Are you ready for the Anna Dress Sewalong?

Yoo hoo we’re baa-ack! We’ve had a wonderful Summer break – between us we’ve covered the UK, US and Europe over the last few weeks, just about recovered from the Notting Hill Carnival and now we’re back and raring to go! We’ve got some ridiculously exciting things to look forward to over the next few months (all to be revealed soon…), but first and foremost – it’s the Anna Dress Sewalong – who’s in??

Hell yeah, I’m in! Tell me more…

The first post will be going up on MONDAY 16th SEPTEMBER, so if you haven’t already, you still have time to get your pattern and supplies. We’ll be publishing two-three posts per week, aiming to have our Anna Dresses finished by mid-October (Hallowe’en themed fabric anyone…?). Seeing as the Anna Dress is a pretty simple and straightforward make, we’re going to be beefing up the sewalong by delving into some more advanced techniques such as sewing with silks and sheer fabrics, French seams, full linings and even some tips n tricks from those of you who have already made the Anna – and if you have any you’d like to share, please get in touch with us on Facebook or Twitter so we can be sure to include your tips in the sewalong!

How do I get involved?

Really all you need to do to get involved is just sewalong with us! Obviously, we love nothing more than seeing your By Hand London creations, so if you’d like to share your progress with us and the rest of the world – sharing is caring after all – please feel free to post on your blogs, show some love on our Facebook page, tweet us or Instagram @byhandlondon using the hashtags #byhandlondon, #annasewalong and/or #annadress, join our Pinterest community board or upload your pictures to our Flickr pool.

How will the posts be broken down?

#1 – Choosing the right fabrics and notions for your Anna Dress
#2 – Tracing the pattern; full bust adjustments (FBA); cutting and marking your fabric
#3 – Assembling the bodice; talking about French seams
#4 – Neckline facings, plus a guest tutorial!
#5 – Assembling the skirt; perfecting the thigh high split
#6 – Joining the skirt to the bodice; full linings
#7 – Zippers, hems and finishing touches
#8 – Round-up party!

*If there is anything we haven’t covered here that you would like us to include, please let us know as soon as possible!*

I’m getting excited. What do I need?

The Anna Dress pattern.
Fabric. Please check the fabric requirements on the back of your pattern folder or on our product page for advice on how much fabric to buy. Please bear in mind that if you are using a fabric with a directional print or significant nap (like velvet), you will need a lot more fabric in order to cut the skirt panels all facing the same direction… We’ve recommended lightweight woven fabrics with a nice drape such as: rayon, silk crepe de Chine, silk twill, silk charmeuse, chiffon, wool crepe etc. However, stable fabrics will work too, such as: quilting cotton, lawn, batiste, shirting, voile, Broderie Anglaise, silk habotai etc. Please make sure you pre-wash your fabric before cutting! Nothing worse than spending all that time making something beautiful only for it to shrink in the wash… Been there, folks. Never again.
A couple of spools of matching thread – it’s always a good idea to get this when you get your fabric (or bring a swatch of your fabric with you) to get a good colour match. You may need two colours if you choose to fully line your dress and the shell and lining fabrics differ in colour.
A 22 inch invisible zipper.
Various dressmaking supplies: a sewing machine, fabric scissors/rotary cutter, paper scissors, tracing paper, pens & pencils, pins, a hand sewing needle, a tape measure, tailor’s chalk, an iron.

We can’t wait guys, and judging by the flurry of unspeakably beautiful Anna’s already out there, we have a sneaking suspicion that this just might be our best sewalong yet! Please help us to spread the love and encourage one and all to get involved by grabbing the official Anna Dress Sewalong badge – simply save the image below to your computer and attach the following link to the image in your blog layout. Clicking on it will swiftly take you to all posts in the sewalong.