Happy Little Trees Anna

Did I say that I rarely blog sewing repeats?  Ummmm yeah, seems I need to work on a little self examination about my sewing habits. But I can't think of any way to make that funny so let's talk about my third repeat instead, the By Hand London Anna dress. Cue photo where I'm doing something weird with my hands. Kind of amusing though.

The Tiki Goddess maxi version of this pattern is still on my top list of favorites for the summer.  Can't beat a dress that makes you feel gorgeous and allows the wearing of awesome shoes. The only downside to that dress is that I'm a clumsy bumbling fool that is endlessly shutting the skirt into door frames. My son has also witnessed some physical comedy involving maxi skirts and stairs. Is there a "Living with Maxi dresses" class that no one has told me about, or all of you magically coordinated? Coordination was left out of my genetic package, being replaced with "poses to toy frogs for comedy." Only the magical power of the Tiki Goddess has kept the skirt intact up to this point. Bless you Tiki Goddess, I'll pour out a frozen drink in your name.

Not wanting to put the maxi dress in peril so often, it seemed wise to whip up the tea length version of the pattern. Then I could still wear an Anna dress on days where I'd already ricocheted into several door frames. Damn, when did that wall move? You saw it jump at me didn't you Desmond? Child just gives me a look that says, "Mom you might have some issues."

Annnnnyway back to the whole sewing of dresses thing.  I knew what fabric to use for this project because it jumped into my head during one of my sleepless nights spent plotting the sewing queue. The vintage tree print cotton!  This fabric had a stiff hand so it seemed a good choice for a non drapy pattern like Anna.  The print is also delightful and I'd been itching to sew it up.  Something about those petite trees made me think about Bob Ross and painting his "happy little trees" and left me with happy feels

*Quick pause for back story - Growing up my paternal grandparents lived next door to us and were the default sick kid minders. A sick day at grandmas usually involved laying on the couch watching things like "My favorite Martian" and "The Joy of Painting" while grandma made you no less then 5 lunch options. Since I've always been an introverted child who loves eating and old TV, sick days pretty much rocked.*

One could argue that since the trees are blue and gray that they are depressed little trees. I choose to believe that they are just happy little trees that also enjoy my color scheme. High five trees, blue and gray together is one of life's perfect pairings. Let's make a dress together.

Not too much to talk about construction wise.  I'd worked out all my fit issues in the maxi version and didn't notice any new problems. The white background on this fabric was surprisingly opaque, so I didn't even have to mess around with underlining. Hooray! This time I was smarter about the skirt and only took the pieces off the labeled patterns right before serging and then sewing each panel. There were still a few moments of, "Is this the right edge?"  Those almost identical skirt panels will always make you question your sewing aptitude.

It's interesting how the shorter version of the dress has more of an Audrey Hepburn-ish feel to it, rather than the va-voom vibe of the maxi. In the tea length dress I'm just chilling waiting for Gregory Peck to arrive and take me on a tour of all the sites. He's going to tease me by putting his hand down a statue's mouth and screaming, that rascal.  Where as in the maxi version I am all goddessy like and ready to dispense festive cocktail umbrellas to all. I like both versions because some days a girl doesn't have the head space for always thinking about where her maxi skirt is. Ahhh I'm stuck in a door again! Find help! Confiscate their cell phones first. I don't want any pictures.

Last photo is for my husband who liked my legs in the sitting down poses. Ooohhh knees!

Bow Before the Tiki Goddess

*So I was at the grocery store the other week and the strangest thing happened.  I stumbled, fell into an end cap of expired strawberry daiquiri mix and bashed my head.  While unconscious the sweetened liquid seeped into my pores and mutated my genes.  Upon waking I found that I had the power to make decorative leis out of any craft supplies, knew how to mix any frozen drink and could play the ukulele despite never touching the instrument before.  I had been reborn as "The Tiki Goddess!!!" - rights pending.

Much like Michelle Pieffer in "Batman Returns," I was compelled to sew my own alter-ego outfit. But being in a much less mentally disturbed state, I decided to pass on a faux leather catsuit.  Let's face it, faux leather chaffs in the tropics. Instead the BHL Anna pattern was unearthed and paired with the tropical red and white print previously mentioned in the ridiculous dress sewing list post. Sure this fabric supposed to be for Butterick 6019, but no one tells the Tiki Goddess what to do.  Unless they are itching for a frozen drink thrown in their face.  Do not cross the Tiki Goddess my friends, she might be smuggling tiki torches under her skirts

Sewing this was pretty straight forward since I'd already fit the bodice for my Anna/Emery mash-up.  Basically all I had to do was cut the skirt down to non-amazonian height.  After all the Tiki Goddess is devoted to sandals since she has to attend a lot of beach parties. Spike heels and sand do not mix.

Pattern
By Hand London Anna.  I used the slash neck bodice and maxi skirt length with the slit.

Fabrics used
Vintage light weight cotton snagged on Etsy last year. Not that vintage since the fabric width was 56" wide, but who could resist such a great print.   The white palm leaf areas were semi-transparent, so the entire dress was underlined with some siri lining.

