By Hand London Elisalex Archives - Handmade by Carolyn

Hello!
A little while ago Liz contacted me to generously send her copy of the By Hand London Elisalex pattern to me. Thank you so much Liz! Obviously I leapt at the chance to try out this deservedly popular pattern 🙂
One of the most wonderful things about being part of this online sewing community is how we all openly and honestly share our love of sewing and our sewing experiences. I’ve believe the sewing community to be such a friendly group of generous, upbeat and helpful women: so I really want to spread the love and pay it forward and all that, ~~and~~ ~~in turn~~ ~~offer this pattern up to another… a giveaway!~~ Maybe this is a sorta blogging anniversary giveaway, since I have been blogging for four years as of last Friday, but really all the thanks and credit is due to Liz 🙂
As recommended in the pattern instructions, I traced my size onto white plastic table-clothing, which means that the original pattern is still in immaculate condition. I refolded it carefully back into its factory folds; I’m pretty expert at that, if I say so myself. Years of pattern control-freak practice 😀 Anyway, it is all nicely and perfectly intact. And the pattern packaging is exquisite, truly a thing of great beauty, with two nesting envelopes of high quality blue cardboard bearing elegant drawings of the three variations. Seriously, this is a gorgeous thing! ~~So, if you would like this copy of the very popular Elisalex pattern then please leave a comment saying so. I will randomly pick a recipient this Thursday, 17th October.~~
(Later edit: a commenter has pointed out that my giving away this pattern is morally “iffy” … obviously this is the very last thing I want! so I have decided to withdraw the offer. My sincerest apologies to all, and my thanks for your kind comments and I will rustling up something different for a blogging anniversary giveaway very soon… please stay tuned 🙂 )

I bought this piece of black-and-ivory patchworked silk taffeta from Homecraft Textiles a while back, thinking about those Louis Vuitton shift dresses, and then had second thoughts since the silk is very thin and slightly floaty and so was really too light to work well in a structured shift dress design. Shift dresses need a fabric with a bit of oomph.

Louis Vuitton S/S 2013 RTW, source

I put the idea of a shift dress on ice, but as soon as I saw the big pouffy skirt on the Elisalex the silk leapt to my mind again. The piece was wide but I only had 1.5m so pattern matching was the biggest challenge. Also a lot of the squares were not exactly square but are slightly bigger and smaller here and there, and the corners don’t always match up perfectly. I’m pretty pleased with how I managed to get the dress out of my small piece and got my squares, princess seams, corners and box pleats matching up not too badly. The only area I am disappointed with is the junction between the skirt and bodice at the centre back, where the two ivory squares and two black squares are adjacent with each other and so there is one ivory and one black rectangle instead of squares and the chessboard effect falls into a heap! … but I think I can live with that little quirk. Well, I have to because I wasn’t going to go out and buy more fabric just for that. Although I will admit that I considered it 😉 I have the smallest mere scraps leftover, so I did make very good use of my piece.

My dress is fully lined with cream-coloured polyacetate lining fabric. The pattern does not mention lining the skirt, so I cut the skirt pieces out as narrower versions of the skirt pattern pieces without the extra “pouffe” at the side edges. I also chose to add huge inseam side pockets, because well duh! Sorry to sound like a broken record on the subject, but in my view this design was just screaming out for pockets!! For the pockets I used a lightweight ivory swiss dotted cotton voile.

Details:
Dress: By Hand London Elisalex dress, patchwork silk
Tights; self-drafted, black wool, details here
Shoes; Misano, from Labels boutique

Pattern
Description:

An elegant dress with a princess seamed, fully lined bodice, box pleated tulip skirt and exposed zip at centre back. There are three sleeve variations and the bodice is designed with very little ease to enhance a cinched waist.

Pattern
Sizing:

UK 2-16; US 6-20, Based on my bust and waist measurements I made the size 6/10 and it fits perfectly

Did
it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you had finished
sewing it?

Yes.

Were
the instructions easy to follow?

The instructions are warm, encouraging and friendly and would put the beginner seamstress immediately at ease. There is some idle chit-chat; I’m not criticising, just observing… for example; “Find a quiet room and a big table. A girl’s gotta concentrate, especially when getting ready to cut out” (this particular girl cut out on the living room floor while watching the telly, but then I’ve always been a rebel) … But at the same time some key little sewing steps are missing; tips that I believe are really necessary to get a good finish in your garment and that a beginner wouldn’t “just know”. For example; to fit the bodice curve in the princess seam, you really should ease stitch the side bodice pieces. And under-stitching the seam allowances of the armholes and neckline is always a good idea too.

Step 8; very wordy with no pictures, opening with “this is a little fiddly and unfortunately impossible to clarify with a drawing …” really? Vogue manages to illustrate this step with a drawing in their instructions for this very same technique. Vogue also mentions and illustrates ease stitching and under-stitching in their instructions too. Just saying.

The “what you need” section is a little baffling, commencing somewhat hilariously with “your fabric” and then going on to list such things like pins, zipper foot and tape measure. The actual fabric quantities you need are printed elsewhere; down at the bottom left in an inconspicuous little table.

What
did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

Likes: The whole design is absolutely lovely. The size of the skirt pattern pieces gave me pause at first, but when I had basted them together and tried it on I was enchanted with the gorgeous feminine silhouette it gave. The bodice is a beautiful fit and looks really elegant both front and back views, too.
The pattern itself is beautifully packaged; this is an exceptionally high quality product.

Dislikes: There are NO metric measurements, whatsoever. This is just about inexcusable in a modern pattern.

I was
surprised that the pattern didn’t have pockets considering that the big pouffy skirt could so easily accommodate them. Fortunately it is super easy to put them in yourself.

Considering that the skirt has a tulip silhouette curving in towards the hemline, one would normally measure the desired length of the skirt before cutting out, in order to plan and accordingly cut the side edges so the hem allowance juts out; so that it can be turned under to sit flat against those angled side seams. The pattern piece doesn’t allow for this and it isn’t mentioned in the instructions, so I sure hope a novice seamster wouldn’t think it is their mistake when they end up with a hem allowance too narrow to turn under smooth and flat…

Fabric
Used:

Patch-worked silk taffeta

Pattern
alterations or any design changes you made:

Pockets 🙂

My dress is fully lined; I cut the skirt lining as a narrower version of the pattern pieces removing some of the pouffe and folding narrower box pleats in the same spots.

I chose to insert an invisible zip rather than use an exposed zip, as it suited the style of dress I had in mind.

Would
you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

Yes, I will definitely sew this again! A really beautiful and classic design. For winter I would sew this in a rich tapestry or an upholstery type of fabric, with the sleeves. This is a sure thing in my future.

And
yes 🙂

Conclusion:

Technically, the absence of metric measurements is quite annoying, and the instructions could do with more finishing tips and details to help beginners.
Design-wise; it is an absolutely beautiful and classic design, and I am very pleased with how mine turned out.

Packaging: exquisitely packed, and of very high quality and eco-friendly materials. For the connoisseur of really beautiful patterns.