Anna Rose – a dress from By Hand London. My first Anna…

Posted on July 27, 2013 by sewbusylizzy

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“Hello Anna. I know we’ve only known each other for 48 hours but can we be BFFs?”

My Anna ‘Rose’ dress from By Hand London. My new BFF.

Hello Anna from By Hand London. Without a doubt this is my favourite dress pattern EVER. I made the first and then made two more in 24 hours. Yup, obsessed. It’s almost worthy of a tattoo – however I’m not into ink on me so I’m just going to make more dresses – hey, it still involves needles…

Anna is seriously easy to make – even with the French seams. She’s a sewing push over (I mean that in the nicest way). It’s been popping up on blogs – Handmade by Jane, the Virtual Princess & the Pea, My Oh Sew Vintage Life and Kim-ing. All the makes I’ve seen have been the midi length – I couldn’t help myself – I went all the way on my first date with Anna – maxi length!.

I call this dress my Anna Rose. She’s my pretty girly Anna.

The front bodice features pleats instead of darts. This may be the cause of my new love affair. I love how it fits at the waist and the pleats create a soft ‘bewb’ ledge. The kimono sleeves (or ‘the sleeves you have when you are not having sleeves’) gives dainty coverage without requiring you to actually ‘set in’ sleeves (yes, major sewing win).

Anna Rose – a girly girly dress

In short, Anna is a sexy girly dress – without being tight, short or overtly sexy. It’s subtle (OK except for when my legs are hanging out everywhere – who are you my mother?). It’s magic. I think it’s pretty much perfect *sigh* it’s love. *blush*

Anna Rose – whoops there are my legs!! No so ladylike – don’t tell Mum.

I was going to blog all three at once. Then I realised I had something to say about each of my Annas and it would turn into a marathon wordy post – and I would have to cut back on the pictures. We all love a pretty dress… am I right?

Can you believe this is winter – today was glorious, even the water was lovely! Yes, I do live in paradise (some days)

This is actually my favourite version of Anna. I’ll be interested to see which you prefer after my third Anna post. Anna Rose is not perfect construction-wise but I feel swoon-worthy and girly as hell. I haven’t made a maxi dress and this pattern has definitely re-ignited my love of them. I used to be a maxi-wearing tragic – loved them and basically hid my legs in them for years.

I didn’t make a muslin… I basically never do… yes, I’m wild and crazy like that. I just assume everything is drafted for me because 1) I’m an unrealistic optimist at heart & 2) I’m a fairly bog standard build (unless I ‘m sewing Colette).

It fits perfectly except it’s a little big across my shoulders. I always considered this my SUB problem (scrawny upper back). However after Taracat’s post about her Cambilex dress (go check it out – super cool pattern mash-up) – I think I have a SS problem (scrawny shoulder). In the meantime I’ve simply popped in some back neck darts which works perfectly. I’m going to figure out how to modify the back pattern piece and rotate this fullness to the back waist dart. Watch this space.

Anna Rose – the back

I had this rayon fabric in my stash – I got it to make a shirtdress then realised it would be too soft for a structured shirtdress. So it sat and sat and sat in my stash. I even considered giving it away and I didn’t really like it. THANK GOODNESS I DIDN’T. Note to self: there is nothing wrong with stashing – nothing.

I adore this, I love the romantic roses, the soft colours and. I was worried about wearing that creamy colour near my face so I opted for the slash neck. Since the neckline was racy, I decided to pair it with the thigh slit. I love the old-fashioned feel of the fabric with the sexy neckline and thigh slit. It’s demure but unexpectedly sexy at the same time.

A little bit of peek-a-boo – note the facing has rolled out slightly… I just figure I’ll distract people with my legs. LOL.

I machine stitched the thigh slit and the armhole hems. I wish I hadn’t and I’m going to go back and hand stitch these parts and unpick the machine stitching. If you are working with rayon, it’s really worth hand stitching these things. It keeps the dress line soft and flowing. I should have known better the same thing happened with my Vogue 1247 top (I’m a slow learner *shrugs*).

The neckline facing does tend to roll out a little. I did top stitch it but I think the fabric is just too soft to stay in place. I’m just relying on my legs to distract people from my head area. I tried something else with Anna 3 neckline.

