Blog

I am starting to question if I have anything against sleeves... All of my Orla hacks to date have been sleeveless. I really don't! I love sleeves! I blame the insane heat that Calgary has been through in the past few weeks for all the sleeveless Orlas that are coming your way. It has been so hot that I haven't sewn as much as I want to because turning on the iron seems like the worst form of torture. Sure, this Orla is sleeveless, but I think the similarities between this version and the other one I posted earlier stop here. On this version I have changed the neckline to a slightly curved v-neck both at the front and the back. I have added a waistband to separate the bodice from the skirt, which now has 4 box pleats instead of gathers. Oh yes, I forgot about another similarity, this Orla also has pockets. Because pockets rock. I made this dress out of absolutely stunning ivory and gold rayon brocade from Harts Fabric, which they kindy provided to me free of charge for Orla Affair tutorials. I can't thank them enough!!! This was my first time sewing with fabric from Harts Fabrics, to date I have only drooled over their website without placing an order (shipping charges to Canada and exchange rate suck!). I am so impressed with the quality of the fabrics I've received (I have another one that will be making appearance for Orla Affair later in the month) and I am not saying this because they were gifted to me. The fabrics are seriously amazing! I fell in love with this brocade when I saw it online, but it is even more beautiful in person. The outside of the fabric has gorgeous texture and beautiful gold metallic pattern to it. Whereas the inside is so soft! It almost didn't need lining, and I actually left my skirt unlined. You can barely feel the metallic thread in this fabric on the inside. If you are using this or similar fabric, I do recommend finishing the seam allowances before sewing it. The fabric frays really easily! So I serged every single seam allowance before putting the dress together. The bodice of the dress is lined with rayon bemberg lining, which makes it more stable and gives this dress a very luxurious feel. It's Calgary Stampede time here and of course being a cowgil through and through I HAD to wear the dress with my cowboy boots! I just love the juxtaposition of rough cowboy boots with gorgeous girly dress. If you would like to know more about these boots and what they mean to me, head on over to Elise Epp's blog for a guest post I did a while back. Little Skye decided to make an appearance in the photos! She loves these outings when we just hang out while I take photos. She usually runs around and sniffs all the interesting stuff, but when she is done she comes back and hangs out with me. She is so special! I have to say that I accidentally copied Allie J.'s idea of adding a waistband! Have you seen her version? If you haven't, you must. It is simply stunning, as usual. Allie uses a slightly different method of adding a waistband and hers is even easier! Anyways, I wrote a detailed tutorial on pattern modifications I made for this dress. If you would like to see how I drafted the pockets you can find a tutorial on that here. And of course I will be back with another tutorial on how I sewed it together. Love, Anya

Update: This post has been re-written and updated, visit it here.  Hope everyone is doing well! I am back today with yet another drafting tutorial. Its amazing how many variations of Orla Dress one can come up with. This variation is not too far off my last sleeveless version, yet it has a different feel to it.  Although this version of Orla is also sleeveless, the similarities pretty much stop there. This dress has a curved v-neck at the front and back, as well as a waistband and box pleats on the skirts instead of gathers. The dress is also lined at the bodice. How fun is that? So let's jump into the drafting modifications I made for this dress, shall we? Tools needed Paper – you can use freezer paper, medical paper or any other paper you use for tracing patterns Pencil Eraser Ruler French Curve (not necessary, but will certainly makes things easier) Steps You will need to make modifications to both front and back bodice pattern pieces, as well as your front and back skirt pattern pieces. Draw your seam allowances in on your pattern pieces so that you are working off the actual stitching line. To remind you, the seam allowances on Orla are 3/8″ or 1 cm. I will be working in inches. FRONT BODICE Let's start with the front bodice piece. I made the exact same changes to the armscye of this dress as with my first sleeveless Orla here. But let's go over them again. Mark point 1 on the shoulder seam 1 1/2″ away from the shoulder. Optional: Note that I also extended the shoulder to point 2 by 1/2″. This is not necessary. To create a v-neck, mark point 3 on the center front fold line, 1 3/4" away from the top. Using French curve draw a