BHL Sabrina in animal print

bhl sabrina dress in leafy arch

I felt the need to sew a failsafe dress. No fancy features, no pattern matching and preferably no lining. One that I’d made before that fits just right and whips up quick. So here she is: The By Hand London Sabrina mark 2 in animal print.

I’m working on a couple of complicated projects at the moment, re Mr O’s #Blazerof2016 and my dress contribution for McCalls Big Vintage Sewalong and I don’t know about you, but whenever I’ve got a lot on, instead of getting on with it, I need a pleasant distraction just to up reduce the stress factor. A little bit of selfish sewing goes a long way in my book!

by hand london sabrina dress

I pattern-tested By Hand London’s Sabrina dress way back in October 2014 and I can honestly say it’s had more wear than any dress I’ve ever owned. To the point that I’m now a bit embarrassed that everyone in the office must think it’s the only dress I own! The fit was pretty good on the first one and all I really needed to do was remove some of the excess fabric from the back.

bhl sabrina back view

So I just needed to pinch out a horizontal dart on the pdf print out I’d kept and well, Bob should have been my lobster… but!

The finished dress came up huge and I just couldn’t fathom why. For sure my choice of fabric had more drape and less structure than the tartan. It’s a cotton/wool blend that I got at a bargain price from Classic Textiles in the Goldhawk Road. It has a little give but no stretch as such. I could only assume that it moved when I pinned it and perhaps I should have used weights. But following a really thinky night’s sleep it dawned on me. And I was horrified to find that I’d paid no heed to the version 1 and 2 lines marked on the front pattern piece. Version two is cut wider for a front fastening and I’m pretty sure I’d placed that pattern line on the fold instead. OMG no wonder I had to take the side seams in an extra inch each side AND pinch an extra quarter inch from the princess seams. It fits now, kinda. But I wish I’d have got it right first time and saved myself the bother of make-shift fitting, doh!

bhl sabrina dress

If I had cut it correctly from the off, it really would have sewn up in less than 3 hours. Not including a hand-sewn hem though. That takes a little time but I much prefer the finish to that of a machined hem, don’t you?

bhl sabrina hemline

This style of dress is so perfect for donning in the morning. No finding a top to match the skirt. Black tights, fancy shoes and perhaps a cardi if its chilly. A simple shift with a draping skirt that falls off the hips. Room to accommodate a cheeky plate of chips and a pint at lunchtime and worn with cardi for when the hot-blooded colleagues take control of the air con.

bhl sabrina dress

Mr O (aka Daniel Selway) took these photos for me, of course. Now that the children are getting older we are just beginning to enjoy a couple of spontaneous hours here and there, zooming off for pints shoots and today’s wander took us to Richmond Hill. I lived there some years ago but quite forgot how breathtaking the views were. And despite the chill factor, the rain held off and it was lovely to wander about the gardens and blossom trees. Actually it was more like an ungainly stagger in those heels If I’m completely honest!

sabrina dress under the blossom tree

That path was a lot steeper and muddier than it looks and Mr O believes I should suffer for my art. Short of a pigeon-toed pose, I’m trying to emulate a snow-plough ski stance here, in order to not fall flat on my face!

bhl sabrina in the blossom

A little stroll around the more wooded areas drummed up a bit of attention from the local wildlife too. This cheeky little robin insisted on following us around. I’d have loved for him to have created an extra splash of red on my shoulder!

robin redbreast in Richmond

Mr Jackdaw was very keen to join us for a cup of tea but I was thankful for him keeping a polite distance.

jackdaw in Richmond

And this wide-eyed and bushy tailed little fella was definitely keen to get in on the action. He looks much more relaxed on his log than I do on mine!

squirrel in Richmond

So that’s my little weekend fix. I managed a whole two days without working; sewed a new dress; got some running in and managed a cheeky afternoon out with Mr O. How was yours?

13 Replies to “BHL Sabrina in animal print”

  1. Certainly a nice dress. The wildlife shots are fantastic. I love saying hi to a few creatures when I go out for walks. A few weeks ago I saw a raccoon walking along on a power line, but was unable to get a good photo.

  2. This pattern seems to have slipped through my net, I’m very taken with it indeed! You look absolutely gorgeous and I love all the red accessories! xx

  3. The print, colouring and shape of the dress are so perfect for you. And it looks fantastic with the shoes! Kx

  4. yes, lovely drape on the skirt ;o) Fabulous styling and a such a nice set of pics, it seems like ages since I’ve been able to photograph anything I’ve sewn!

  5. Loving the dress and accessories! The photos bring back very fond memories of one of our recent trips back to the UK – wandering around Richmond with you and Mr O (squeezing in a few pints that day too as I recall!) Beautiful photos as per usual. xxx

  6. What a great dress, I love the animal print fabric. Pants to the cutting out, but I suppose it was better to be too big that too small!

  7. Despite your issues getting these photos they are fantastic so worth the effort on my opinion. I love the back and white dress with the red shoes. You look lovely in it.

  8. Oh man, I’m sorry that it ended up being much more involved than you planned. However it was really REALLY worth it, in my opinion! I love how you’ve styled it with the amazing pops of red. I’m also a fan of a beautifully finished hem, and yours is gorgeous. I’d be wearing this dress all the time and may have to shamelessly imitate you as I have a very similar print in a cotton sateen that may have now found its pattern match!

  9. That is a great no-fuss, stylish dress 🙂
    I also have a thing for hand-hemming, it just looks flawless (mostly:)
    Can’t believe how green it is already, where you are! Love the wildlife shots too.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.