When Elisalex of By Hand London contacted me and asked if I could like to try their new pattern – I think nearly jumped through the computer screen with excitement.

And here she is…

GEORGIA! As or I call this version… My Georgy Girl.

The new kid in town – Georgia from By Hand London

Georgia Dress, the back view

I’ve got about four Georgia dresses buzzing about in my head (she is as demanding as Anna was, I have warned you). However since I have been dying to make a fitted denim dress – this just seemed to be the perfect opportunity!

This is stretch cotton denim from Spotlight. An amazing bargain table find at $4 a metre. It didn’t look that great on the bolt but I love it made up. It’s perfect. Soft blue, faded cream, irregular print. Perfection.

This is fabric so soft and stretchy, it’s like wearing PJs. Seriously. Yes, even as a fitted dress.

CONSTRUCTION

SKIRT

The skirt has six panels. I was a little nervous about the skirt fitting over my junk trunk (I know, typical girl) so I graded the skirt from the bodice downwards out to a size 10 – better to have more fabric in my seams than none I figured!

I then machine basted the skirt together (with the longest stitch) and tried on the skirt inside out. I found this the easiest way to see where I need to grade the curves in and back out to achieve a good fit.

My inside-out approach to fitting the Georgia Dress

I basted the new seams (back to size 6 anyway you idiot Lizzy) and when I was happy, I machined the final seams, removed the basting, then used my overlocker/serger to trim/neaten the seams.

I also pegged the skirt in just a little at the hemline for a more streamlined fit.

Bodice

I found the bodice to be an excellent fit. You will notice that I gathered the centre of my bodice. This is simply because my denim was stretchier than I thought and the neckline stretched out a little and was gaping along the edge. I considered unpicking the entire bodice and then remembered how the gathering stitches had changed the fit of my Hot Mess Birthday Dress bodice. The denim was a little heavy for gathering stitches so I did three small pleats instead. Seems to have worked – although probably increased the va-va-voom of the dress which always freaks me out a little.

If you are using a fabric with some stretch. I would advise stay-stitching or lightly interfacing your bodice shell fabric or at least the seam line to avoid the neckline stretching.

Georgia: the bodice lining, quilting cotton & boning.

I also stitched lightweight polyester boning to the seam allowances of the lining. I just use the Rigiflex (?) boning which you can machine stitch through, it’s quite flexible and very easy to apply. It doesn’t make the dress uncomfortable, I actually think it makes dresses with a structured bodice easier to wear as they just sit and don’t lose their structure with wear.

I understitched the lining. The instructions don’t tell you to do this but it improves the finish of the dress.

Zipper

This dress has an invisible zipper. Georgia’s zipper insertion is per ‘normal’ and then the instructions have you handstitch the lining to the zipper and along the bodice lower edge.

I machined the lining to the zipper using the Sewaholic Cambie method of attaching a lining to a zipper. It’s neater and quicker. Just sayin’.

It’s easy to do – once you have sewn in the zipper, just turn the lining back so the right sides of the bodice shell and lining are facing. Line the lower seam allowance of the lining back (in line with the bodice seam. Pin along the zip. Then using your normal zipper foot sew down alongside the zipper teeth (on the side closest to the seam edge). Turn the lining back out and you have attached the lining. So simple.

Attaching the lining to the zipper by machine.

So there you have it – there’s a new girl in town… and I think she’s bringing her friends… stay tuned.

The ELH’s reaction was just ‘Wow’ when I walked down the stairs wearing this. I think that’s good, yes?

Later in the evening, a little crumpled… we have had a lot of rain this week but the sun came out on Sunday afternoon – I think Georgia wanted to meet you…

OTHER SEWBUSYLIZZY NEWS…

Madly stitching the Thread Theory Goldstream Peacoat.

Ordering some fabric for my Lolita Patterns Gunmetal top – and there will be a pattern giveaway when I blog it. I have this idea in my head for this top/dress – and although I’ve tried to make do with what’s available in town, I just can’t – stretch fabric is harder to find than you might think in my town. Online ordering it must be! I should have blogged this on its launch – but I’ve had all kinds of challenges and things going on in my life… sometimes you just can’t do everything… boo.

Pattern: Georgia Dress, By Hand London. Sent to me by the By Hand London girls (mwah – love you as always. And yes I stalked the postman ’til it arrived – I’m not ashamed LOL).  Available in Australia at:-

• Stitch56
• Sew Squirrel

Fabric: Cotton stretch denim from Spotlight, Australia.

Also See: The amazing version by Roisin of Dolly Clackett | Sally Bee makes gorgeous blocked plaid Georgia

Welcome to the Jungle… one of my all time fave songs (forgive me, it’s a generational thing that I just can’t shake). That song screams in my head when I look at this dress…

Welcome to the jungle we take it day by day
If you want it you’re gonna bleed but it’s the price to pay
And you’re a very sexy girl that’s very hard to please
You can taste the bright lights but you won’t get there for free
In the jungle welcome to the jungle
Feel my, my, my serpentine
Ooh, I want to hear you scream *

Jungle Anna – when a good pattern goes wild…

My third Anna. I told you they were all very different didn’t I?