new armscye and neckline. I wanted a slight curve to my V-neck, but you are welcome to go as curved or straight as you want! EDIT: Meg kindly reminded me that normally one would need to slightly raise the armscye at the underarm as well as pinch out extra fabric on the side seam to properly convert sleeved bodice to sleeveless. I found that with Orla I didn't need to do it, however it may be just be and my body. You may need at lease to pinch out extra fabric at the side seam. Now we are going to draft a front waistband piece. I wanted my waistband to be 1 1/2" wide so I drew a new seam line in red at the bottom of the bodice, 1 1/2" up from the waist seam. The red line is where your new bodice ends. Everything below the red line is the new waist band. To eliminate the dart seam, we are going to bring the two waistline pieces together. Take out a piece of tracing paper and trace one side of the waistband, indicating a notch on the dart seam. I started with tracing left side. Once you've traced one side, move the tracing paper, aligning the notches you made with the other dart leg, and trace the rest of the waistband. Hardest part is done! Now you will have to add seam allowances to both altered front bodice and the new waistband pieces. Indicate fold line and pattern pieces names. I also like to include a reminder of how many pieces I need to cut out of fabric. Since I lined this dress, I also indicated that I need to cut these pattern pieces out of lining, but it is optional. The notches on the waist band indicate where you will align the darts when you sew the waistband to the bodice. BACK BODICE Now we will repeat the same steps for the back bodice. Don't forget to mark your seam allowances so you are making all modifications off the stitching line. The steps are identical, except I lowered the centre back line by 2 1/4". Let's walk through them again anyways. Start off by marking 3 points on your back bodice: Mark point 1 on the shoulder seam 1 1/2″ away from the shoulder. Optional: Extended the shoulder to point 2 by 1/2″ if you have done it on the front bodice. Mark point 3 on the center back seam line, 2 1/4"" away from the top. Using French Curve draw in new armscye and slightly curved neckline, if you want it to be curved. To add waistband, draw a new seam line 1 1/2" away from the waist line. Grab a piece of tracing paper and trace off one side of the new waistband, indicating a notch on the closest dart leg. Shift the tracing paper so that the notch aligns with the other dart leg and trace the rest of the waistband. Add seam allowances, mark grain lines, pattern piece and cutting guidelines Note, if your waistband pieces are too angular you may want to smooth the lines with the French curve. Edit: After making this dress and wearing it, I do recommend interfacing the bodice pieces for slightly more stability. SKIRT Now, let's convert the gathered skirt into box pleat skirt! I envisioned two box pleats at the front and two at the back, both in alignment with the dart legs. The steps are identical for front skirt and back skirt pieces, so I will guide you through changes to the front skirt pattern piece and then you will have to follow the same steps for the back skirt, but taking into account back bodice measurements. You'll see what I mean. You will need your front skirt piece and your waistband piece to help you add box pleats to the skirt piece. Measure the distance from the side seam to the notch on the bottom of the front waistband. Mark point 1 on the waist seam of the skirt the same distance away from the side seam of the skirt. Now, measure the distance from the center front fold to the notch on the front waistband pattern piece. Mark point 2 on the waist seam of the skirt piece, the same distance away from the center front fold of the skirt. That's it! Your box pleat is marked. That was easy, wasn't it? Now you will need to repeat the same steps to the back skirt piece while taking into account measurements of the back waistband piece - the distance from the side seam to the notch and from the center back seam to the notch. As usual, let me know if you have any questions! I will try to be back tomorrow with sewing guide to make this version of the dress. If it doesn't work out, as life does get in a way, I will be back on Friday at the latest. Promise. Until then, Anya