Here’s a tip: cut every single notch on those skirt panels!!!! The skirt has seven pieces. It’s simple to put together but the key is THE NOTCHES. Cut those babies out, it makes figuring out which panel goes where very simple. Without them, you will be CRYING. Crying and howling ‘why didn’t I listen to Lizzy??‘ (I would pay cold hard cash to hear my kids say that some days…).

If you have a directional print you will need much much more fabric. The skirt panels lie ‘this way and that way’ on the fabric. Just sayin’!

French seam it – especially with the thigh slit. In a soft fabric the skirt blows around and you don’t want people lookin’ at your sloppy seam finishes – no amount of leg will make up for fraying fabric or overlocked seams – it’s just not pretty.. Just sayin’

Anna Rose – I know, there is a stupid amount of images in this post. Sorry – can’t help myself *blush*

The gorgeous girls from By Hand London sent me this pattern – thank you! Clearly I more than like this pattern – and not just because it was gifted to me – it is truly awesome. I am OFFICIALLY BESOTTED. It’s not another pretty dress. It’s a beautiful versatile dress – my second and third are completely different again.

Enough. GO BUY THIS PATTERN.

And if you already have it – GO SEW IT. NOW.

And if you are still not convinced – I’ll be back tomorrow with Anna 2…

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

Anna Rose – when Anna the maxi becomes Anna the mini – running down a sand dune!

And a shout-out to the adorable Roisin of Dolly Clackett. She’s made an amazing dress from some fabric I gifted her. I’m so proud of her – I think we should make her a honorory Australian. Plus it’s a mash-up of Elisalex! Her blog post cheered me up immensely this week 🙂 it’s amazing how kindness to others can light up your own life. MWAH. I am blessed to have so many amazing people in my life.

Someone on Pattern Review wanted to see the line drawings – here they are!

BY HAND LONDON Silk Sari Victoria Blazer

Posted on July 6, 2013 by sewbusylizzy

The Sari Edition – By Hand London Victoria Blazer

By Hand London have done it again, created a beautiful yet simple pattern which is taking the blogging world by storm! THE VICTORIA BLAZER. Plus they are doing a Sewalong – fear jackets no more!

Yes, it’s popped up at House of Pinheiro, Sew Dixie Lou, Dolly Clackett, The Virtual Princess & the Pea, A Stitching Odyssey and none other than Oonaballoona of Kalkatroona.

By Hand Victoria Blazer - The Sari Edition back view

By Hand Victoria Blazer – back view – oops excuse the little oopsie crease in the hem!

The thing I am coming to love most about the By Hand London patterns is they have these amazing cuts, great drafting and the patterns lend themselves to so many interpretations. I fear I may be a junkie for these patterns. I really adore their design aesthetic… as they describe themselves: By Hand London is an independent sewing pattern label for women who love to dress up, stand out and customise their own wardrobe. The designs themselves are an up-to-date take on classic silhouettes and so act as a canvas for your unique look. Creating patterns inspired by and named after the stylish ladies we know and admire, By Hand London is all about championing individual style and celebrating strong femininity.

What’s not to love about that! And they have just celebrated their first birthday. Happy birthday girls – looking forward to your second year!

I made the cropped version in the smallest size – it’s slightly shorter than it should be as I didn’t realise how badly silk dupioni can fray!!! I picked up the black silk from The Fabric Store in Sydney the morning after the Sydney June Meet-up High Tea. It was in the remanents bin – score!

The lining is a vintage silk sari that I found on ebay. The collar and cuffs are cut from the gilded edge of the sari. I pieced the collar and cuffs so the reverse is a matching pink linen (leftovers from my Tessuti jacket) to provide a little more body to the pieces as the sari is old and oh so soft & fine. The sari is gorgeous – if you are thinking about experimenting with these, the vintage ones can be a little stained and worn in places – however they are 5m long so you can cut around the ‘issue’ areas. Damage to mine was minor and for the princely sum of $20 (including delivery) I think it’s good value for 5 metres of silk!

By Hand Victoria Blazer – the Sari Edition & lining!

By hand Victoria Blazer – the Sari Edition, the cuffs

By Hand Victoria Blazer – the Sari Edition, the collar

By Hand London – the sari lining.

