The International Anna Party

Hello Everybody! How are you? What do you think of the new digs? (I hope you like them cause it was quite a bit of work to change everything around. LOL)

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This is my By Hand London Anna dress that I made for the International Anna dress Party happening today on Instagram.

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I actually started this dress quite a while ago, but I never finished it for some reason. It sat on my dress form for forever. Which really isn't like me. It usually bothers me having an unfinished project lurking in the sewing room. Anyway, the #internationalannaparty was just the push I needed to get this bad boy finished.

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The bodice of this dress is a straight size 12/16, and then instead of doing the panelled skirt that comes with the pattern, I decided to do a circle skirt. It took me awhile to get my head around the math part of making a circle skirt, but I finally got it. I have never been good at math. The bodice fits me pretty well, although my fitting brain is wondering if I could make it fit even better with a smaller size and an FBA. I seem to be all about the FBAs lately. I think the Anna dress is a really flattering sillohuette, and I think it looks really great on pretty much every shape. Just ask the Google, and you'll see what I mean. Anna was the second dress pattern I ever tried when I first started sewing, and it was so nice to sew so it will always have a special place in my heart.

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I got this lovely daisy fabric at Walthamstow Market in London, seems appropriate, no? It's lovely, and drapey, and has a little bit of stretch to it too. I think it might be some sort of crepe, but I'm not 100% sure.

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The circle skirt turned out really well, and all I want to do is twirl around it. I'm such a goof! The only bummer about a circle skirt is the hem. Holy crow that's a long hem. I took the easy way out and did a rolled hem with my serger. I'm happy with how it turned out. The black thread just fades into the background, so you can hardly even notice it anyway.

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It wouldn't be a party around here without a pug or two, and it appears that they are enjoying have a look up my skirt. Silly pugs!

Did you guys join in on the Anna fun? 

The Southport Dress Take 2

Hiya friends! How are you doing? Hopefully the summer is treating you well so far. We are back at the cabin escaping the craziness that is Calgary right now. It's Stampede time, and the city always becomes filled to the brim with tourists, traffic, and crazy cowboys. The Greatest Show on Earth is a lot of fun if you've never been before, but if you've been a bunch of times, and you're not a fan of crowds and weird deep-fried food, it gets old pretty fast. Plus I am really not sure how I feel about the rodeo anymore. It just seems so detrimental to the poor little animals. But anyway, I don't want to get too controversial over here on the old sewing blog, so let's get back to the good stuff. I have wanted to sew up another Southport Dress for quite sometime, but haven't managed to get to it. Until now that is. And of course because I am being a crazy fit fanatic as of late, I wanted to make some changes to see if I could get my second version to fit a little better than my first version.

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For my first Southport, I made a straight size 10. It fit pretty well, but I found that it was slightly big in the shoulders and a bit loose all over the bodice. I know that this dress is meant to have a relaxed fit, but when I wore the size 10 it would slip off my shoulders with movement, and I found that it was a bit gape-y in the front (the neckline was a bit low for me), especially if I bend down. I also thought the skirt was a little snug around the hips. So for this version I wanted to try and fix those issues.

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I started with a size 6 bodice based on my upper bust size, but in hindsight, I should have chose the 8. I got everything to fit pretty well, but it's just a teensy bit too tight around the back/bust area. Anyway, I started with a size 6 bodice and adjusted the back pattern pieces first. I did a 1/4" forward shoulder adjustment - this involves shaving 1/4" off the front pattern piece, and adding 1/4" to the back pattern piece. Then I did a 1/4" high round back adjustment, and I wonder if maybe I need a 1/2" for this pattern, so I might try that next time too. Then it was on to the front pattern piece.

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For the front, I did a 1 1/4" FBA. It's interesting how now that I have done a couple of FBAs, it seems like such a natural adjustment for me. I don't know why I've been so scared of it. Of course I haven't attempted an FBA on princess seams yet, so my confidence might recede.