This is the most blogging I have ever done. Ever. This is my 7th post in 3 days! Insane. I am very excited to finally share the sewing steps to make sleeveless Orla with pockets and striped skirt, while using facings to finish neckline and armholes. It will be a very long and picture heavy tutorial, so grab a cup of coffee, tea or a glass of wine and join in. At this point I assume that you have done modifications to your bodice pieces to make them sleveless,drafted your facings and pockets, as well as altered skirt pieces to make striped skirt. The last step is optional however, you do not need to have a striped skirt to make a sleeveless Orla. Not all Orlas must have a striped skirt after all... I also assume that you have all your pieces cut out and ready to sew. So here we go! In this tutorial GREY means RIGHT side of fabric, and WHITE means WRONG side of fabric. Bodice and Facings Fuse interfacing strips, about 1" wide, to the wrong side of the centre back seam on each of the back bodice pieces. I like to interface the fabric where the zipper is being inserted as it provides for more stability and a nicer looking finish.At this point you can finish the centre back seams with your preferred method. Sew darts on front bodice pieces and both back bodice pieces and press them to the centre front and back, respectively. With right sides together pin front bodice to both back bodice pieces at the shoulder seams. Stitch. Press seams open. Repeat with the facing shoulder seams. Note, that at this point we are not sewing side seams. With right sides facing each other, pin facing to the bodice at the neckline. Stitch starting and ending ~1" away from the centre back seam. Leaving that extra room eases zipper insertion later. Trim the seam allowance to ~1/4" and clip into the seam allowance while being careful not to cut through the stitching line. Flip facing towards seam allowance and lightly press. Understitch the facing, starting and ending about 1 1/2" away from the centre back seam, catching seam allowance underneath.Turn facing to the wrong side of the bodice and give it a good press. We will finish armholes one by one using burrito method. EDIT: I was told that a flat armhole finish method would work here as well. I believe it is true, as I suspect I confused using this burrito method for all kinds of armhole finishes, whereas it may truly be only needed when there is no center back seam in the garment. I haven't tested a flat method yet, but I still wanted to mention it here. Working from the right side of the bodice, turn the bodice sideways so that one armhole seam is facing you and the other away from you. We will be working of the armhole that is further away from you first. Take the bodice piece that is closer to you, together with the facing, and roll not towards the other armhole. Stop halfway through the shoulder seam of the shoulder away from you. Holding the rolled bodice and facing with your hands, separate the bodice from the facing on the edge of the armhole facing away from you. Holding the rolled bodice and the rest of the bodice, flip the facing so that it lays at the the bottom on the bodice piece, close to you. Wrap the facing around the rolled bodice and pin it to the bodice at the armhole, right sides together. The rolled bodice will be enclosed in between the rest of the bodice and facing. Sew, being careful not to catch the rest of the bodice in the seam. Trim seam allowance to ~1/4" and clip into it at the curved edges, being careful not to cut through the stitching line. To turn the bodice to the right side, gently pull on the rolled part from either side of the bodice, until the whole bodice is turned out. Press. Repeat for the other armhole. Finish the raw edges of the side seams on facings and both front and back pieces with your preferred method. Flip the facings up at the side seams. Pin the side seams of the facings and bodice pieces, matching the armhole seams. Sew. Press the seams open. Finish the bottom edge of the facing with your preferred method. OR You can also finish the raw edge of the facing with a bias binding. To do so, you will need a bias binding strip the width of 1" and the length of the bottom edge of the facing. Pin the bias binding to the bottom edge of the facing with right sides together. Stitch 1/4" away from the edge. Press the bias binding down. Flip the bias binding under the facing and pin. Stitch in the ditch. Trim the excess bias binding seam allowance on the inside. Turn the facing onto the wrong side of the bodice again and give it a good press. I have filmed a video which clarifies all of the steps above. However, being technically challenged I was not able to figure out how to upload it to my computer in time for this post. I assumed my regular app that I use to transfer images from my camera to my computer would work, but sadly it doesn't. I think I need some kind of card reader thing to be able to do it. (I knew I should have used my iPhone... sigh) I will look into it right away and I will upload the video in a couple days. Hang tight snd sorry for delay! Striped skirt Below are instructions for optional striped skirt. This is how I assembled the skirt of the dress in the very first photo in this post. You will assemble front skirt piece and two skirt pieces before sewing side seams of the skirt together. We will be working with two stripes at a time. Pin the raw edges of stripe 1 and 2 together. Sew. Note that the dashed lines below indicate a different fabric colour. Finish the