clemente Top

Sometimes a pattern and fabric appear at the same time and demand to be combined together. That's just what happened a couple of weeks ago when Itch to Stitch launched the Clemente top, and a couple of days later Hey Sew Sister released a particularly lovely yarn-dyed cotton gingham that seemed perfect for the pattern.

The Clemente top is a relaxed fit top for woven fabrics. It features front and back yokes with soft gathers, a bias bound neckline, button and loop closure at the centre back neck, and the choice of short, three-quarter or long sleeves with elasticated hems.

The pattern has A, B, C, D and DD cup sizes, and covers bust measurements from 30⅛" to 63" and hips from 33⅛" to 62".

The pattern instructions have a good level of detail and are very easy to follow, with clear diagrams illustrating the steps too. I've made a few Itch to Stitch patterns and they always have great instructions.

Clemente is a fairly simple pattern and comes together relatively quickly, but the yoke offers a bit of interest – particularly if you use a gingham/plaid or striped fabric and play with the pattern placement on the yoke. 

As you can see, I cut my yoke on the bias. The pattern recommends using stay tape around the neck and yoke seam if you do this to prevent the yoke stretching. I followed that recommendation and it seems to have worked nicely.

I made a size 10 and used the B cup pattern piece as recommended for my measurements, and I think the fit is good. It's relaxed as intended, but not overly loose or baggy. 

The only adjustment I made was to lengthen the pattern by an inch (standard for me). When I tried on my toile, which I hadn't hemmed, it felt like just the right length so I added the extra inch so I'd be able to hem the top and keep the length that I wanted.

The only other very slight change I made was to use ½" elastic in the sleeve hems instead of the ⅜" called for in the pattern, which was just because that was what I had in my stash.

As I mentioned above, the fabric that I used for my Clemente is a yarn-dyed cotton gingham from Hey Sew Sister. It's a lovely quality fabric, and was a pleasure to sew. I think this fabric is perfect for a Clemente – it has just enough structure and stability to make the sewing process a breeze, but it's also light enough to suit the relaxed shape. 

I took the time to match the back yoke pieces, and I'm glad I did that – it's always satisfying when pattern matching works out!

I'm pleased that the Clemente and this lovely gingham appeared together and "forced" me to combine them. It was an enjoyable project to sew, and my finished top feels lovely to wear. I quite fancy making a Clemente with an embroidered yoke, so I may well be using this pattern again.