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Wednesday 15 April 2020

Silk Organza Wrap Top - By Hand London - Hannah Pattern

Julia Bobbin - Hannah Dress in Silk Organza - By Hand London

You know how spicy food is addictive, and the more you eat it the hotter you need it?
Well yeah, that's what's happening with me and big sleeves at the moment.
And I'm not sorry.

The Pattern
It's the Hannah Dress from By Hand London converted into a top!

It's a wrap dress with no notions or lining (a quick sew!) and has three different sleeve options, short, bishop and tulip. I fell in love with the volume of the bishop sleeves and I knew they'd look fabulous in the silk organza.

The dress comes with a gathered skirt, or gathered peplum for a top, but I chose to add a waistband instead - see 'The Details + Changes' below.

Skirt
Also pictured is my self-drafted Balmain inspired skirt, made in a Japanese cotton and fully lined, and you can read more about it here

Julia Bobbin - Hannah Dress in Silk Organza - By Hand London
Julia Bobbin - Hannah Dress in Silk Organza - By Hand London

The Fabric
For this blouse I used the most beautiful warm chocolate brown silk organza from The Cloth Shop Ivanhoe.
As soon as I saw this fabric I knew I had to make some sort of fabulous blouse with it, and when I spied the Hannah pattern, I knew it had met its match!

Swipe above to see the french seams up close!

The Details + Changes

To achieve the look I was after, I used the bodice of this pattern and added a WAISTBAND.

The top is a WRAP AROUND and I love how it is done up with internal and external ties, so no need for buttonholes or slits.

The ARMSCYE are quite narrow which really appeals to me and my smaller shoulders and arms; I always know I'm going to get a really nice fitted look with BHL patterns. If you need extra room for your arms or shoulders however, you might want to do a toile first before you dive in.


Because this top isn't lined, I FRENCHED ALL the seams, including the armholes (swipe above instagram post to see a close up).

The wrap, SCOOP NECK is flattering and easy to fit, as it can be adjusted as you wear it, which makes this a quick and straight forward make with instant gratification! Most of my sewing projects these days involve slow, hand sewing so this was a real fun and quick project to do.

Instead of ties at the wrists I added elastic for a simple, clean finish.

Julia Bobbin - Hannah Dress in Silk Organza - By Hand London

Final Thoughts
I really love sewing with organza. The body and stiffness, mixed with it's transparency and sheen is such a gorgeous high end mix and will forever be one of my favourite fabrics to choose when I want to make something a little bit 'extra'.

This 'Hannah' is a wonderful, enjoyable pattern, that is both comfortable and glamorous. I'd love to try this pattern again as a dress in a soft, billowy linen and I definitely recommend it if you're thinking about giving it a go!

Julia Bobbin - Hannah Dress in Silk Organza - By Hand London
Julia Bobbin - Hannah Dress in Silk Organza - By Hand London

1 comment:

  1. Gorgeous! (The blouse & you 😉!) Thanks for your details which I always appreciate. Can't wait to see the dress. I'm interested in the skirt fullness in particular. Keep on bloggin, I love DETAILS!

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