seam allowances together and press towards the darker stripe. Topstitch close to the seam. Attach the rest of the stripes together following the same steps, so that you have full front skirt piece and two back skirt pieces. Below is graphic of the pattern piece as a reminder of how the stripes go together. I find it helpful to keep paper pattern pinned to the fabric until I am ready to work with the pieces, as the paper pattern has all the information I need to know to figure out which stripe piece I am working with. Pockets and Skirt Stitch two lines of gathering stitches between notches on front skirt pieces and both back skirt pieces. The first line of stitches should be 1/4" away from the edge and the second line 3/8" away from the first line. Note that gathering stitches are the longest stitch on your sewing machine. Leave long tails on the stitches for the ease of gathering. Finish the raw edges of the side seams on front skirt pieces, back skirt pieces and all four pocket pieces with your preferred method. Note that you are only finishing the short side seam of the pocket pieces, not the long curved edge. With right sides together pin one of the pocket pieces to the matching side seam of the front skirt piece, ensuring the notches match. Sew from the top edge to the bottom notch at 1/4" seam allowance. Ensure that the gathering threads from the step above are not caught in the stitches. Flip the pocket onto the seam allowance. Press. Understitch in between the notches. Repeat the same steps for the other front skirt side seam, and both back skirt pieces. With right side together, pin back skirt piece to the matching side of the front skirt piece. Stitch from the top edge of the skirt side seam to the first notch, and from the second notch to the bottom of the skirt. Stitch all around the curved pocket piece, stopping at the side skirt seam. Finish the raw edge of the pocket. Clip into side seam allowance on the back skirt piece right at the pocket notches, being careful not to cut through the seam line. This part of the seam allowance will be pressed towards the front skirt to make for a nicer pocket. Press side skirt seam allowances open, and pocket to the front. Repeat for the other side. Pin the skirt to the bodice at the side seams. Gently pull bobbin threads from both sides of the front skirt piece until the fullness is gathered to match the length of the bodice. Distribute the gathers evenly and pin, ensuring the pocket pieces are pinned towards the front. Repeat for the back skirt pieces. Sew skirt to the bodice. Pull the gathering threads out and discard. Finish seam allowances together and press to the top. Zipper Working from the right side of the bodice, pull the facing away and pin an invisible zipper to one of the sides of the centre back seam. Stitch the zipper in place close to the zipper teeth. Repeat for the other side, ensuring the waist seam is aligned. Finish the rest of the centre back seam below the zipper and press seam allowances open. Pull the centre back seam allowance flat from behind the zipper. Flip the facing onto the bodice with right sides together. The facing will be covering the zipper. Pin along the unfinished neck edge and top part of the zipper. Sew in place, ensuring the neckline seam meets the seam used to attach facing to bodice. Sew inside the centre back seam allowance with zipper teeth on the outside of the seam, making sure not to catch them with your needle as you sew. Trim the corner and using the point turner turn the facing to the inside of the bodice. Repeat for the other side. Press. Close the zipper to ensure the top edges align. If they don't, turn the facing back to the inside and repeat the step above, stitching down the side that is longer until both neck edges match. Finishing Align facing and bodice at the side seams and pin. Attach facing to the bodice by stitching in the ditch in the side seam at bottom edge of the facing for about 3/8". Hem the dress with your preferred method. You are done!! I really hope these instructions help you in your sleeveless Orla assembly. Let me know if you have any questions. Some of the steps are rather complicated and it is pretty late as I am typing this, and I may have had a few glasses of wine... I am going to take a little break for a few days, but I will sure be back with the video I promised above and another Orla hack and sewing steps. Until then, Anya

