Don't rain on my Anna Parade

I am hooked on Anna. She's quick, she's flattering, she's casual, she displays fabrics well. She's everything I want from a pattern. By hand London produced pattern gold with this pattern. And I hit the pattern jackpot when I decided to re-visit here this year.

It wasn't love at first site for Anna and I. She liked a little boring (shhh pretty baby first impressions hurt I know I know...) but after a barrage of Anna's hit the blogosphere my opinion slowly started to shift and I gave in (as I easily do when buying patterns). 

She arrived and I squealed with joy and did a little dance; what a pretty little packaged pattern you are sent all the way from London UK into my loving arms! 

I unfolded the tissue with care and traced off my size at the time (16/20). And I started to make her using some orange-hued cotton poplin I had. Easy fabric - should work out right? oh so wrong...

Why are you so cruel dear Anna? This first attempt was all sorts of wrong....the shoulder-bust height was almost double, the width was tight, the facings just WOULDNT stay down and my not-so-invisible zipper drove me bonkers. I threw that hideous Anna into the corner in a fit of beginner seamstress rage and proclaimed a hated for her and shunned her pretty packaged self into the "bad pattern" pile. 

It took me over a year and a half to pick it up again and reconsider. I'd shrunk as a Human down into the size (8/10) category and felt maybe my new size and my more advanced sewing knowledge would help with the fit. And to my extreme pleasure it has! 

And without further ado I give you my Anna Parade:

The Yargggg Sailer Girl

The Antelopes-a-Prancing

The LOOK AT HOW COLOURFUL I AM!! (+ V Neck Back) 

The Hipster Anne of Green Gables

And don't you worry....this parade may never end..... 

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New Look 6067 - Black Magic Rabbit

Winner winner Chicken dinner folks. 

Extremely difficult to see the pattern style lines but the bodice has 3 beautiful bust pleats protruding from centre front. 

And of course the BEST part of this dress - MAGICAL RABBITS!!! Those are not simple white dots my friends. Nope nope nope. They are magical rabbits come to make my day with each and every wear!

Fully lined sleeves sewed as one with the lining for a beautiful clean edge - lining is a plain black stretch cotton poplin.

Details:

Pattern: New Look 6069

Size: 12

Fabric: Cotton Poplin with Rabbits (Fabric.com)

Alterations:

A-lined the skirt

Fully lined the entire dress

Eliminated the neck split

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Chambray Wenona - Named Clothing

The shirtdress. Big Fan. And the sleeves on this Wenona shirtdress immediately sold me on the pattern.

I once again used Robert Kaufman's chambray fabric but in two colour-ways: olive & blue

I don't think the two colours go together perfectly but I do appreciate that they are the exact same fabrics - same weight, same pattern, same feel.  

Since the fabric is an olive green I opted to use a green tinted marble buttons and I think they go really well against the fabric, they are more muted than a whiter shade.

The back has a button the collar and a pleat on the back bodice - both are really cute details.

The button plackets on this pattern a teeny tiny so if I make it again I'd change those up because I don't like that they are simple turn and stitch because as you can see in the photo if I bend my wrist at all the inside shows and you can see the serged seams.

From the back yoke up the pattern is drafted beautifully. From the boob area down - it's a sack. There are no darts and from the arm scyth to hem line the pattern angles out progressively into a trapeze. NOT flattering at all. To fix the parachute feel of this dress I added elastic to the back waistline only, it helped with the shape, but I don't like the look of it so I only wear it with a belt to hide the elasticated back.

The next version I make will be blended with the Deer&Doe Bruyere shirt from the arm scythe down. This will enable me to keep the details I love about the Wenone: Sleeves, pointed collar, back yoke but merge it with the things I love about the Bruyere: fitted bust and waist, and appropriately shaped skirt/hem circumference. 

Details

Pattern: Named Clothing Wenona Shirt Dress

Size: 38

Fabric: Robert Kaufman Chambray

Alterations: 

• Added elastic to the back bodice waistline to take in the gazillion extra inches of ease this pattern includes in the design.

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Let There Be Ships! New Look 6067

One day while browsing on Fabric.com I fell in love with a sweet little fabric covered in ships. The background was white and the tiny boats were blue, the stretch factor was just right, and a click click click later for $7/yd I owned three yards of it.

The bodice is the beautiful New Look 6067. with three bust pleats up the centre front. 

I must say - New Look patterns are wonderful - they all fit perfectly out of the package - which clearly I'm a big fan of - and many of the patterns have very cute bodices.

The fabric is a cotton poplin - slightly see through so I lined the entire dress with another plain white cotton poplin. 

Since I didn't really like the skirt pattern too much as pencil skirts aren't really my cup of tea, I swapped it out for my preferred skirt pattern from Sewaholic's belladone skirt and using three box pleats instead of two knife pleats. 

Nothing like a little breeze to emphasize your derriere....thanks wind.

Pockets. I LOVE pockets. The Belladone pockets are perfect too. Nice and deep - aint nothing falling out of these babies when I sit down!

I worked hard to line the rows of boats up across the bodice front. They are straight across the front which is great but I should have worked harder so the print matched down the centre seam - I kind of shrunk the boats in half.



Gathered sleeves add a nice shape in poplin fabric. I also fully lined the bodice and sleeves so I have a nice clean finish.



My handsome boyfriend took all these photos for me while we were in New York City. These are from the Coney Island Aquarium - we rode the subway for 45 minutes one way just to say we tried a Coney Island Hotdog (it was a let down but hey my pretzel was amazing!

