Made by Me: Sailboat Anna

First of all, what do you think of my new look? I hope you love it as much as I do. It's the work of Trina from Pish and Posh Designs, and I think she's done a wonderful job.
I must have been a really annoying client, because although I had a kind of image in my head as to what I wanted the blog to look like, I found it really hard to actually put that fleeting image into words. Luckily Trina was really patient, and didn't mind me saying I wanted a simple design, then deciding it was TOO simple!
You'll notice you can now follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest by clicking my pretty new social media buttons too. Or you can send me an email if you prefer!
As well as my new blog look, I have a new dress to share with you as well. Surprise, surprise, it's another By Hand London Anna. I think this is now my 4th, and I think there might be another maxi version before summer is out.

I'm sorry about the whiteness of my legs! Goodness, they need some sun on them!
Anyway, on to the dress. As I mentioned, this is my 4th Anna, so I didn't really need to refer to the pattern directions at all. The only change I made was to cut the skirt front in one piece and the back in 2 pieces, rather than the panels the pattern calls for. I did this so I didn't interrupt the print too much, and basically just laid the pattern pieces out on the fabric with the seam allowances overlapping, treating them as one pattern piece.

Speaking of the fabric, isn't it gorgeous? It's a cotton/linen blend that I bought on a whim from my local fabric store Fabric HQ. Sadly, I think they've now sold out of it. It's quite a departure for me - although I love patterned fabric, I rarely go for what I would call novelty prints. I know this isn't as "novelty" as some, but it is for me!
I debuted the dress last Friday evening when I had dinner with Maria, Winnie and Karen the night before the Minerva Crafts event. It was also worn to work today and admired by a couple of my colleagues who know that I sew.

Have a lovely weekend everyone, and tune in early next week to see my Minerva posh frock revealed.