You might notice that I have only attached the collar band and not the lower lapels. I did attach the lower lapels but because the gild edges are prone to curling a little, they didn’t sit perfectly and looked a little wonky – that sort of thing bothers me tremendously. I knew that when I wore it I would be forever fiddling with them – and there is nothing worse than a girl tugging at her clothes – if you want to look effortless and stylish, constantly tugging and pulling at your clothes is not going to achieve that. So I took the lower lapels off. I’m much happier with the jacket with just the collar band.

I took three lots of pictures trying to get some nice ones… it’s tricky in winter, it is dark early and photographing black was not easy! So I ended up trying it with jeans, a black singlet, a white singlet and a black dress! At least it is versatile!

I hear there is another pattern just around the corner from the By Hand London girls – I can’t wait to try it!!! So far it’s been three out of three for these girls. A trifecta of sewing joy!

By Hand Victoria Blazer, the Sari Edition with white singlet and black skinny jeans!

By Hand Victoria Blazer the Sari Edition with black singlet and skinny jeans!

By Hand Victoria Blazer – the Sari edition with a black slinky dress

It’s an easy make. Really easy. I did have to gather the sleeve heads ever so slightly as the silk dupioni was not very forgiving going into the armhole, just a tiny bit of gathering pulled it in perfectly. I might have been having a Doh! moment (which I am prone to) but the instructions did not seem to mention how to finish the lining armhole edges. I just turned them under and slipstitched them to the seam allowance of the armholes, like I did with the Elisalotte.

Next time around I would also line the sleeves. It would be easy to modify the pattern ever so slightly to accommodate the lining going over the armhole without pulling – plus the cuffs is a nice neat French seam so I think it will work beautifully.

It’s quite a boxy shape in the silk dupioni but I like it as an evening jacket, it’s got great structure. I can’t wait to make this in a fabric with some more drape, perhaps a ponti or wool…

Woo hoo – I’ve squeezed THREE Indie Patterns into The Curious Kiwi & Modern Modern Vintage Upcake’s Indie Pattern Month, my Tofinos, my Cambie and my Victoria Blazer! And four if you count my Icecream Marion cardigan – ok it’s knitting… but you know I think I can claim it 🙂

Pattern: sent to me By Hand London girls (thank you!!!!), I wasn’t paid and all opinions are my own – this pattern rocks as much as Elisalex & Charlotte. Fabulous fabulous.

If you are in Australia you can order this from Sew Squirrel.

Fabric: Black Silk Dupioni (The Fabric Store) & Sari Silk (eBay).

BRIXTON ELISALOTTE (with bonus jet lag)

Posted on May 12, 2013 by sewbusylizzy

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I promise I will blog about my travels – however today I was a little excited to finish my ‘nearly’ Elisalex… she’s a fickle lass. She woke up on Saturday and announced that she was going to be Elisalotte – thank you every much.

The gorgeous girls (yes they seriously are gorgeous – I met them at the EPIC London meet-up – more on that soon) from By Hand London contacted me in January and offered to send me a copy of their Charlotte & Elisalex patterns. Remember my Charlotte skirt?

Charlotte The Second: By Hand London

I saw several gorgeous Elisalexs at the London meet-up including Dolly Clackett and Taracat. This made me more determined than ever that I WOULD make this dress! Then Oopbop posted a floral delight very soon after I hit Aussie soils. ARGH – time to start sewing!

I’m a little OCD about fabric and pattern matches and sent myself barmy looking since January for Elisalex.

Turns out I needed to head to downtown Brixton, London to find my match. For the non-UK residents, Brixton is located in south London, it has sizable African & Caribbean populations so it’s little wonder that I discovered African wax fabrics there!

And I found this…

African wax fabric from Brixton.

I had made a bodice muslin in January. I decided to re-purpose the muslin side panels into the new dress. I love the colour block effect. I think it just enhances the visual impact that the princess seams of this dress create.

I made up the Elisalex skirt in all its glory. It is a gorgeous tulip shape – however I just looked like a scrawny toothpick arising from a circus big top. I just don’t have the ‘oo la la’ to carry it off. So I became reacquainted with the seam ripper and scissors – and ‘lex’ became ‘lotte’.

I was happily amazed at how easily the Elisalex bodice and Charlotte skirt went together, I simply changed the skirt seam allowances to 10mm instead of 15mm. I was amazed at how beautifully the entire dress came together!

and well… this is how Elisalotte looks…

Elisalotte dress – bodice

Elisalotte dress – front view

Elisalotte dress – back view. I think what makes this dress gorgeous is the wide neckline and back. It creates shape, balances out hips and chisels the waist. Love it.

