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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Me-Made-May'14 Week 3

ANd then there were some repeats. this week I really tried to bust out all of my me-Mades, but I just couldn't resist the comfort of my favourite pieces. 

Day 12: striped pencil skirt

Worn to: work in an office

Pattern: self drafted 

Thoughts: love this knit skirt. Easy to wear. After many hours of wear and if it's hot and I sweat the record isn't great and the back sags a little. Oops. 

Day 13: drape drape dress no photo

Worn to: work

Pattern: drape drape no.10

Thoughts: I forgot to take a photo. My bad. But this dress is amazingly comfortable. I still need to make it into a shirt. 

Day 14: test flora

Worn to: work

Pattern: Flora tank dress By Hand London

Thoughts: this was my test garment for the flora before I made my spring version with all the alterations. You can see even in this photo it's loose around the neck and across the chest. But that's ok,  the purple gabardine is lovely to wear and gives this skirt some serious volume. 

Day 15: knit sweater

Worn to: work

Pattern: Aspen Cardigan by Hot Patterns

Thoughts: the fit of this cardigan isn't great. It was supposed to stay open but it hangs down awkwardly so I pinned it across in a wrap which I prefer a lot more. I love this material but it is very stretchy so doesn't held it's shape well. 

Day 16: Knit concert tee

Worn to: work

Pattern: Summer concert tee by DixieDIY

Thoughts: amazing. Simply amazing. There isn't one thing I don't love about this shirt. it's a staple for me now. 

Day 17: White and comfy

Worn to: lounging in the house (thus the bare legs)

Pattern: Lola by Victory Patterns

Thoughts: such a great pattern, and with my added collar it is extra warm and cozy. It shrunk slightly in the wash so the length is now a tad on the short side, but if I wear yoga pants underneath its fine, ui just wouldn't feel comfortable wearing only tights any longer. 

Day 18: repeat offender from day 16

Worn to: work

Pattern: summer concert tee by DixieDIY

Thoughts: clearly I love this look as it's the second time I've worn it this week. Not one thing changed. Not even my skirt. So comfortable. I'll be making many more very soon. 

and that marks my third week of Me-Made-May. I've done well trying to grab all of my me-Mades, but I can't help but want to wear my favourites again and again. 

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Me-Made-May'14 Week 2

Turns out that wearing me Mades everyday isn't as difficult as I thought it would be. I already do that because I'm so proud of my makes. Even the less than perfect ones. so let's take a look!

Day 5: Wool circle skirt 

Worn to: work in an office

Pattern: circle skirt

Thoughts: this skirt is fun but the wool coating that I used is so thick that it has some serious body to it. I also noticed that due to my posture the skirt hem hangs much lower in the front than in the back. I'll have to cut the front about 1" shorter to make it feel more proportional. I felt like I needed to pull the back of the skirt down all day as I felt the difference in hem lengths. 

Day 6: Mabel skirt

Worn to: work

Pattern: Colette Mabel skirt

Thoughts: incredibly comfortable. This skirt is great. I do need to readjust the waistband as it's larger than is comfortable for me. But I like my waistbands to really hold everything in. I used black Ponte on the back and side panels and this cool zigzag Ponte I scored while in Los Angeles at the end if March. Great for work and it transitions well into the evening. 

Day 7: spring flora!

Worn to: work

Pattern: Flora Dress By Hand London

Thoughts: after altering the pattern pieces to all my adjustments I think this is the first dress that is almost perfect to my measurements. It also marks one if my first successes using a non-stretch fabric.  Love this dress. And everybody else compliments it too. 

Day 8: fail

Why? I was sick all day and I have yet to made myself any pj sets. 

Day 9: The perfect knit dress

Worn to: work

Pattern: McCall's 5974

Thoughts: this dress is so comfortable. Yum. But after a day of wear I noticed that I'll need to go back and stabilize the neck and cross front pieces with clear elastic to make it a little more safe and help maintain it's shape all day. Otherwise this dress is still great for hiding my tummy yet being so stretchy and soft. 

Day 10: splotchy goodness

Worn to: shopping and lunch

Pattern: vogue 1395

Thoughts: easy dress to wear. Fun colours. Cute back bodice ties that wrap around front. I'll have to super iron my neck line as the rolled hem I did is slightly wavey. great length. Finished and worn the same day! Unblogged.

