I like wearing wrap dresses. They make me feel feminine and put-together. My most recent wrap dress is the Lea Knit Dress from Style Arc patterns. After seeing some beautiful versions of this dress on PatternReview.com I wanted to give the pattern a try.  I’m very glad I did because I love the shape and fit of this dress.

The result is not without some modifications. After reading a few reviews about this pattern.  I widened the skirt facing to 3 inches. The facing is drafted at  1 inch. The extra width is just enough so when I’m walking the underside of the fabric does not show. I think it also gives the edge of the skirt a little more weight and helps it “fall” in place. The picture below shows the widened skirt facing with the tie belt application. I altered the placement of the ties because I widened the facing. I shortened the right tie to 22 inches because I did not want to wrap the ties all the way around my waist. My fabric (described as a techno knit) had enough body that I liked the sleek look of the front without the wrap-around ties. I also added 1 inch to the length of the dress and lengthened the sleeves to be 3/4 length.

The neckline is very low. I raised it about a 1/2 inch but plan on raising it a bit more for the next one.  I have fashion tape in the pictures making sure that everything stays in place. I made the dress appropriate for work by wearing it with a black camisole.

Whenever I’m sewing a knit collar with a stand I always interface both pieces of the collar and stand. I like the extra body provided by the double layer of interfacing.

The pattern is very well drafted and even with its minimal directions comes together without any issues. For now I’ve found my new favorite wrap dress and am picturing many more dresses from this pattern in my closet.

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