Sometimes it is hard to find the exact striped fabric you have in mind. Be it the width of the stripes or the colours, the fabric is not always what you want it to be. Well it doesn't have to be difficult, since you can make your own striped fabric! In this blog post I will walk you step by step through the changes I made to Orla dress skirt pieces to make a black and white striped skirt. Tools needed Paper, any paper you use for tracing patterns. I use medical paper. Pencil Eraser Ruler French Curve (not necessary, but makes things easier) About Stripes I am all for sewing your own striped fabric! You can really play with width of the stripes and the colours. The only suggestion I have is to use either identical fabric in different colours or fabric of same or similar weight and drape. Steps You will need both your front and back skirt pieces. The changes you make to the one side will be identical to the changes you make on the other pattern piece. As usual, mark your seam allowances in, or be wary of them because otherwise it will throw off the calculations and slightly change the look of the stripes. Orla's seam allowances are 3/8" or 1 cm. Just a note, my hem seam allowance is 2 1/2". I will show you the steps on the front skirt pattern piece, and you will have to repeat them for the back skirt piece. Start off by marking points 1-4 on one of the side seam of the skirt pattern piece. The distance for the points is as follows: 1 - 4.5" from the top 2 - 4" from point 1 3 - 2 1/4" from point 2 4 - 5 3/4" from point 3 If my calculations are correct, this results in the bottom stripe being 3 1/2" wide, not including hem allowance of 2 1/2". Draw the lines through each point, parallel to the waist line. Your stripes are ready! I marked each stripe with the stripe number and colour, so that everything is super clear. Now you will need to trace each stripe out as a separate pattern piece. Add seam allowances back in and a hem allowance to the bottom of Stripe 5. Do not forget that the front stripe pieces will be cut on fold, and the back stripe pieces will be cut 2 of each stripe. There you go! If you want to learn how to change a sleeved bodice into a sleeveless bodice, go here. If you want to learn how to draft inseam pockets, go here. If you want to learn how to draft facings, go here. Tomorrow I will be back with the instructions on how to put the whole thing together. As usual, feel free to ask questions! Until then, Anya

Altering a sleeved bodice to make it sleeveless is very easy. It doesn't take long at all and it is a fun way to make most of your pattern. In this blog post I will show you how you can do it. Tools needed Paper – you can use freezer paper, medical paper or any other paper you use for tracing patterns Pencil Eraser Ruler French Curve (not necessary, but will certainly makes things easier) About Sleeveless Bodice On a sleveless bodice shoulder line is brought in and does not line exactly on the tip of your shoulder. Because Orla dress has sleeves, if you were to just ignore the sleeves and sew the bodice as is, the shoulder would be too wide and will look a little off. So the main objective here is to bring shoulders in a little bit. Steps You will need to make modifications to both front and back bodice pattern pieces. Draw your seam allowances in on your pattern pieces so that you are working off the actual stitching line. To remind you, the seam allowances on Orla are 3/8" or 1 cm. I will be working in inches. I will show you the steps using the front bodice piece. The steps are identical for the back bodice, so make sure to make the changes to it after you are done with the front bodice. Mark point 1 on the shoulder seam 1 1/2" away from the shoulder. Optional: Note that I also extended the shoulder to point 2 by 1/2". I wanted to slightly change the neckline of the dress by bringing the shoulder in a little bit. Using a French curve draw a new armscye and a new neckline if you extended the shoulder like I did. Repeat the same steps to the back bodice. Note that if you extended the shoulder line (point 2) on the front bodice you will have to do the same thing for the back bodice. EDIT: Meg kindly reminded me that normally one would need to slightly raise the armscye at the underarm as well as pinch out extra fabric on the side seam to properly convert sleeved bodice to sleeveless. I found that with Orla I didn't need to do it, however it may be just be and my body. You may need at lease to pinch out extra fabric at the side seam. Draw your seam allowances back in and that's it. You are done! See how easy it was. Now, this is where I went ahead and drafted a facing for my new sleeveless pattern pieces. If you are not using a facing and are intending to finish the armholes with bias binding, just remember to cut a few more bias bindings out when you are cutting out your pattern pieces. If you want to learn how to draft inseam pockets, go here. If you want to find out how I drafted striped skirt, go here. As usual, let me know if you have any questions. I hope it helps! Love, Anya

