Tbh, I wasn't super impressed by the Anna dress. I've seen so many versions of it everywhere and EVERYONE was saying how super flattering it is and it looks good on everyone. Maybe it's one of those dresses that look better irl than in pictures? Because all I see is a very normal slightly flared dress with kimono cap sleeves and a rather uninspiring slash neckline.
I was also quite hesitant to jump in on the Anna as well. The only other BHL pattern I have is the Georgia, and I've had to make so many pattern adjustments that I thought it just wasn't worth it. It was relatively expensive too, even for the pdf.
But then I got tagged ... I thought, ok maybe I will try it out just to see what the hype is all about. And then I got busy with work and forgot all about it. Then came a coupon for a 20% discount - and I can never resist a discount. So within 30 seconds, I have paid, saved and printed out the instructions and bodice (only 4 pieces!).
Fabric choice was again another problem. The suggestions called for something soft and drapey, and I have a pile of rayons that I needed to use up. So of course, I didn't use any of my existing stash and had to go and buy some other fabric for this. I ended up an incredibly soft nautical print navy double gauze, which thought would go well with the slightly retro shape of the Anna.
I've tried pairing it up with a skinny red belt and red polka-dot platform sandals just to complete to retro party look. All I need are anchor-shaped earrings! No such thing as overdoing it.
This is the wide V-neck version, which I thought would be a nice change from my usual high / slash necklines. The key characteristic of the Anna is a couple of double pleats to shape the "boob shelf", which unfortunately isn't very clear in this picture.
In natural daylight.
The original pattern called for a panelled skirt, but I had seen a version somewhere with a gathered skirt and waistband and preferred that. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough fabric for a fuller skirt so the skirt portion looks almost straight. I guess I would have needed at least 3m of fabric for this (I'd only bought 2 yds, silly me). The overall effect makes me look rather thick in the middle, although this is meant to be a very girly feminine dress that nips in at the waist. I suppose one could either pair it with a very full or a very fitted skirt!
It's not just polka dots! There are little anchors all over my dress too.
The bodice is finished with facings around the neckline, while the sleeves have baby double-folded 1/4" hems. Not a big fan of facings, I might just line the dress in future. The facings tended to flop out all the time despite under-stitching, and I didn't want to topstitch.
The pic above shows my baby hems at the sleeves, but blind slip-stitched by hand. The material I've used is perfect for blind stitches since you can slip the stitches just through one layer, the outer fabric remains intact. If you look closely at the underside of the sleeve, you can see a bit of my not-so-perfect stitches peeking out. But it's the overall external look that counts, right?
An invisible zip closes up at the back. I like how the zipper is encased within the facing to give a neat finish. I've had a phase where I would swear by hand-picked zips, but I'm returning back to invisibles. I still think the finish looks more professional, and it's easier to align the zipper since you only need to press the final product at the end.
My gaff. I had thought I was using double gauze all along, except for this was incredibly soft even before washing. Then toward the end when I was hemming the skirt, I picked the fabric open and realised that there were three layers of gauze. It's not double gauze, it's triple gauze! Is there even such a thing? No wonder it was exceptionally thick and frayed like even more than my usual doubles.
