My first Anna Dress

Hello there!!

I've decided after many years of reading other people's blogs that I felt it was about time that I did my own and as sewing is one of my passions, so to start off, I thought I'd share with you my take on this dress by an independent pattern designer that has been taking the blogoshpere by storm.....

Yes, it's the Anna Dress, the bodice has vertical bust pleats instead of darts and kimono style sleeves with a 7 panel skirt of midi or maxi length with an optional thigh-high split, was too good to resist, so I dropped the other project I was doing and  joined the bandwagon and got to work on the toile (muslin).......

Altering the pattern wasn't as straightforward as I expected it would be. Quite soon I noticed that the customary narrow shoulder adjustment and full bust adjustment (FBA) were required on a kimono sleeve, when that was done, I found that  the bust pleats didn't match up with the seams of the front piece of the panelled skirt, so that had to be shifted too for cosmetic reasons, and I ended up having a larger skirt front panel than I intended and smaller side ones, but having to make a choice between ill-placed darts or uneven seam matching - the former won hands down.

Three days later with added expletives/profanities, etc.,  during numerous tissue fittings and a couple of toiles, and using this book Fit for real people, I came up with this scruffy concoction: my second toile.

It worked, it fit where I wanted it to and I was happy with it, but rather than cut into my more expensive fabric and start sewing, instead I came across a linen cotton mix at Classic Textiles on Goldhawk Road in London. 

Whilst cutting out the skirt panels, I felt inspired to add lilac piping to the neckline and skirt panel seams - simply to break up the print a bit, as I am quite short and as the dress was going to be a maxi, I didn't want to experience being 'overwhelmed' in maxi dress with a large floral print. I wasn't sure how it was going to end up, but once I made the bias tape and started adding the piping, I felt it was going to be okay, not have to spend the evening cosying up with the stitch ripper.

Putting in the lining was a bit of a bitch, but luckily I had my good friend Mellie, to advise me on the mechanics of doing this - (sorry Mum, you just weren't available to ask at the time!!) I don't have a photo, but there are no facings inside, instead the lining is black cotton silk, purchased from Classic Textiles and finally, I ended up with this dress:

A view of the back

There you go, I suggest you try the Anna Dress for yourself as I seen quite a lot of lovely versions so far and this is just a small selection: Mellie's Workroom,  Sew busy lizzy, Lauren of Lladybird, Rennous-oh-glennus.

Oh yes, you might ask: 'What happened to the thigh-high split?' - Erm that just ain't happening, well, not for this version anyway.