I honestly was hanging out to post this tomorrow – I fear I am clogging up your blog readers… but I can’t resist!! Jungle Anna was not to be contained in the draft blog post pile! She’s a wild one.

Every time I look at this Anna I think of Anne of Pretty Grievances. I hope I’ve done her proud going OTT on animal print! I swear she is the only person on God’s green earth who could have managed to convince me to sew an animal print fabric, she’s kinda irresistible is our Anne. I’m hoping I have enough chutzpah to carry this dress off!

I know, it’s not a dress for shrinking violets…

Jungle Anna – it’s a bit of a statement piece…

While I was sewing Anna Blue, I had the idea spring into my head – a snake-skin Anna Dress, a MAXI slithery snake-skin Anna… something super slinky & sinuous… the idea defies logic as I have a very real fear of snakes…

Anna can be sweetly sexy as Anna Rose, a darling day dress as Anna Blue but can she go va-va-voom?

Jungle Anna – there’s that wild thigh slit… I finished it a little higher than Anna Roses… cos Jungle Anna is a wild girl… the only thing I don’t like about this dress is how light the fabric is on the reverse (underlining it would have ruined its slithery drape – I will just need to be ladylike and not strut quite so much…)

This time I interfaced the neck facing pieces. I wanted to see how it would sit with a firmer facing piece behind that slash neck. It does sit nicely, albeit with a tiny bit of a ripple – which I think is more about my scrawny upper body than the pattern. *sigh* when will I ever grow a proper body?… I think the interfacing has also make the slash much more of a V-neck. I actually prefer the softness of the Anna Rose’s neckline, even if it does flip out a little, although I think the severity of the V-neck suits this Anna dress. She’s not a ‘softly softly’ kinda gal. I am Jungle Anna – hear me ROAR! lol.

Jungle Anna – slash neckline (bra strap popping off the shoulder – Jungle Anna is no dainty miss…)

Yet again, another fabric from Lincraft. They have a small selection of rayons – almost all animal print though these days! I love these rayons, they have drape beautifully but have the comfort of cotton.

Once again I put in neck darts, on both the back bodice and facing pieces. They sit about two inches in – three inches long from the raw edges to the dart tip – and I also put these on the facing pieces.

Everything is French seamed with the exception of the front slit seam.

Rather than folding the fabric in half and cutting out the pieces, I cut out everything flat (except the front bodice and front neck facing). I did this to ensure the black line of the print ran up each skirt panel towards my waist. I think it makes the dress look darker, moodier and more dramatic. Yes it took much longer but I think it was worth it. With such a busy print, pattern matching wasn’t realistic however the line does run from the centre of the slash neckline to the hem – I think that’s enough!

Jungle Anna – the back view

Note I’m only 5 foot 4 – so if you are a shortie like me – you can carry off a maxi – stop thinking you can’t (Note to self: you are being bossy again).

Oh yes, and there are legs aplenty…

Jungle Anna – hanging around waiting for Tarzan… or feeling slightly concerned there might be a creepy crawly under my foot… eek…

I did a lot of hand sewing with this one. Being a rayon like Anna Rose, I invested the time to hand sew that long long slit, the facing to the shoulders and also the hem. So the dress slithers along beautifully – as it should!

Just hanging around in the jungle with my Anna.

I think this would look great teamed with a cropped, fitted, weather-beaten denim jacket. Or a fitted grungy black jacket… She’s not the prim sort – she’s my wild girl Anna.

So there you have it – the three faces of Anna… I have no doubt I will discover many more aspects of Anna – after all… we are BFFs remember… Anna Rose, Anna Blue and Jungle Anna.

I’m thinking it should be The August of Anna – why not farewell your summer in style or get ready for a sultry summer… I know you want to… heck I might even make another if you do! The By Hand London girls say there will be a sewalong soon!

Have you seen Karen of Did You Make That? she looks smashing in her maxi Anna. It’s gorgeous!

Pattern: Anna from By Hand London (Aussies can get it from Sew Squirrel)
Fabric: Rayon from Lincraft.

Also see: Anna Rose | Anna Blue

PS. I promise the next thing I blog won’t be another Anna dress (it would be hilarious you have to admit) – it’s a Vogue dress (Miss 8 reckons I look like a Barbie doll!). Yes, I have been OTT SewBusyLizzy this week!

PPS I’m not sorry about bombarding you with all my Annas… it’s been fun!

PPS a big thank you to ELH who was very busy photographing dresses all day!

* Lyrics: Welcome to the Jungle by Axl Rose, Saul Hudson, Duff Rose McKagan, Izzy Stradlin & Steven Adler.