This is the By Hand London Anna dress, possibly the most lovely dress I've made! The beautiful fabric is a cotton poplin from The Fabric Godmother and I've been looking for a pattern to make the most of it (to be honest I've also been scared to cut into it in case I messed it up!)
I made a size 18 with quite a few adjustments, including:
Small bust adjustment (1/2")
Lengthened the bodice by 1"
Took some extra fabric out of the top of the bodice above the bust (about 1/2")
Brought in the waist by 1/2" each side
Shortened the skirt split (but wish I'd been more daring now!)
Shortened the skirt length by at least 4" (I'm 5'5")
I did make two toiles before I was happy enough with the fit to cut into the main fabric. And I have to say that I would never have had the confidence to make these fit adjustments had I not attended the New Craft House bodice fitting masterclass with Elisalex from By Hand London. I didn't work on this bodice during the class, but it gave me the confidence to chop up and move a pattern around to fit to my body. As Elisalex says, anything will suit you if it fits right! Having said that, my Bodice Fitting Companion book from By Hand London didn't leave my side (it came free with the course).
The other tricky part of this dress (for me) was inserting an invisible zip. I'd read lots of tips from other sewists, and found the Guthrie & Ghani video How to insert an invisible zip particularly useful. I had a few rehearsals on my toile, but the game-changer for me was buying an invisible zip foot, and also understanding that you need to push the zip teeth right over to get close enough to make the closing invisible. If you're struggling like I was, try pressing the teeth over with a cool iron. My first attempt was ...umm...visible and wonky - the waistband was 1/2 " higher on the right, so remember to line up the waistband and neckline before sewing! But my second attempt went well. It's not perfect, but then neither am I :)
This project was part of the #sewrecreatethelook challenge on Instagram by @jenlegg_teescreatives and @sosewdressmaking which involved finding inspiration from other makers and ready to wear garments and recreating in our own style. You'll see my inspo below. I loved this challenge! It ran over a month so it forced me to slow down, sew more thoughtfully and make sure the fit and finish (including hand sewn hems - yep!) was just right. I even managed a tiny bit of pattern matching (see below) which almost caused my brain to explode but I did it!
Great challenge, lovely pattern & fabric, new skills. What more can you ask for?
Inspo dresses from L-R: Diane von Furstenberg, Boden, Whistles
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