How great are Style Arc patterns?? One thing I love about them is that each month there’s a free pattern that comes with every order. In February, it was the Ivy tee. With its angled side seams, dropped shoulder, slightly forward shoulder seam, and banded sleeves, it’s so great for colourblocking that I just couldn’t resist! The good news is, like all of their freebies, it’s available to buy after the month is done, so you can go and get your own now, too.
I ordered a size 14 as per usual (I’m a Burda 42, for comparison), since StyleArc patterns are single-sized. This is my 3rd Style Arc pattern and I can totally understand how they’ve gained so many fans so quickly! Each one has come together beautifully, and is as comfortable and enjoyable to wear as it was to sew.
I did have a bit of trauma in the making of this, however. I did something I haven’t done in 9 years of sewing – I lost a pattern piece!! I checked everywhere, but I think the sleeve piece must’ve accidentally gone into the recycling when I threw out the paper scraps. This pattern has a dropped shoulder, otherwise I would’ve just used the knit sleeve off my Marita dress or Marie jacket patterns, so in desperation I emailed Chloe at StyleArc asking if she could possibly send me just the sleeve piece by pdf… and she did, so quickly, saying she knew I’d probably want to work on it at the weekend! How great is that?? Anyway, her scan plus some added measurements worked like a charm, and I have a completed Ivy tee!
I used two of Tissu’s viscose lycra jerseys here (again!!) – the Mustard colourway leftover from my Drape Drape tee, and 1m of Marl Charcoal I bought specifically to coordinate with the mustard.
I took the lazy way out and just copied the colourblocking shown in the pattern sketches! But why mess with something that looks great already??
The instructions here were fine – the pattern also includes two neckline guide pieces which confused me at first, but were helpful for aligning my fabric perfectly on the ironing board before fusing Vilene bias tape along the edges to ensure they wouldn’t stretch out. The only thing I’d change in future is the neckband – it’s a bit too wide for my taste, and stands away a bit even after topstitching the seam allowance inward, so I’d shorten the length and stretch the neckband to fit so it lays a bit flatter.
The other thing, which is just personal preference, is that the front and back pattern pieces were full pieces – ie: not half the pattern to be placed on the fold. I suppose that’s nice if you’ve got print placement issues, but for me, I just folded the pieces in half and cut them on the fold anyway.
The style is a departure for me, as I’m not used to such voluminous tops (though the Wiksten top I made is in a similar camp), but this is a great partner for my many leggings, and it meant I could bring my fishnet insertion leggings out of my running box and into my every day wear for a change!
I really love that I can wear these equally for running and regular wear – they’re made with black supplex (wicking lycra) and strips of fishnet with lingerie elastic on either edge, so I just removed a portion of my self-drafted leggings pattern and serged these on, then zig-zag topstitched to keep it flat. I never did a proper photoshoot for these when I made them, but you saw me wearing these when I ran with Kathy in Baltimore last month!