As promised, today I am back with a very simple hack for a Orla Dress. A sleeveless Orla is a logical next step in hacking this pattern. Going sleeveless makes for a wonderful summer dress if it is made out of lightweight fabric. At the same time it will be a great layering dress for colder months since you can easily throw a cardigan over it without bunching up the sleeves, or you can wear it over a blouse or turtleneck for a fun layered look. I am not going to lie and pretend that I came up with this design. This dress is a direct rip off a dress I saw on Pinterest years ago and saved for future reference. When An Orla Affair came to be, I decided this was the perfect opportunity to finally make it. My dress is made out of cotton satin with a very slight stretch. I had both white and black fabric in my stash for years. I bought it with a box pleat black and white striped skirt in mind. The skirt was never meant to be and this Orla was. I have drafted both facings and pockets for this Orla, and also made modifications top the bodice to make it sleeveless. I also slightly modified the skirt to create irregular width stripes out of white and black fabric. Because I used cotton satin, which was a little heavier, the gathers on the skirt made it a bit stiffer. And rather than allowing it to hang nicely the skirt is slightly, poof-ier. This is the effect that I wanted and I am really happy with it. I think this would be a perfect dress for a summer wedding or any other dressier occasion. However, I don't want it to be an occasion only dress, so I will definitely be wearing it to work! To learn how to draft facings for Orla go here. To learn how to draft inseam pockets for Orla go here. To learn how to modify bodice to make sleeveless Orla go here. And finally to learn how I modified the skirt to make it striped go here. Tomorrow I will be back with a super detailed sewing tutorial on how I put this whole thing together. Until then, Anya

I am here today with my very first post for the Orla Affair! This is the very first post of exciting, as least in my opinion, content I have for you this month together with the other three amazing ladies - Rachel, Allie and Maddie. I think pockets are a great addition to any garment and Orla dress is not exception. Being able to add pockets to any garment should be a kind of superpower, in my opinion. And I have prepared a very straight forward tutorial for you on how to do that. Facings are a neat way to finish neckline, and armholes if you are making a sleeveless garment, without the finishing stitches being visible from the outside. I love using this method when I am working with fabrics or creating a style where I think a visible stitching line is unappealing. It took me a while to figure out how I want to publish these posts. I really want the content to be easily accessible in the future and only to have pertinent information. So I have decided to break the posts apart, so I have this introductory post and I also have a separate post for drafting pockets and drafting facing. I hope it makes things easier and results in posts that are relatively short and to the point. In no way the method I am using is the only true way. I chose these particular measurements to start off as they worked best on my body. I encourage you to double check them on yourself! For reference, I am 5'10" and a size L in Orla. To find out how to draft pockets click here: And to find out how to draft facings go here: I will be back tomorrow with another drafting tutorial for a sleeveless Orla hack. And on Sunday I will publish a few more posts with detailed explanation on how to sew all of these fabulous hacks together. Until then, Anya

In this post I will show you how to draft an all in one facing for you Orla Dress. This will work for any garment but since July is an Orla month, I will be showing you how to add a Facing to Orla. Just like with pockets drafting tutorial, I will be back with a sewing tutorial in a couple days. Orla dress instructions show you how to finish the neckline using bias binding, which is a great method of finishing a garment. However, some times you may need to use a less visible method or finishing a neckline. Especially if you are using a pretty fabric that you just don't want to disrupt with extra stitching lines. I will show you how to draft a facing that will not only finish your neckline, but also your armholes should you wish to make a sleeveless Orla. I also like to use this facing even if I am adding sleeves to my dress since this facing will not flip up as it is secured in the armhole seam. Tools needed Paper, any paper you use for tracing patterns. I use medical paper. Pencil Eraser Ruler French Curve (not necessary, but makes things easier) To draft facings you will need both Front and Back Bodice pattern pieces. As usual, draw your seam allowances into the pattern pieces (Orla seam allowances are 3/8" or 1 cm) to mark where the actual stitching line is. We will start off with Front Facing. Front Facing Mark point 1 on the Centre Front line, 4” down from the neckline. Mark point 2, 1/4” above the bust dart. Mark point 3 on the side seam, 3” down from the armhole. Using French Curve connect points 1-2 and 2-3 with a curved line. Trace your Facing piece onto a fresh sheet of paper and mark Fold