Cheerful Florals

The answer to did I need another Anna Dress in the closet is most definitely a yes!

Is it a fabric hog?  Yes.  Is the drafting perfect?  No.  But I have worked through those issues and have a handy torn apart muslin that I kept so that solved the fitting issues.

And would it have been nice to be more thoughtful about pattern placement?  Perhaps, yes.  But it's rare that there is a wealth of yardage to play with, and such was the case with this fabric remnant. 

In the end, it's an extremely comfortable, easy to throw on and go dress that has already had quite a bit of wear this Summer.  And I would call that a success!

The only real issue is that I obviously cannot get rid of this pattern because I may want to make another in the future.  Which doesn't help to get my large pattern collection under control.

Then again, it is always fun to revisit an old pattern.

I have quite a few multiple use patterns that have served me well.

But I also enjoy the thrill of working with a new design to see what secrets they may have hidden in their drafting or instructions (I'm looking at you, vintage patterns!).

So I will be stashing this particular pattern for now, and next up is deciding what to tackle next.

And as far as that goes, I am a bit stuck because there are too many choices.  Which is perhaps a sign to take a break and clean up the sewing room . . . but where's the fun in that?!

Dress:  Made by me, Anna Dress 
Shoes:  Remix "Miranda"
Earrings:  Kate Spade

Sunflowers

While trying to figure out the best project for this cheerful sunflower printed quilting cotton, I was reminded how much I love my cotton Anna Dress.  It is one of my favorite, easy to wear garments for warm weather days, and it's beginning to show it's age.

So it seemed like as good a time as any to make myself another.  This print, that was originally slated for a 1990s inspired spaghetti strap dress in my mind, became an obvious choice for another Summer dress.

I stabilized the neckline with some seam binding to keep the v-neck from stretching before beginning the construction of the dress.

Since I have multiple versions of this dress and I am familiar with the process, the pattern went together easily.

I did add some length to the sleeves which I have done before.

And while I did have a limited amount of yardage, I was able to get a pretty good match at center back for the bodice (the skirt was a different story).

One thing to note is that this pattern is drafted extremely long.  Well, the bodice is drafted for a short-waisted person, and the skirt for someone over 6 feet tall!  I shortened the skirt considerably due to yardage restrictions, but I still ended up with a decent amount of length.

I like to reinforce cut-in-one sleeves with top-stitching and a strip of seam binding on the inside.  With a busy print, the top-stitching is barely visible.  And this technique stabilizes an area that has to be clipped and trimmed quite a bit to release the inner curve of the sleeve.

Raw edges were also finished with rayon seam binding.

I have a complicated relationship with invisible zippers, but I decided to go ahead and use one since the pattern calls for it, I had a good color match, and I have used them for this pattern on previous versions.  Seeing as my cotton wasn't too thick, and there was only one horizontal seam to contend with, I went ahead with the invisible zip.  And it all worked out in the end.

The sleeve and skirt hems were hand stitched into place.  I do love my hand stitching!

And that's about it for this dress.

This is my fifth version of the Anna Dress, and I believe this version will be a welcome addition to the collection. 

The sunflower print makes this the perfect easy to wear sundress and the colorway even allows it to be a Fall appropriate choice!

Orange Colored Fabric?!?

While it may not be a part of my preferred color palette, I have very fond memories of the color orange because of a high school friend.  Her favorite sweater was “pumpkin” colored, and simply wearing the color could uplift her mood.

The memory was so positive that I purchased my own pumpkin colored sweater in college as a reminder of her.  And yet, I rarely wear the color these days.

Yellow is another color which I am not often drawn towards.  But I could not resist this print!

The fact that it is printed on a lightweight rayon helped!

But it did take me a while to figure out just what I was going to do with this fabric.  During one of the final heat waves last year, I decided to add another Anna dress to my wardrobe, and this was the fabric that seemed like a perfect choice.

This particular pattern is one that I keep returning to.  I love how easy it is to throw on, and how comfortable it is to wear all day long.  It is certainly not the most technically perfect pattern ever drafted, but I loved the design the first time I saw it, and I still love it, flaws and all. 

I would say that I have probably had my fill of the Anna Dress, but each time I make that statement, another fabric comes along that makes me want to pull out the pattern - so I am not making any promises!

Dress:  Made by me, "Anna" Dress

Shoes:  Colin Stuart

Earrings:  Morning Glory Designs

A Different Sort of Color Palette

Here I am, still playing catch up with this year’s sewing projects.

Every once in a while, I find a rayon challis at JoAnns that suits my fancy - this was one of them.  Of course, it sat in a bag for a very long time before I decided exactly what to do with it.

And what I came up with was that I desperately needed another rayon Anna Dress since I love my blue floral version so very much.

This time around, I used a selvedge to stay the back neck edges that I cut on the bias.

I only interfaced the last one, and it has stretched a bit over time.

I hand picked an invisible zipper at center back, and lined the bodice instead of facing the neck and armhole edges.

Everything went together smoothly, although I did not get a perfect match at every seam where the bodice meets the skirt.  The floral print is quite busy and I don't know that anyone else would notice, but I just knew that it would drive me batty, so I put my seam ripper to work.

The skirt seams are french seamed, except for the center back with the zipper - you didn't think I was going to avoid using Hug Snug on a project, now did you?!

And for a final detail, I added lingerie guards at the shoulders.  The boat neckline sits a bit wide, which I really love, but it limits my bra choices, and this solves that problem.

And that's another Anna for the wardrobe.  I think this is my forth one!

New Vintage Floral

Without a doubt, my cotton voile Anna Dress is one of my favorite frocks, and it certainly gets a lot of wear.  On days when I really don’t feel like getting dressed, that garment is the one that gets pulled out of the closet.  It is incredibly comfortable, and makes me look fairly put together without a bare minimum of effort.

And while I also love my cotton/silk full length version of the design, it just does not compare.

This floral challis seemed like a good choice to finally make myself another version before I wear that cotton one out!

And I have to say that I am pretty pleased with how it turned out.

The only modifications I made were to lengthen the short skirted version by ten inches, lengthen the sleeves by half an inch, and re-draw the back neckline, making sure that the dress would still be bra friendly.

I did end up adding lingerie guards because the neckline is a bit wide - the first day I wore this dress, I noticed that my bra straps were peeking out every once in a while.  Can’t have that!  A bit of ribbon and two snaps took care of that problem.

This is one of those designs that really works in a variety of fabrics.

And if I find another floaty rayon that I really love, I would not be against making another Anna Dress!  A lightweight wool might even take this design right through the colder months . . . 

Dress:  Made by me, “Anna” by By Hand London

Shoes:  Banana Republic

Earrings:  Shadows