My pattern matching is slightly askew. I blame the jet lag – which has been rather hideous! I admit, I quite like this creation, it’s striking, ’tis all I have to say on the matter…

oh, and you really should give this pattern a whirl. It’s fun to make, easy and packs a punch. The bodice is well drafted. My back does gape just a little – I’m not sure of the pattern fitting fix for scrawny upper backs.

Note: the By Hand London girls have just put their rather fabulous Victoria blazer on sale… waiting, waiting, waiting for it to hit Aussie soils (and you can buy your Aussie ones from SewSquirrel!).

and one more just for fun 😉 (thanks ELH for the pictures xox)

Elisalotte dress – action shot

PS forgive me any spelling errors etc I blame ket lag (how long can I use that excuse?)

PPS just noticed I typed ket lag instead of jet lag. So hilarious I’m leaving it as is!

Oh La La – hello Charlotte Skirt By Hand London

Posted on February 12, 2013 by sewbusylizzy

Simple is sometimes more sexy than complicated. Hello gorgeous pencil skirt simplicity in the form of Charlotte, from By Hand London.

Charlotte By Hand London Pattern Envelope

I think stitchers can be guilty of overwhelming ourselves with delicious pleats, tucks, darts, bias cut stripes and more – me included! Coco Chanel is quoted as having once said “before you leave the house take one thing off.” Without the time to trawl the internet for the exact quote, I like the essence of the thought. I’m not saying rip off your blouse by any means, although you might have some followers that works for (who knows!). There is a lot of value in taking a moment to simplify a little, whether it’s accessories, clothing details – or even life.

I have been TRYING to exist on a pattern & fabric diet due to the upcoming London trip in April/May (two months away today!). This has been semi-successful (there have been some major slip-ups but I’m vastly improved on 2012). I had a moment of weakness in January and when I saw Oonaballoona’s fabulous Elisalex, I weakened. Oh, it just looked like FUN! I went to Sew Squirrel to order ASAP. It was OUTTA STOCK. Ah, saved by self-indulgence of other stitchers! Bless you Aussie stitchers. Then I got a DM on Twitter from the By Hand London girls asking if I would like to try their patterns. Yes Ma’am. So here she is – Charlotte.

Charlotte By Hand London package

OMG this is the CUTEST packaging I’ve seen. It comes in an envelope – with this gorgeous little peek-a-boo print on the back of the envelope when you pull the sleeve out. The booklet is cute as a button…

AND you get this label.

By Hand London label

OK enough squeeing and let’s get back to the very serious business of sewing – cos it’s v.serious as we all know. No fun at all… ever… (OK I’ll let you squee just once more…. done yet?).

Do I like it? Yes. Do I love it? Yes.

Oh isn’t there like a million of pencil skirts out there Lizzy?

Well, yes there is. Some of them have tucks, pleats and all manner of wonderous frippery. I have several patterns in my stash and have not got around the making them up, they looked like a lot of work for a pencil skirt silhouette. I saw this and felt inspired.

I just love the simplicity. So simple yet it manages to pack a visual punch. I like the longer pegged length, the eight long shaping darts and I love love love the high high waist. Some have cut it shorter but the length appeals to me. I feel mighty fine. And in some cases sexy as hell. Yes it’s possible to feel this way without hanging my legs out for public viewing.

I’ll admit when Charlotte first popped onto the bloggin’ scene I was like ‘meh it’s a pencil skirt’, then I saw Rachel and Lladybird rockin’ the pencil skirt and I realised that hey Lizzy! Pencil skirts are actually one of your most beloved and worn wardrobe items – maybe you should make one. Durr.

I was once a huge tomboy, it was unusual to see me out of trouser/fitted shirts or jeans(I’m still addicted to jeans, I feel a million bucks in them). Over time I guess my confidence and self-acceptance has grown. I look the way I do and I’m OK with that. Along the road to physical self-acceptance (I think my personality is set in concrete, I fight it to no avail) I learnt to not take clothes too seriously (fabric yes, clothes no), to experiment and have some fun. I discovered dresses where not just ‘special occasion’ items, skirts were kinda cute and even accessories had a place in my life!

