Elisalex Dress

A review of By Hand London Elisalex Dress

Reviewed by Sew Dainty on 19th December, 2017

This dress was an absolute pleasure to sew. I absolutely love the tulip silhouette, and this is perfect in every way.
The design of the dress calls for a fabric with some structure and this bottle green brocade was perfect – the colour is also very festive I think!
Attention to detail is very apparent in the dress construction. The bodice is lined, and I just adore the cotton floral fabric to give it a pop of colour from the inside.
Pretty princess seams on the bodice lined up perfectly with the pleats on the skirt, there is just nothing that I didn’t like about it! I made very few adjustments – I added pockets, as although the pattern does not have them, they are easy enough to add using an existing pocket template, and I was so pleased to have a little floral cotton left to make enough bias tape to finish the seams and hem with a hong kong finish.
What I have enjoyed most about this pattern was taking the time to make it beautiful on the inside as well as the outside. The design is exquisite and timeless and it would certainly be a very wearable day time dress in an upholstery weight fabric,denim or cord I think.
Out of all of the garments that I have made this year, this has to be my favourite. By Hand London is definitely a pattern company that I am keen to use again, and taking my time to make such a beautiful dress has been a timely reminder as to why I sew myself and how satisfying it can be.
My full review is over on the Minerva Crafts Blogger Network – https://www.minervacrafts.com/blogger-network/post/a-very-special-by-hand-london-elisalex-dress
Thanks for reading and Happy Christmas!
Kathy x