Details
Pattern: New Look 6067 + Sewaholic's Belladone Skirt
Size: 8
Fabric: Cotton Poplin
Alterations: Added darts to the back neckline to reduce gaping.

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Me Made May Week 4 + Round Up 2015

All done May and heres the final week and a round up 

Day 31

Pattern: Simplicity 2444

Fabric: Cotton Sateen

Occasion: Work

Thoughts: Easy to wear 

Day 30

Pattern: McCall's 6696

Fabric: Robert Kaufman Caroline Gingham

Occasion: Work

Thoughts: yay almost done May!!

 Day 29

Pattern: Vogue 1102

Fabric: Chiffon

Occasion: Work (worn with a sweater and belt to tone down the fancy)

Thoughts; Need to take out 2" under each arm because its way too big now.

Day 27

Pattern: New Look 6067 Bodice + Deer and doe Belladone Skirt

Fabric: Cotton Poplin with Ships

Occasion: Work

Thoughts: Love this dress but may need to make it a tad smaller as well.

Day 26

Pattern: Sewaholic Saltspring

Fabric: Owl Rayon

Occasion: Work

Thoughts: Perfect fit and adorable fabric!!

Day 25

Pattern: By Hand London Anna dress

Fabric: Cotton&Steel 

Occasion: Work

Thoughts: Wearing the same dress in the same week? You betcha! Love it!

Lets do some statistics:

Dresses: 23 (two repeats)

Shirts: 2

Skirts: 2

Pants: 2

Clearly I'm a dress girl

All of May in one photo :)

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Me Made May Week 3

Week Three of Me Made May!!

Pattern: Vogue 1247

Fabric: giraffe denim

Occasion: Sunday funday w Chowdog

Thoughts: quick girls size fix - serged off 2" per side and ta da it fits again and I absolutely adore this skirt!! 

Day 17

Pattern: Anna dress by By Hand London

Fabric: sevenberry anchor cotton

Occasion: impromptu shopping trip to the USA with my man 

Thoughts: first Anna dress after a very unsuccessful attempt last year and this one fits perfect! Very comfortable!

Day 20

Pattern: pencil skirt

Fabric: ponte knit

Occasion: work

Thoughts: nothing like a knit skirt to make my days more comfortable

Day 21

Pattern: Bruyere dress by Deer and Doe

Fabric: Robert Kaufman chambray with ships

Occasion: work

Thoughts: great easy to wear dress and still one of my favourite patterns

Day 22

Pattern: Steeplechase Leggings by Fehr Trade 

Fabric: spandex

Occasion: morning hot yoga 

Thoughts: super fun to wear and great stretch but not the greatest breathability for a hot yoga class. Working on my headstand!

Day 23

Pattern: Anna bodice By Hand London + Saltspring skirt Deer&Doe

Fabric: Cotton&Steel with antelopes

Occasion: Saturday shopping

Thoughts: I've quickly learned the Anna dress addiction having made two Anna's in two weeks with plans for 2 more...super flattering pattern that works well to display fabrics! Quick see as well - fully lined. 

Day 24

Pattern: Steeplechase Leggings by By Hand London 

Fabric: New Balance Supplex

Occasion: hot yoga

Thoughts: amazing. So impressed by my mad skills people!! Love these leggings with their lime green piping!!

I missed a day :( I forgot to take a photo but I totally wore me made dress I swear!!

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Me-Made-May-15 Week 2

May 8

Pattern: Flora by By Hand London

Fabric: polyester 

Occasion: Work

Thoughts: major hack on this dress - took out 4" from both side seams to make it fit. Do the bodice waist darts now point to my armpits? You betcha they do!  But luckily my shoulder width hasn't decreased much so the straps still fit nicely. 

Day 9

Pattern: Saltspring by Sewaholic

Fabric: Anne Sui cotton/silk Border Print

Occasion: Saturday shopping and date night my man. 

Thoughts: fabric is beautiful to the touch. Straps are 1/2" too short but without major reconstruction there's nothing I can do to fix it :( 

Day 10

Pattern: Kim Dress by By Hand London

Fabric: stretch cotton poplin

Occasion: Mother's Day brunches (for my mommy and grandma as well as my bfs family)

Thoughts: Sewed a size 10 - forgot this fabric had stretch to it - resewed it with 1" seams - terrible hack - shoulder straps fit better but still too wide so I may add a shoulder strap across the top back so I'll actually get more wear out of it. The fabric is beautiful. 

Day 11

Pattern: McCalls 6553

Fabric: Polyester 

Occasion: work

Thoughts: easy throw on dress with fun back Cape. I think I'll make a few more for summer as its great for keep a pattern in tact. 

Day 12

Pattern: McCalls 6696

Fabric: Robert Kaufman 1" Carolina Gingham

Occasion: Work

Thoughts: absolutely love this dress

Day 13

Pattern: Vogue 1102

Fabric: Cotton with embroidered anchors

Occasion: Work

Thoughts: after another 4" quick hack off the bodice under arms this beauty fits again! So pleased! (The waist Seam has elastic in it so holds it shape will with this hack)

Day 14

Pattern: McCalls 6696

Fabric: Quilting cotton + yellow Robert Kaufman chambray 

Occasion: Work

Thoughts: even though it's too big all over I still love the vibe of this dress. 

Day 15

Pattern: Summer Concert Tee by Dixie DIY

Fabric: cotton knit with 1-way stretch

Occasion: work

Thoughts: need to reattach the neck binding with a bias cut piece instead of with the grain as it sticks out. Otherwise comfortable. 

See you next week!

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