Pattern changes/alterations
1. I traced a straight size 10 and needed a little bit more ease in the waist area. About 1" extra ease split between the skirt panels.
2. Did a 1/2" hollow check adjustment on the bodice front.
3. Standard 1/2" forward shoulder adjustment.
4. Lengthened the bodice 3/4".
5. Lowered thigh slit 2".
6. Took  6" of length off the skirt.  Of course then I like the length of the skirt unhemmed.  Anyone else have this problem all the time? Because of that I did a very narrow rolled hem instead of my regular 1- 1 1/2" skirt hem.

Confessions/Advice
1. While making the Anna bodice the first time, I didn't read the directions at all and wondered why the armhole area was such a pain in the ass to hem.  This time I actually consulted the booklet and found you were supposed to hem the sleeves before sewing the side seams.  This does work a whole lot better...durrrrr.

2. Man is is easy to confuse what skirt panel is what, especially when you're a dum dum who seems to miss cutting half the notches. If I make the skirt again paper labels for each panel will be in order.

Husband Comment
"It's long and pretty."   He must like this one better than most.

My Final Thoughts
I didn't jump on the Anna bandwagon last summer, sticking to my staunch party line of "maxi dresses aren't my thing." But now I get it. They're pretty awesome, especially in Hawaiian-esque prints.  Froggie book me a flight to the islands, there are tiki parties that need my blessing. Make sure my minions meet me at the gate with a cart full of Mai-Tais. The Tiki Goddess demands libations!

* I contend that my made up origin story is no less ridiculous than some presented in comic books or movies. Thrown from a window and revived by cats? Please.

Now You'll Sleeeeeep.....then I'll steal your shoes

Hello all. I hope you have your shoe closets locked up tight, cause I'm about to knock you out with one heck of a dress. That's right, I was not speaking in hyperbole during the last #sewdollyclackett post about hemming a poppy dress. The "Painterly Poppy Dress" is real, and it's amazing. (I'm really getting into this whole dress naming thing. Long live Dolly Clackette!)

Are you feeling woozy yet? No?  Darn!  Frog say in a ready position with the shoe boxes, I have to soften them up with a few more photographs. I know, let's pander to the pocket lovers. Back side of pocket bag matches skirt, front pocket doesn't. Ooo La, la.

This is my #sewdollyclackett dress number two, a pattern mash up of the By Hand London Anna bodice with the Christine Haynes Emery skirt.  OMG, don't these two patterns looks fabulous together. I just want to squee all over myself and make a couple more. The credit for this idea goes to Jennifer Lauren and her amazing Christmas Dress.  Upon seeing it I drooled all over the keyboard and then plotted to make one of my own.

That must have made Ann, over at Gorgeous Fabrics, spider senses tingle.  She went and posted the perfect fabric for this type of dress, a giant floral boarder print. The print starts out as kind of like a multi-colored polka dot that gradually morphs into poppies and foliage. YES, YES, YES, take my money!

If you can believe it, this was my very first border print purchase. The plan was to make the Anna/Emery combo and put the largest flowers on both the hem and top of the bodice. However my Christmas cookie addled brain neglected to realize that I'd need extra yardage to do this. It just though, "Hey 2 yards of 60" fabric is plenty for a sleeveless dress."  Yeah dumb dumb, if it's an all over print.....but you only want to use the one edge!  Past Heather, buy another yard!!!  Past Heather never listens. She probably couldn't hear me with her head buried in a cookie tin anyway. It was time for Present day Heather to put on the thinking cap and came up with a solution.

After playing around with the pattern pieces, I could see that after cutting the skirt some of the large floral area would still be left. I could also cut the bodice upside down on the print, to get some of the smaller flowers in the shoulder area. Then a few large flowers could be cut out and appliqued to the bodice.  This crazy plan might just might work!

I cut the skirt and bodice pieces as planed and then used the lighter print area for all the pieces that wouldn't show.  Except for the one side of the pocket bag, they needed to blend nicely in with the skirt. See my brain was working on that day.

After completing the rest of the dress I turned my attention to harvesting some of those large flowers. To keep the edges from fraying, I block fused the fabric before cutting. Then for added insurance I put fray check on the backside edges.

When it came time to attach the flowers on inspiration struck.  I had some left over beads in my craft supplies, why not use those to hide the hand stitching?  Get out the needles, cause we've got some beading to do. Who am I doing all this hand work? Frog hand me some chocolate, I think these poppies must be making me a little high.

Tadaaaa, a pop of red color on top, balancing the bottom. Perfect!

After completing this dress I knew it needed some very special shoes......and none of my red shoes matched the orange red poppies. Oops, I once again bought a fabric that is not in my color scheme. At least the background isn't ivory this time.  Then Frog told me I was thinking about this all wrong.  A dress that necessitates a shoe purchase should be a plus. Thanks Froggie, you'll always be my number 1 enabler.

So we asked ourselves WWDCD - What would Dolly Clackett Do? Purchase Miss L Fire heels with the grapes on the toes?  Yes, yes, she would.

Oh sweet, I think those shoes finally made all of you pass out.  Frog, plan "Rudy Slipper" is a go! Start filling the shoe boxes.  Muhaa haaa! You didn't know I was the wicked witch did you? My color correcting and my new nose totally had you fooled.  "I'll get you my pretties and all your little shoes too." Then I'll instagram my new ensembles, I'm not a monster after all.