FO: By Hand London Georgia

I frequently browse the interwebs for new patterns to sew, and though I haven’t been sewing for long, I like to challenge myself. It’s how I learn best, I guess. So when I stumbled across By Hand London‘s patterns, I fell in love. I knew it would be a bit challenging, but felt confident that I could do it. I tried to order a hard copy, thinking it wouldn’t arrive until after finals were over, but somehow ended up with a PDF. So of course I couldn’t resist heading straight to the fabric store and sewing this baby up. This coincided with the end of the semester and finals, but it didn’t impede with my studying (too much)…

basic stitch | By Hand London Georgia Dress

Materials:

Georgia by By Hand London, variation 1
2 yards of Floral Khaki Mint and Fuchsia Stretch Satin Suiting Cotton Fabric
1 invisible zipper

I measured at sizes 4, 6, and 8 at my bust, waist, and hips, respectively. So I sewed up a muslin of the bust to make sure I made the right size and decided a 4 was good. Then made a gradient between sizes as described by BHL in their sewalong. Then it was just cutting fabric and putting everything together.

I was going to use a lining fabric I bought until I realized that it would not stretch the same way my shell fabric does. I decided to instead line with the same fabric (perks of buying more fabric than needed). This worked out well for me, because somewhere along the line, I managed to mix up right and left sides on my skirt. Instead of ripping out seams, I just flipped the bodice to the other side and put the zipper on the right side. Then I somehow failed to instal it all the way up. So the bodice is just sewn shut and the zip starts at the top of the skirt. I shortened this dress to approximately the length of the shorter variation of the pattern.

I’ve worn this dress a few times “out on the town” and I love it! I absolutely adore the fitted bodice (no bra is the best bra!) and the way it hugs my curves. It was absolutely worth the extra time tailoring this to my body.