Adding Embroidery to By Hand London Tamzin.

Before the Tamzin pattern was even released I knew it was one to jump the queue. Its semi-fitted bodice and flared sleeves are very much my style.

One of the unique features of this pattern is the external facing. This nestles beautifully in the front princess seams and is the perfect canvas to add embroidery.

The fabric I used for my first version is a rust coloured linen/viscose mix from Rainbow Fabrics which was a bargainous £4.99 per metre. I have used linen mixes many times now and it is one of my favourite fibres to work with. It generally has the stability and weight of linen, but the addition of viscose helps to give it more movement and less propensity to crease as soon as you sit down!

As with most fabric, I have found that not all viscose/linen mixes are created equally. This particular fabric, I have to say exceeded my expectations. It has a nice slub texture and feels substantial, giving it a more expensive feel. It took the pressing required to create nice sharp tucks, gathered well, and was easy to cut. It does fray a lot, so be careful about the handling of your pieces (particularly when gathering). If I were to use it again, I may overlock the pieces pre-emptively.

Adding an embroidered detail was so enjoyable. My approach was to cut square of fabric the size of the facing piece with extra room surrounding to allow for an embroidery hoop. Next time I would allow even more surrounding space. Then I cut the interfacing, but I omitted the seam allowances for the interfacing in order to reduce bulk.

I marked the cut line of the facing with a frixion pen, and lightly marked made a seam line in a similar colour so I knew what space I had for embroidery.

In terms of design, I decided to let go of my need for perfect symmetry and just let myself stitch what felt right at the time. I chose a colour palette, and just had some relaxing afternoons in the garden, enjoying the last few days of summer.

For reference, I used 3 strands of standard DMC embroidery floss throughout. There were a couple of time I wasn’t happy with how it looked, but the great thing about hand embroidery is that you are only a few snips away from erasing the work and having another try.

Once I was happy with my design, I gave it a light press and cut out the facing piece, laying the paper pattern on top to check it had not stretched out with the tension from the hoop.

There is a slight issue with the middle sunflower being too high, I think I may have veered into the seam allowance or it may have stretched. Next time I would probably draw in the cut line and run a stitch line in matching thread to give me a more stable and visible seam allowance.

At this point, everything else is assembled exactly per the instructions. The only additional step I took was to understich the seam allowance of the neckline once the facing had been sewn. This just prevents the the inside of the bodice to stay put under the facing. It feels counter intuitive as its the opposite of what we would normally do!

I am SO pleased with this dress. I love the fit. I usually cut a size 8 in By Hand London and do a Small Bust Adjustment, but as the princess seams are already quite straight, I didn’t need one, and the shoulders fit nicely.

The waist ties provide a nice amount of shaping to a garment that has a lot of ease. Dresses with a large amount of positive ease are very popular at the moment, but I often don’t feel like they are my style. I appreciate the fact that the Tamzin has comfort generous ease, without feeling like I am overwhelmed by fabric.

I have a second one cut out already – this time in viscose lawn!