Jenna Dress - By Hand London

Wait, what is this??!! Julia Bobbin back in a vintage inspired dress? WHO'S THIS?!!!

I recently had the pleasure and honour of pattern testing a new dress for By Hand London and I'm so excited to finally share it with you in all it's emerald glory

The Pattern

'The Jenna Dress' from By Hand London, now available from their website!

This dress is an empire line dress with a bias cut skirt in two lengths. It features two different necklines; a low square neck or a jewel neck with optional peter-pan collar and also comes with two sleeve options: short sleeves or the prettiest little tie cuffs.

I chose Variation 1 with the square neck and tie cuffs, but all versions are interchangeable with each other.

The Fabric

Because of the bias cut of the skirt, this pattern works great with draped fabrics such as soft silks, lightweight cottons and rayon. However I decided to go rogue and use a structured silk organza because I am all about that transparent life and I thought it could look really striking in an unexpected textile.

I used the most stunning emerald silk organza from The Cloth Shop Ivanhoe and I just love how the different layers of organza create the most beautiful variations in colour.

Because of the transparency of this dress, I wore it with a purchased slip dress underneath.

The Details

This dress takes me back to one of my favourite eras for fashion, the 60's.

Generally I tend to avoid empire cut dresses. They typically tend to hide my waistline and with my hour glass figure, hiding the smallest part of my body can sometimes make me look like a block.
However with this skirt being bias cut, it still shapes the waistline and flatters the figure, and would be even more exaggerated in a drapey fabric.

I love the tie details on the sleeves. It's such a pretty and delicate detail to add that elevates the dress from a pretty one to a gorgeous one.

The dress closes with an invisible zipper down the centre back and has a lined bodice which I lined with the same organza fabric.

Where possible, I finished the seams with french seams and overlocked the sleeve seams.

Final Thoughts

This is such a beautifully put together pattern with exceptional attention to detail in the instructions. This pattern is versatile and easily adaptable and I'm already imagining version 2 in a silk velvet!

The team at By Hand London have put a lot of love into this pattern and it shows.

The Evie Bias Skirt - Tessuti Patterns

Hi friends, you know that mythical skirt pattern? That one that goes with everything, looks fantastic AND is easy to make?

Well you guys, you can stop looking because I FOUND IT.

The Pattern

It's the Evie Bias Skirt in View B by Tessuti Patterns.
It's a classic shape, cut on the bias and comes with two waistband finishes.

View A is finished with a bound waistline and side zipper opening, and View B is a pull-on version with a scalloped elasticised waist.

The Fabric

This stunning fabric is the most perfect silk satin with a 22mm weight from Tessuti Fabrics.
Honestly it's one of the most beautiful fabrics I've ever touched. It's soft, it's got the most beautiful drape, and it moves like running water.

You can see it in action below:

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🤔 THESE DAYS, if you make a new garment and you don’t do the #handmadehustle , do you even instagram? #profound . IN ANY CASE I just finished making up the #EvieBiasSkirt in a heavenly silk satin; both pattern and fabric from @tessutifabrics and let me tell you, it is TRUE LOVE 😍😍😍 . 👉 SWIPE To see this fabric in action. 💃🏻 It is so divine it looks like some sort of mixture of running water and melted gold. . 🎧 SONG is ‘Saw Her Standing There’ by The Beatles. I know every lyric but I employed IMMENSE self control so that you didn’t have to see my dancing/singing face. No one is ready for that #youarewelcome . FACT - my dad and I recently lit up the dance floor with this tune at my sisters wedding and it may or may not be immortalised on film. No one is safe. . . . #silk #silkskirt #biascut #fashion #silkslip #sew #sewing #sewersofinstagram #tessutipatterns #tessutifabrics #thebeatles #johnlennon #thehandmadehustle

A post shared by Julia Bobbin (@juliabobbin) on Feb 22, 2019 at 8:21pm PST

The Details

This skirt is cut on the bias for a loose but form flattering shape.

I chose View B for the waistband, which finishes the waistband with a scalloped edge elastic. This makes the skirt quick and easy to make as there are no zippers or buttons and can be all done in one sitting.

I french seamed the side seams for a polished finish, and hemmed the skirt with a delicate narrow hem.

I cut a size 12 but ended up taking in the side seams by about 4cm and, pinched out about 10cm from the just above the widest part of my hip up to the waistline.
The great thing about a bias cut though, is even if you cut it in a bigger size, the cut will still drape to your shape so it will never look boxy.

Worn With

I've paired my skirt with my me-made leather jacket, BurdaStyle #108B which you can read about here

This jacket happens to be lined with a stunning silk twill that I also bought from Tessuti about 9 years ago, so it seems fitting that I should wear it with this skirt.

Final Thoughts

This cut and this colour make for such a great 'sew-frosting-but-still-a-basic' staple in my wardrobe. The green acts as a neutral and goes so well with most colours and styles.
It can be dressed up with heals and a blouse, or kept casual with sneakers and a tee. I love how versatile it is, but how it elevates every look.

I'm definitely not over this pattern and I plan to make it again in all the colours.