When I received this gorgeous Lady McElroy Marlie Cotton Lawn Fabric, I immediately started brainstorming on a pattern that would make it shine. We can all agree that once we get so ‘precious’ with a particular fabric, the harder it gets on choosing a pattern for it. I soon realised that there was never going to be the perfect pattern unless I chose one I already own but never sewed up with. It is then that I decided on the By Hand London Hannah dress and I am glad I did.

Lady McElroy Marlie Cotton Lawn Fabric Orange

This is a gorgeous, lightweight woven fabric with a vintage touch. It offers some light drape which was perfect for the smooth gathers on the dress. It also took on heat pretty well and washed well too. I really enjoyed sewing up with it.

The Hannah dress is recommended for Light to medium weight fabrics such as cottons, linens and viscose. I chose to use this cotton lawn fabric for this dress because it would eliminate bulky gathers which are possible with a heavier weight fabric.

By Hand London Hannah Dress

The BHL Hannah dress is the easy-breezy wrap dress that can be worn both as a casual or a glamorous dress. This is an easy to make dress since it requires neither zippers nor buttons. It features a scoop wrap neckline, a gently gathered skirt and in-seam pockets. This pattern comes with 3 sleeve options: long bishop sleeves, short sleeves and tulip short sleeves.

This Pattern is a multi-sized pattern drafted for UK sizes 6 -34 or US sizes 2-30. These sizes come in 2 cups sizes: B cup and D cup. The B Cup comes in sizes UK 6-24 / US 2-20 while D Cup in UK 16-34 / US 12-30. It is drafted to accommodate a wide size range.

The Making

I Sewed up the tulip short sleeve variation in UK size 8 which fitted really well. I first sewed up a muslin of the bodice pieces to check the fit and I realised that I needed to make a swayback adjustment. This is a common adjustment I often make when the back bodice piece lands past my natural waistline.

Apart from the swayback adjustment, I shortened the dress by 5 inches because I wanted it to land at my knees. The Hannah dress is meant to be a midi dress and for a change, I went a knee-length one which I was happy with.

I would recommend this pattern to a confident beginner because no complicated skills are required to construct it. It does not require lining the dress nor sewing zippers and buttonholes.

Conclusion

I am happy with the final make and I would love to try this dress with other sleeve options. I really love how beautifully this Lady McElroy cotton lawn fabric paired up with the Hannah dress. I am so sure I will be making more Hannah dresses. Thank you for stopping by. For more of my sewing makes, find me on my blog at www.itisjosie.com and over on my Youtube channel at www.youtube.com/ItisJosie.

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