An Anna maxi dress for Christmas Day
Well now, I’ve made an Anna with a contrast bodice, an Anna with a gathered skirt, an Anna with a half-circle skirt, and an Anna with a RTW skirt attached, so I pretty much had to make a maxi length Anna to complete the set, didn’t I?!
By Hand London Anna Maxi Dress
I got this fabric from Goldhawk Road in the summer. I didn’t really look too closely at the print, I just liked the overall effect and the colour scheme. Once I’d prewashed it, I started wondering what these leaves actually were – they reminded me of cannabis! A quick Twitter poll revealed, thanks to Vicki Kate, that maybe the leaves are Japanese Maple leaves – they are the right colour and the right shape! Once I was satisfied that I wouldn’t be making a maxi dress with pictures of drugs all over it, I cut out my Anna maxi.
Believe it or not (it’s hard to tell), but this print is actually a one-way print. By Hand London do warn you that if you are making the Anna dress with fabric which has a nap or one-way design, you will need ‘significantly more’ than the fabric requirements stated on the back of the pattern envelope. I did manage to squeeze this dress out of 3.5m of fabric, but it was 1.5m wide and I had to get very creative with my fabric layout in order to make it work. Like many other sewists who have made the Anna maxi, I also chopped off quite a bit of length, as although I am quite tall, I am not Amazonian!
I wasn’t planning on this being my Christmas Day dress, but I tried it on and immediately my husband declared, quite emphatically, that he liked it, which struck me as unusual. He said of all the things I’ve made recently, this is his favourite. And I really like it too. I do love a good maxi dress – somehow they always seem so much more comfortable! I thought it was a flattering fit, and it felt glamorous without being too dressy – perfect for Christmas Day!
Oh and in case you were wondering: I didn’t bother with the thigh-high split. That look is not for me, it’s impractical. Part of what I love about maxis is that your legs are covered up!
I can tell this dress is going to get a lot of wear. I already wore it again yesterday when we had friends over and I’m tempted to wear it for New Year instead of my self-drafted dress, just because it’s so comfy and flattering and easy to wear! LOVE IT! YAY!
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This is just gorgeous!! Such an amazing pattern and I love it on you
Thank you. I love it too. I never want to take it off!
Maybe you need a knit nightgown version!
Hahaha don’t tempt me! Such a great pattern – so quick and easy to sew and looks lovely. It’s the perfect pattern!
Wow, stunning! And it perfectly compliments you hair too 😊
Thank you. Funny you should mention the hair: a friend said exactly the same thing yesterday!
Wow, this is so beautiful! You look amazing! It’s really, really nice– great job!
Thank you. It does feel great on 🙂
Love it, fab fabric and style. Well done you 🙂
Thanks. There will definitely be more Anna maxis in my future!
Totally gorgeous – what a lovely dress. It suits you perfectly . I am finding your makes quite inspiring after having had a break from sewing for about fifteen years due to career and young children. Thank you
Wow thank you so much. I hope you can get back into it and start enjoying it again!
Such a lovely dress – the print is so pretty too.
Thanks. I like it too, especially now I know what type of leaf it is!
The colors of that fabric look amazing on you with that hair color and your skin tone! I love the whole look… What a winner of a dress!
Thanks Laurie. I like the colour scheme too.
Gorgeous fabric + pattern = amazing dress!
Thank you!
Obviously a popular one! Yes, it really suits you, the style and the fabric colours. You inspire me also to take up dress making again but with so many UFO quilts on the go, maybe I’d better catch up with those first. HAPPY NEW YEAR to you and your lovely family.
Happy New Year to you too! Why not take up dressmaking again? It might be fun!
Lovely dress! It suits you very well. I actually had to laugh when reading about your botanical excursion on the web 🙂 But it really is good to know that your are not “covered” in drugs, hihi. By the way, what kind of shoes are you going to wear with the dress? Its a bit cold for sandals (at least for me 🙂 ), isn’t it? Have a Happy New Year!
You’re right, but on Christmas Day and also when we had friends over for dinner, I didn’t need to leave the house, so I didn’t need to worry about shoes!
This is gorgeous!! The style and colours really suit you, and I absolutely love the fabric.
Thank you Lynne 🙂
Gorgeous! That print is great for a maxi length
Thanks. It does work well as a maxi and it suits all seasons too.