It was interesting that my eldest daughter – who is turning 10 next Monday… how did that happen – and she is just under my chin! She’s making me older and shorter every day she is alive!… anyway I digress. She asked me why the Charlotte skirt made me look so much taller than I really was. So we had a discussion about clothing styles, visual wardrobe tricks and more. She’s actually a really snappy little dresser. She’s got a sweet fey boho style which is perfectly appropriate for her age. I have no interest in her growing up too quickly but there is a place for a bit of sage advice. I often wish someone had taught me to master my curly hair…

Charlotte the First – my muslin. Not too shabby for a ‘chinese tablecloth’. No hemming this is an experiment and not wearable. It’s back in the sewing room being re-worked into another vision! The Sewaholic Alma doesn’t ‘go’ but it’s just what I was wearing while sewing!

This is my muslin because I was a little nervous about the fit – needlessly. This fabric is a random shiny upholstery jacquard. No give whatsoever. The Ever-Lovin’ Husband (ELH) commented that while the skirt was nice… but I looked like I was wearing a Chinese tablecloth. Hmmmm! I didn’t put a walking slit in the back and I was walking like a little hobbled but shapely lady! Skirts without walking slits are akin to crippling me. I’m rather famed for my short stature which doesn’t seem to match my stride or walking pace – be warned London ladies – I travel at high speed!

Here is Charlotte The Second (with walking slit) – aka Racy Lacy (I can hear you laughing Boris)

Charlotte The Second: By Hand London

Love.

It kinda looks fancy. It’s just a bonded lace I picked up at Spotlight in a 40% off sale. I really liked the black/black version (much more conservative) but it had no stretch. This base fabric is stretch and perfect for a Charlotte experiment.

The lace was bonded slightly off kilter which made pattern matching the seams tricky. They are not perfect but they are OK. I still need to pull the waistband in a little. The fit is a little roomier than my muslin, I think due to the stretch in this fabric… something to keep in mind for next time. I think I will baste the side seams next time and nip them in as required before committing to ‘serious’ stitches.

Charlotte the Second – the junk trunk (I know it’s not a ladylike expression but it’s stuck with me ever since my Thurlow post…)

I decided to have a little fun with the hem. This stuff doesn’t fray so rather than doing a straight hem I trimmed around the lace motifs. This decision meant the skirt was either going to be long or around knee-length. I like the contrast of long and lacy – a little bit sexy and a little bit conservative.

Charlotte The Second – the hem. Please excuse the blue toenails I always forget I’ve let the kids paint my nails and suddenly remember on Monday morning as I walk out of the door to work…

I didn’t line it. I’m saving that ‘fancy stuff’ for my emerald-green wool crepe. Oh I can’t wait to sew it up! An op/charity shop purchase at $2 for 1.5m of New Zealand Merino Wool Crepe. To Grandma wherever you are – I love you for stashing it. Yes I’m still punching the air with glee… oh and I have the loveliest lace blouse to go with it…

Elisalex… I’m so curious to try this pattern, I’m just waiting on some fabric… I have a vision…

Note: I would love Charlotte even if I had paid for it. In fact I would be stoked I had purchased it. I’m not inclined to make something over and over but this one makes me feel that way. Easy, lovely fit, flattering. Love. Love. Love. Thank you By Hand London for asking me to have a try!

I’ve kinda been in love with the Charlotte version with the quirky hem frill in the floral. *sigh* I think we are meant to be… don’t think I’m a waist peplum girl. I’m old enough to remember it – so I’m not going back there… I’m leaving that for the youngsters…

Charlotte Floral – so cute! Image: By Hand London

Pattern: Charlotte, By Hand London. Available in Australia from Sew Squirrel (where I go to indulge – so much more fun than chocolate). Or the UK types can get it direct from By Hand London.
Top: Grace Hill from Ezibuy (years ago, rarely worn cos it’s too racy and low-cut for demure me)
Shoes: Jane Debster (on sale a few years ago cos I’m a cheapskate who resents full price)

Sew Busy Lizzy

she sews by the seashore…

Tag Archives: By Hand London

Anna Rose – a dress from By Hand London. My first Anna…

BY HAND LONDON Silk Sari Victoria Blazer

BRIXTON ELISALOTTE (with bonus jet lag)

Oh La La – hello Charlotte Skirt By Hand London