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For the skirt, I used a size 12 and it feels better than the size 10. I have a bit more room to move around and play with the pugs. I measured the pattern pieces to make sure that the skirt would fit the bodice and with my alterations they seemed to match up just fine. I finished the armholes and neckline with pre-made single fold bias tape. I love bias tape as it makes for a clean finish and I think it looks really profesh too. I also ended up sewing the button placket closed. I was being a bit lazy, but I also knew that I would be able to slip this dress over my head and that I wouldn't need the buttons. They are a bit hard to see because of the busy floral print, but the buttons are white and came out of one of those bargain button bags. John spotted them at Fabricville in Montreal and bought me two - one with coloured buttons, and one with black and white buttons. It takes a bit of searching to find ones that match, but it's nice to have a button stash.

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Oh I almost forgot to tell you about the fabric. I have no idea what it's made of, I suspect come kind of polyester/rayon/viscose, but I can't be sure (are there any tricks for that?). I picked it up at Walthamstow Market in London. It feels nice to wear; cool and drapey, and I love the purple flowers.

I suspect I will be making a few more of these dresses before the summer is through. They are just so easy to throw on, and I love the drawstring waist; so comfortable (and easy to adjust after a big meal LOL). Plus pockets! I never really put anything in dress pockets, but I like to have them so I have somewhere to put my hands.

Anyway, that's all for now. Have you tried the Southport Dress pattern? Do you have any go to comfy sundress patterns? I'm always looking for good ones so let me know.

The Southport Dress by True Bias

Hello everyone, and happy Friday! It's bright and sunny here today in #yyc but still quite cool when the wind hits you. The air is fresh, things are turning green and starting to bloom, so it feels like spring. Bring on the light floaty dress weather! As you have probably heard/seen/read, Kelli (of True Bias) has released a new dress pattern! I was lucky enough to be asked to be a pattern tester for this dress, and it was a welcome break for me in between all my jeans sewing. I have been fortunate enough to have pattern tested for Kelli once already, and I really loved the experience. It's pretty cool to get a sneak peek of a pattern before it's released, but it's also cool to see how a pattern is re-adjusted after the designer has gotten a bit of feedback. I really like being a part of the process. Plus I have loved all of Kelli's patterns so far, so I had no doubts that I would love this one too! Anyway, if you are anything like me, you are probably wanting to see what it looks like on as many bodies as possible, so I made sure to get some photos last week so I'd be ready to post shortly after the launch.

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It was pretty chilly outside when John took these picture of me, plus the sun was in my face so I'm a bit squinty-eyed. Once again that didn't bother Shanny a bit, and she was happy to get into the photos too.

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The fabrics suggested for this pattern are lightweight wovens; my first instinct was to reach for a light-weight cotton, but I decided to up the ante a little and go with a rayon challis. I don't have a lot of experience with sewing slippery fabrics, so I'm trying to challenge myself a bit in that area. Plus rayon makes for a lovely, flowy summer dress. Anyway, this particular fabric came from "the Man Outside Sainsburys" at Walthamstow Market in London. Not only was I a little out of my comfort zone with sewing this fabric, it's also not in my usual colour palette (do I even have a colour palette? Good question.). I don't wear off-white or cream very often because it washes me out, but this fabric with the bright coloured flowers is really growing on me.

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I made a straight size ten, which I chose based on my measurements. I didn't make any alterations at all (I didn't even have to shorten it!), and I think the fit is pretty spot on. In looking at these photos, I think it might be just a touch big in the shoulders, but I'm not sure it's really worth messing with as I think it's pretty close. For reference my Sutton blouses are a size 8.

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I really love the drawstring waist, and how it gives some shape and blousey-ness to the dress. I also love the little button placket and the pockets. Kelli is always really great at adding in little details that make a simple garment special. One of the coolest details, which you can't really see in the photos, is that there are bartacs above and below the pocket opening for extra security. It's a small thing, but I think it looks really neat and professional. If I make this dress in a solid colour, I would be tempted to match the button colour, buttonholes, and bartacs in a contrasting thread, and if you wanted to get really bold you could do the topstitching in the same colour. I think that would just add a little something extra.