Day 11: deep v drape drape

Worn to: fancy brunch (with a lace shirt underneath)

Pattern: drape drape no.5

Thoughts: although this dress certainly is revealing and unless I was going to the beach, I doubt I'd wear it just as is, but with a lace top underneath this dress is super comfortable. the back is super low though and the materials recovery isn't great so my unstabalized shoulder seams  stretch out as the day continues. 

Another week down and another week happy. I think I'll try to make another cardigan this week as I depend on the two black ones I purchased so much it would be wonderful to replace those with me Mades!

Hopefully I can get outside this week to photograph all my new makes! There's my belladone, Mabel, v1395.... Woots. 

Happy me-made-may'14 Mother's Day!! I'm the proud mommy to a wonderful pupster!

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The tale of two Flora's

Day after day my Feedly was swamped with various versions of the new By Hand London girls Flora dress. The fabric patterns, the fit, the happiness it brought to everybody's face lured me. I couldn't resist and purchased my own copy (After much waffling only because those patterns are NOT cheap, especially to ship to Canada - yikes).

I received and within an hour had my size 14 traced out and ready for making. I grabbed a purple gabardine I had in my stash and got cracking. cut cut sew sew. Instructions were simple to follow. Lining went together perfectly. Inserted my first invisible zipper with my new invisible zipper foot for my machine (what a joy! I'm no longer scared of zippers!) from start the finish it took me under 5 hours. With the majority of time spent sewing the 12 total darts (too Many darts!!!).

I tried it on all excited. Wait, I'll back up. I measured the pattern and everything seemed fine in flat measurements and I don't toil so just got on with it. now, back to me trying it on all excited - zipped it up, ran to my full length mirror, slipping on hard wood underfoot, and stare at my new creation. But wait, why doesn't it look as nice sad everybody else's? This bodice is gaping. So is the back bodice around the neck. So are the under arms. What the!

So, turns out, this pattern isn't perfect for me. And my shoulders are too narrow for the standard pattern drafting. So the dress fits bad across the top. To solve this I ironed interfacing across the front neckline to stiffen the material and provide more support, but because of how wide the bodice is across my cheat, putting my arms down pushes the bodice inwards causing it to gape. sad. I should simply cut the bodice narrower, but that's so much work, and I still think this is wearable.....so I made a second flora!

let me break down my alterations I made to the pattern for my second flora!

- took a 1/2 inch wedge out of the bodice front and back in the middle of the neckline to reduce gaping issue

- cut out the arm hole and moved the entire piece 1 inch towards the centre (this narrows the front bodice while maintaining the bust and waist proportions)

- removed a 1/4 inch wedge from under the armpit to reduce gaping under the arms

- moved the front bust darts towards the centre front by 1/4 inch

- widened the front bust dart base by 1/8 inch tapering it the fit the original dart about half way up. (To reduce the fabric pooling just under my bust and at my waist) (alternatively I could have adjusted the bodice side shaping , but dart adjustments are easier for me)

- reduced the shoulder piece length by 1 inch

Phew. That sounds like a lot of alterations, and in fact my pattern pieces are looking really mangled (especially with the blue painters tape!) but hey - this flora turned out near perfect! And just LOOK at this print!! It SCREAMS spring! It's the first pattern that I made alterations to, on my second round, to produce a better fit. And you know what? It was totally worth my time!

and next time I'll stay stitch the bodice waist as it stretched and is a little loose. I might take in the sides another 1/4" each and sew the waist seam another 1/4" just across the stomach to reduce the slight drooping that's occurring. Little things.

Beautiful invisible zipper (Especially considering it is my FIRST invisible zipper with my zipper foot!). Front knife pleats and back pleats. So beautiful

This flora is my demand to the Canadian weather gods to give me spring!!

Pattern: By Hand London Flora dress - Variation 2: Tank

Size: 14

Fabric: purple gabardine & floral polyester

Alterations:

• front dart placement and width
• narrow shoulder adjustment
• hollow upper chest adjustment
• rounded upper back adjustment
• gaping under arm adjustment
• shortened shoulder strap

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Black Ink in Water Elisalex Dress

My feedly has been filled with Elisalex dresses since its release. I knew I wanted to make one and when I found this fabric It screamed to be made into an Elisalex. So that's just what I did.

