Purely. Gratuitous. Sewing. That’s what I did when I had the apartment to myself for a couple days over holiday break, and it felt amazing. Did I need to make this By Hand London Anna dress? Not quite.
Sure, I’m considering using this pattern to sew a bridesmaid dress for a wedding in the fall, but that’s more than 10 months away. I did, however, really want a break from sewing Christmas gifts and practical clothes, and Anna turned out to be just what I needed to get my sewjo back. (Sorry not sorry for using that frankenword.)
Construction was simple but time-consuming, since I opted to hand sew a lot of the finishes. Here’s how I finished the guts:
- Blind slipstitched the armholes and leg slit
- Catch stitched the hem
- Pinked the facing and waist seam
- French seamed the skirt panels and shoulder seams
Frenching the seams and hand-sewing the hems took quite a bit of patience, but I’m really pleased with the outcome. Plus it was nice to have something to do with my hands while binge-watching Making a Murderer.
As for fit, the bodice is pretty snug. I’m not sure if I lost some inches with lackadaisical french seaming, or if I could stand to go up a size. I cut a straight size 10 (I’m a 36 bust with broad shoulders), and I’ll probably go with that size when I sew this up for a for-real bridesmaid dress. Edit: I should note that this material has a bit of stretch, which definitely helps. I think it’s a poly charmeuse?… I honestly can’t remember, I picked it up for $5/yard from Vogue fabrics in Evanston.
I’ll generously call this a wearable muslin, although I’m not sure where I’ll wear it. I finished Anna in time to bring her to the Wisconsin Dells for New Year’s Eve, but my rational side won out and I left her at home. She might have been JUST SLIGHTLY out-of-place at the steak house we went to for NYE dinner.
It pains me to say it, since the floor length makes this dress pretty glam, but I might shorten her to wear in the spring and summer. I’m sure I’ll make up for the drama with the bridesmaid dress in the fall.
Have any of you made a bridesmaid or wedding dress? Tell me your secrets!
Sewing & Cocktails 
I love it! The colour you’ve picked is gorgeous. Sometimes gratuitous sewing is just what you need! I’m thinking about making my first Anna, but the fabric I want to use is a quilting cotton…I’m wondering if I should wait until I find something a bit softer, like this!
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Thanks, and yes, do it! I think a quilting cotton would work, as long as it’s not too stiff. Good luck conquering Anna!
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That dress is very elegant!! It needs somewhere to go!
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How terribly glamorous! Every now and again it feels so good to indulge in gratuitous sewing.
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Amen! And for me, it never hurts to have an excuse to practice my hand sewing. Actually learning to kind of like it. 😀
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Very glam! Good for you making something just for the fun of it. Hope you do get a chance to wear it, would be a shame to own something so beautiful and not take it out!
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Thank you! I might just have to seek out an event for an excuse to wear it.
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Very pretty! You did a really excellent job on the fit too–definitely worthy of a public debut! I have never made a wedding or bridesmaid’s dress, but I think this pattern would be a great place to start for something like that. (Though I agree that the floor-length situation makes it tough to wear for non-formal occasions, but if you’ve ever seen “27 Dresses,” you know you could always shorten it and wear it again, haha!)
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Thank you! I know, I’d feel like a complete psychopath wearing this shiny floor-length thing anywhere that wasn’t pretty formal. I’m definitely considering lopping it!
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Wear it to Monrovia night! You can be queen.
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We ARE going to be watching a tear-inducing movie right? I mean, cocktails, mascara-streaked face, floor-length gown, Alex in the background wondering if I’ve actually gone mad….. This could be good…….
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