By Hand London flowered Anna

Time for another Anna. Size 8/12 this time.  I luckily only had to trace/guess at one piece because I had mostly traced out my size 6/10.  Construction pretty straightforward.  I lowered the front neck slightly, and skipped the facings to try out self-bias tape instead. I waited to put that on until after the zipper, since I was anticipating some gapping at the back.  There wasn't!  I guess that in this rather loose variant of the Anna, when there is no pull inward below the bust, it doesn't pull outward on the back??

My size 8 Anna is pretty loose, and the pleats are the only thing that give it shape.  I'm feeling rather frumpy lately with my loose Belladone, and now my loose Anna.  But I do love breathing...

This was my first attempt with the invisible zipper foot.  Which is apparently not a Janome specific foot, or my needle is not centred in my machine.  I could only use the left side tunnel.  Then I realised I hadn't matched the waist so I had to redo it.  I used the normal zipper foot on the second side.  The invisible zip foot also isn't creating a very invisible zip.  I wonder if I'm doing something wrong...anyway it's still been a much nicer zip installation than usual.  I was very tempted to take out an inch at the centre back but finally restrained myself. 

I actually love this dress!  It may be loose and frumpy but it has no facings, no loose threads, no sticking out funny bits...it's about the best construction ever, and makes me love Anna all the more!  I have one Anna left to do...my long, sleek, v-necked black Liberty Anna. So...is this size too big and frumpy for that??

My super sexy silk Papercut Saiph

Oh I was soooo excited to do this!  And whoooa I went out on a limb with creativity.  Seems to have come out ok despite that.

It was the perfect pattern to use for some silk - charmeuse I think?  It's dull on one side and shiny on the other, quite heavy, and it was the lining for my Victoria blazer, soooo at the end of it all I have a matching jacket!  I did have a few stray thoughts about using the dull side to make a nice contrast but I just stuck with shiny this time around.

Thanks Jennifer for an awesome lunchtime photo shoot!  We went urban chic: 

Yeah that's right...photo shoot at work and the rabble is getting restless!

Matches so well with my suede Victoria blazer

This was a size XXS.  I made some changes for summer -- omitted the facings and the sleeves.  Also although I adored working with this silk when I had been sewing suede, the truth is that it is shifty and it is shedding everywhere so I aimed for simple.  I wanted a dress with a nice finish and I still don't have a good idea how to make a good finish.  I just pinked the back seam and the skirt seam, and used french seams on the sides and shoulders.  My french seams got a bit big as they had to contain a bunch of shedded fibers.  I was worried that would make it smaller than I wanted but it is just barely perfect.  The hem length could be 2" longer so it would be more "dress" and less "shift" and I was rather sad to finish them hem as that made it even shorter...but it looks and feels awesome as it is so I don't mind in the end!

I considered bias binding the neck and sleeves but again the shedding silk made me reconsider, and I just rolled the edges in as I did for the back keyhole.  This came replete with some trials.  Maybe bias binding is better, because it's cut on the bias...right...the first armhole I folded-ironed-folded-ironed, and then pinned it down.  That was difficult and messy.  The second one I folded, ironed, and then did the second fold at the sewing machine.  The silk was easier to manipulate that way and I got a better result.  Still had to go back at some of the tight corners to fix them.  And it wasn't until I got to the neck that I remembered to grade my seams. Nonetheless, I naturally have a bunch of funky looking gathers at the front of the neck, hissss.  I will probably try to go back and loosen them up.  How to sew a rolled hem/neckline without making it look bad??

Finding a matching button was mainly luck.  I don't have a stash, since I'm transient, so my button stash consists of buttons from purchased items (all those spares.)  Luckily I had a nice green one, thanks Anthropologie!

At the end I went back and shortened the darts by about an inch.  No 1950s bullets for me (I don't think my boobs have ever sat that high!)  I'm considering shortening them some more.  I usually seem to have a slightly lower bust compared to darts in dresses, so that might be me.  And they are very pointy still...sigh.