I cut the size 14, which according to the size guide, should be my size. This fabric is a rayon/spandex with only 5% stretch. But when I sewed the 14 up, everything was too big, too wide, too much fabric. I tried to sew all the seams again at 1 inch but that just made it odd-shaped. That's what I get for trying to take the easy route. After multiple attempts, I hated how it fit, so uncomfortable, so I tossed it in the UFO basket and walked away.

But I had a party. And there is little I love more than wearing a new dress to a party. So I re-traced my Elisalex pattern in a size 8. Four sizes smaller than my original. I hoped I hadn't over-corrected and would have a teeny-tiny bodice and feel like a sausage. Luckily I sewed it up at 3/8 inch, put it on, and FINALLY it fit the way it was intended to fit. 

This photo emphasizes my pear shape

I do adore this dress, but there are a few issues with the pattern in regards to my body shape; I have both narrow and sloped shoulders. This means that the wide-set neckline falls off my shoulders very easily. I tried to turn the pattern in a bit at the shoulders but it seems the pattern is still set a tad wide for me. That's ok, it is still full wearable - it is more my bra-straps that slip off than the dress itself.

So this fabric! Stunning right? It reminds me of dropping ink into a glass of water the way it swirls. It is a rayon/polyester with 5% stretch to it. It is fully medium weight - no chance of transparency - thank goodness - that is nothing I hate more than realizing a dress is opaque in sunlight. No unsightly bra sightings here. 

On to my alterations. I took off a 1/4 inch at the princess seam as it reaches my armpit so it doesn't gap. I opted to not include a zipper in the design, with the slight stretch to the fabric, the zipper would of made it easier to get on and off but ultimately would be unnecessary for me. So with the additional stress on the waist seam as I pull the dress across my chest, I added fold over elastic to the waist seam to finish the seam and add strength. I choose a gathered skirt instead of the tulip skirt as I wanted a more every-day dress vs the fancier touch that the tulip skirt adds to it. The last alteration I made was to use short sleeves instead of the full or 3/4 length offered. I used the sleeve pattern and simply cut it short. Simple.

Scotia found a Squirrel nut stash and started to rip the ground up. Oops.

Pattern: By Hand London Elisalex

Size: 8

Fabric: Rayon/Polyester with 5% stretch (Fabricland)

Cost: $4/m used 1.5m

Lucky for me it was only a balmy -8C while I took these photos. How Canadian am I eh? Out in a short sleeved shirt...

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It's a Snoody Day in the Neighbourhood

While I was in Melbourne, Australia I found that the city has this incredible artistic vibrancy about it. The city pulsates with culture and stimulates all those who enter it. I wanted to be a part the drama, a part of the colour. I scoured the independent designer shops, the thrift stores, and found fabrics galore. But another part of the city I wanted to be involved in was learning a new craft. I immediately signed up for a knitting course.

Every year I beg my grandmother to knit me another pair of mittens. I love knitted mittens. Line them with fur and they are perfect for Canadian winters. The colour options, the yarn texture, the designs. Knitting has always been so beautiful to me. I always knew I should learn but never considered taking a course on it. I'm so glad I did. It was casual and fun. There was tea and laughter involved. It was splendid. I felt like I was gaining so much from Melbourne. Melbourne was sharing its passion for the arts with me. 

But, I arrived back in Canada in a midst summer time. Hot and sweaty and wonderful. Knitting was the last thought on my mind. But as my new skill got set aside temporarily, I knew I would pick it up again. I knew I would hone my skills. I simply had to wait. It is Canada after all. And one of the Great White North's guarantees are the rapid temperature drops. And just like that October rolled around and hello Winter. 

I needed to pick up my needles and start knitting. It was brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr cold out. And knit I did.

Thanks to By Hand London's post I had two beautiful snood patterns to choose from. I wanted them both. And I wanted them NOW. And that is what I did. I bought circular needles and super chunky Peruvian wool. I turned on the kettle and pulled out my favourite mug. I was about to spend my night inside cozied in my fur blanket, knitting away. Bliss.

And these are my results:

The Moss Stitch Snood

Bernat Roving in Plum (00071) (80% Acrylic 20% Wool)

The Basket Weave Snood

SMC Tweed Montage in Grand Canyon (509) (56% New Wool/40% Acrylic/4% Viscose)

Started: The English Rib (with a twist)!

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