Style Arc Hope

 Yet another blue Style Arc dress. 😄

Hope has been a very popular pattern for Style Arc. It has a raised waist and gathered skirt similar to their Montana, but with very full and deep raglan sleeves. Probably most people that are interested in the style have already made it. I had trialed it a couple of years ago but ended up not liking the fabric, so this is my first keeper version.

Hope has actual sleeves which makes it a good dress for transitions between warm and cool weather.

Alterations: this is another easy-fitting style that didn't need much. The only alteration I felt was really required was lengthening the bodice 1 inch below the base of the sleeves. I am tall and long-waisted; the extra length preserves the high waisted look when worn  but suits my natural proportions a little better.

There were some other changes that don't come under the alterations heading: 

    1. The keyhole opening on the back neck isn't needed to pull the dress on over my head, so I cut the back on the fold to eliminate it.

    2. During the pre-visualization stage, I really didn't like the way this print would look with a plain round neckline. A little notch at center front was all it took to change it into something I liked better. The only downside to the notch is that it will need to be pressed flat every time the dress is washed, otherwise the corners want to flip out. That's in spite of stay stitching, understitching, and edge stitching. I blame it on the flowy fabric.

    3. You need a generous amout of fabric to make those sleeves, and I was short. I had to shorten the sleeves quite a bit, to the point where they would have been really unflattering once they had been folded up even shorter to form the elastic casing. I made the sleeves appear a little longer by gathering them into a band. The band was edgestitched like the neckline, again because the flowy fabric wasn't going to hold a sharp crease, even with the interfacing.

The fabric was a recent purchase from Fabric Mart. As of today, they still have some of the Ecoliva viscose. I bought two pieces to try and so far I like it. It is similar to a rayon challis but has just a little bit more body and a little heavier drape. It was somewhat wiggly to cut, but not as bad as lightweight rayons. Easy sewing, needed no pressing after laundering except for the neckline notch. It looks best with a hand-sewn invisible hem, IMO.

My photos make it look as if this dress is ankle length but it isn't. I'm getting more and more annoyed with my dressform, with her velcro-like skin that grabs everything and won't let go, her permanent posture problems, and her inability to stay at the correct height. This form never was very useful for fitting, and now it is even losing its usefulness for photos. I guess it is still better than a hanger.

sleeve gathered into 3/4" band

I have one more Style Arc dress in the works (not blue!) and maybe then it will be time to sew something else for a change.