Tie Dye Elisalex

When I was living in my grandparents house I had a pretty set routine when it came to sewing and blogging. With ready access to a washer and dryer I could wash fabric as soon as I bought it and get straight to work sewing, and easily work on special dye projects. Once I made something new I would just head out to the back porch with my tripod and camera for some blog photos. 

My new apartment has made a change in my routine. I have to wait patiently for our trips to the laundromat in order to prepare my fabric for sewing, it's torture! But on the other hand, I'm finding that having to search for a special spot for photos is rather enjoyable. Yesterday while we were out on an evening run I spotted these hydrangeas and knew they would make the perfect backdrop for my latest Elisalex dress!

I recently purchased the book "Tie Dye: Dye It, Wear It, Share It," by Shabd Simon-Alexander. I've been in awe of her work for quite some time, so I was excited when I found out about her book. This dress is made from an out of use curtain that I tie dyed using a technique from the book that involves folding like a fan, binding with string, and then dyeing. Once the dye process was complete, I reached for my Elisalex Dress Pattern from By Hand London. I love the bodice of this pattern, but yet again my fabric didn't lend itself to the structured skirt so I substituted a simple gathered skirt. This finished dress is exactly what I imagined for the fabric, so I'm one happy camper.

PS: Any of you other lovely sewing bloggers have tips for feeling comfortable taking project photos out in public? I'm still feeling a bit shy!

Watercolor Elisalex Dress

This post is rather overdue! I made this dress long ago and absolutely love wearing it, both during the day while running errands as well as out for date night with a pair of heels. The shape of the bodice is gorgeous the way it sweeps out over the shoulders and dips down in the back! However, as much as I enjoy wearing it, the light colored fabric hasn't enjoyed my attempts at photography until now.

My By Hand London Elisalex Dress has the original bodice from the pattern and a simple gathered skirt since my fabric was too flimsy for the tulip shape. To make the skirt a bit more interesting, I added pleats just above the hem.

Is anyone else excited to get their paws on the new Victoria Blazer Pattern from By Hand London? I'm super into the idea of a sleeveless version and especially love the one they sewed up in plaid!

A sneak peek at my By Hand London Elisalex Dress

I've been busy lately... searching for housing, crossing my fingers that I get the job I was recently interviewed for, and finding a few spare moments to work on some sewing. 

Although I haven't taken any photos with this dress on yet, I thought I would drop by to share this and encourage you all to join the Elisalex Dress Sewalong over on the By Hand London Blog! They are kicking things off today, so head on over and check it out! The pattern was really fun to work with, and I especially love the way that the back scoops down. Unfortunately, my fabric choice was a bit too flimsy for the tulip skirt of the dress, so I changed it up a bit. I'm on the lookout for tulip-worthy fabric now so I can make a second Elisalex Dress following the pattern directly, in all of it's flowery glory!