Tags
Anna Dress, By Hand London, Country Fest, easy sewing projects, fabric, fabrics, McCalls 6401, patterns, sew exhausted, sewing, Simplicity, Simplicity 1538
I made an Anna dress for Countryfest. AND Frocktober!… This is actually Anna #3 for me. I have to say I have more than gotten my moneys worth from this By Hand London pattern. And I can’t promise you this is my last… because I LOVE it just as much now as my first one.
I made this one in about 3 hours for Country Fest- a country music concert that features 5 artists/ bands and LOTS of people, food, alcohol and fun. I had gotten some snazzy new boots (I love birthdays) and wanted something other than boring old jeans to wear with them. An Anna dress with a thigh high slit seemed like it would fit the bill AGAIN! It would be comfortable, a little sexy and show off those boots!
I used a black polyester I had in my garage. I don’t now EXACTLY what type of fabric it is but it has raised embossed roses on it and is light weight enough to make a good maxi. (Too heavy of a jersey pulls the dress down when you make a maxi). The best thing about Anna #3 is I had to draft a new bodice. A size smaller. π The length is a tad short I think but I used every inch of fabric so it will have to do.
As I was driving up to the rodeo grounds where the Fest was held I saw that 98% of the female attendees were wearing snug jeans or denim shorts and a plaid shirt. At first I thought I was sure gonna stand out. But then I decided I was comfy, happy, felt pretty darn cool in my dress and wasn’t going to worry about it! And you know what? It was all good! I never once felt out of place. I actually felt pretty darn special.
Frankly you have all seen pics and read my previous Anna posts, so, I decided to share with you my Country Fest experience instead! (Ok- I also was having so much fun I neglected to take pics!) And if you have NOT seen my other Anna dresses you can see my Anna that broke all the rules here and my Anna with a twist here!
My middle daughter Holly and her boyfriend Earl attended too. I made Holly’s shirt dress out of a purple cotton plaid she liked that matched her hat. I even put pearl snaps on it! π I used McCalls 6401. It’s a really cute pattern. Because I don’t have good detail pics (SORRY) I will just tell you the shoulders are gathered with a ribbon tie.
That belt she is wearing was my mom’s when she was young. Pretty sure it dates back to 60 something!
My friend Cheryle also attended with us and I made her a shirt in a nice Southwestern print cotton. Again, I used pearl button snaps. The pattern is Simplicity 1538. It is pretty much your basic button down L/S blouse pattern! She likes it enough she wants me to make more!
Again I am sorry I did not take better pics of the clothing! But I was too busy taking these pics and listening to music. (And of course drinking a few beers!)
The artists that we heard were John Pardi, Jana Kramer, Aaron Lewis (of Staind), Uncle Kracker (Woo hoo!) and Josh Turner. Lots of fun and I can’t wait until next year! (All the artists listed are linked to one of their songs in case you want to check them out!)
By the way- a year ago I hated country music. I am a Rock N Roll girl… I love Elvis, AC DC, Depeche Mode, practically everything 80’s, Frank Sinatra, and a whole lot more… PLUS I have a love for Alternative music as well- Blue October, System of a Down… and I sure love to listen to Beastie Boys too. But how I came to love Country music is a whole other story I will leave for another time. π I guess I have eclectic taste in music!
Take care ya’all… and Happy Sewing!
~Laurie xo