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The instructions for this dress are very clear and straight-forward, although I did space out a little when making my drawstring casing. Looking back at it though, I know that was my lack of reading, not the instructions. Kelli had done a really thorough job with the instructions and definitions of techniques, and it's great that she always includes diagrams. This pattern is rated as Intermediate, and I would agree with that suggestion. It's a bit tricky working with slippery fabrics and making buttonholes and what not. That being said, I definitely think an adventurous beginner could tackle this dress (especially with the upcoming sewalong). Besides, I look at ratings as just a guideline, if you break everything down into small steps it becomes much easier, and intermediate patterns become less daunting. Whenever I am a bit nervous about a new pattern, I give it a practice go. Sort of like a muslin because it allows you to see fit issues, but I like to do all the finishing too so that you can try out any new techniques. And with any luck it will turn out to be wearable (but that's not always the case). There are some cheapie/clearance fabrics in my stash solely for this purpose.

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I should also mention, that since I made this version, Kelli did some fine tuning with the fit. She lowered the armholes and the bodice a touch and then she lowered the hemline for version A (this version) by about an inch. As you can see the length is perfect on me, but would probably be a touch short for those of you without lollipop guild status.

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I see this dress as being an easy summer staple with sandals or clogs, but for now I'm pairing it with boots and my favourite cropped denim jacket (which in my opinion goes with everything - although the hubs does not feel the same). And to be honest, the weather here still calls for tights. I was also thinking that you could layer it over a Nettie for an added layer of warmth in the fall/winter. Just a thought...

So this post has gotten a little fan-girly, but what can I say? I love True Bias patterns! Also side note, and total coincidence: I used to be a dental assistant, and the office I worked at (and still go to for dental work) is called Southport Dental. Anyway, right now Kelli has this pattern on sale for 25% off. I think the sale goes until April 26th, so if you are interested in this pattern head on over to her website for more details and the discount code.

Fabric Shopping in London: Walthamstow Market

Are you sick of hearing about fabric shopping yet? Good, me neither LOL. I have been to Walthamstow Market before and I blogged about it here. It's a really great place to go for bargain shopping. Sometimes that means super cheap deals on cheap fabric, but there are also some good deals to be had on some quality fabrics too. It's a bit of a ride to get there, but both times I've been, it's been worth it. For us, we headed to Shepherd's Bush tube station, and took the Central Line to Bank station, where we changed for the Victoria Line that took us all the way to Walthamstow Central station. I think it probably took us around 40 minutes or so. From there, it's a short walk to the High Street, where the market is. I was under the impression the market was only on Saturdays, but I discovered this visit that the market is open everyday except Monday. You can find pretty much anything you could imagine at this market, but there is a lot of junk too. It's actually Europe's longest outdoor street market, so it's something to see, and great for people watching too.

There are fabric shops along this street and as you walk further and further, you'll find the higher quality shops like Hussain Fabrics and Saeed Fabrics. Unfortunately, by the time we got down there I had my hands full so I didn't take any pictures of those two shops. Hussain Fabrics has some fabrics, but Saeed is the one with the nicest fabrics on this street, but it can be a bit pricey in comparison too. They were having a bit of a sale so I got some good deals on cottons, and a couple of wools.

If you read Karen's blog over at Did You Make That?, you have probably heard mention of the man in front of Sainsburys. He runs probably the best stall at the market in my opinion. Great deals to be had and some really great fabrics. I would got all the way there just to buy from him.

I did discover however, that he is not there everyday and he is not always in front of Sainsburys. He told me (well actually one of his son's told me) that he is only in front of Sainsburys on Saturday, and then on Tuesday and Thursday he is in front of Lloyd's Bank which is about halfway down the street to Sainsburys. Monday the market is closed, and they just aren't there on Wednesday and Friday. (You might be asking yourself, what is this Sainsburys. Well it's a grocery store on the high street - I would say if you start at the train station Sainsburys is about halfway through the entire market.)

It was difficult to get really good photos as there were people everywhere. This was probably the busiest fabric stall.

Anyway, I got a wide range of fabrics: some super nice wools, some cottons, some wool blends, some cotton lace, and some silk, and then I got some viscose and some poly blends. I don't mind buying some cheapies because they are great for muslins and wearable muslins, and some of them are really pretty. Here's a look at what I will be hauling home:

These photos don't really do justice to these fabrics, but I'm sure you'll get to see them again when I sew them up. Anyway, I hope this was helpful to you, and I hope you get to visit this market too!