Line. Add seam allowances to all seams. You can skip the bottom edge if you are planning to edge finish it with a serger or zig zag, or use bias binding to finish it. The facing in the photo above is finished with a bias binding. I love the pop of colour against the black fabric! Front Facing is done! The steps for the back facing are almost identical. Back Facing Mark point 1 on centre back seam 6 3/4” down from the neckline Mark point 2, 1/4” above the back dart Mark point 3 on the side seam, 3” down from the armhole. Using French Curve connect point 1-2 and 2-3 with a curved line. Trace the Back Facing piece onto a fresh sheet of paper, mark grain line and add seam allowances. As with the Front Facing, you can skip adding seam allowances to the bottom edge. I hope this tutorial helps you figure out how to add facings, not only to Orla Dress, but any garment that you think needs them. If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments or reach out via email. Tomorrow I will be back with a sleeveless dress pattern hack, that has both facings and pockets, and on Sunday I will provide detailed sewing instructions for the hack, facings and pockets. In the mean time, check out how to draft inseam pockets for your Orla. Love, Anya

I think that any garment hugely benefits from having nice, deep, functional pockets, and dresses are no exception. If a pattern does not provide for pockets, adding them can be a very simple hack. In this blog post I will show you, step by step just how to do that. This post will only cover drafting aspect of adding pockets to Orla Dress, or any dress or top pattern with a waist seam. And the day after tomorrow I will be back with detailed instructions on how to sew these pockets. Tools needed Paper - you can use freezer paper, medical paper or any other paper you use for tracing patterns Pencil Eraser Ruler French Curve (not necessary, but will certainly makes things easier) About Pockets There are many different kinds of pockets out there, and I chose to add inseam pockets to my Orla. Inseam pockets are not really visible and they are pretty easy to draft and sew. The best part, since these pockets are not visible you can use a different fabric to make them. This comes in handy if you are running short on fabric, or the fabric you chose for the dress is too heavy and would add bulk. The inseam pocket I chose to draft is sewn into the waist seam. I like these pockets as they are more stable and do not move around on me or pull down on the side seam if I put my phone, keys or anything heavier in them. Steps To draft pockets you will need one of the skirt pieces. I am using front skirt but it really does not matter, as the pocket affects the side seam which is identical on both skirt pieces. Before you begin, trace your seam allowances onto the pattern, we will be working on the pattern piece without seam allowances. To remind you seam allowances on Orla are 3/8” or 1 cm. Mark point 1, 3” down from the top on the side seam. This is the top of your pocket opening. Mark point 2, 4 1/4 “ to the right from the side seam. This will be the top left edge of your pocket. Mark point 3, 8 1/2” down from the top of the side seam. This is the bottom of your pocket opening. Draw a line through this point, parallel to the waist line of the skirt. Mark point 4, 11 1/2” down from the top of the side seam. Square it off, by drawing a line through it parallel to the waist line of the skirt. Mark point 5, which is 6” away from the side seam on line 3. Connect points 2 and 5 with a straight line. Your pocket is starting to take shape! Mark point 6 on line 4, which is 4” away from the side seam. Using a French curve connect points 5 and 6 with a curved line. Mark point 7, which is 1 1/2" down from point 3. Mark point 8 on line 4, which is 1 3/4” away from the side seam. Using French curve connect points 7 and 8. The hardest part is done! You now have a pocket piece. Next you will need to trace the outline of the pocket onto a new piece of paper and add seam allowances to it around all edges. I prefer to keep my seam allowances consistent with the rest of the pattern, so I added 3/8" seam allowances. You will also need to add grainline to this pattern piece. The grain line on this particular pocket is parallel to the side edge of the pocket piece. I also like to write the name of the pattern piece and how many pieces I will need to cut out of fabric. You will also need to mark points 1 and 3 as notches on both of your skirt pattern pieces. These are your pocket openings and you will need to have them marked on your fabric pattern piece. Here you go! Look at you, now you can draft all the pockets! As usual, let me know if you have any questions and I will get back to you. I will be back soon to talk you through sewing these bad boys into your Orla. In the meantime, check out how to add Facings to your Orla in this post here. Love, Anya

You guys have already heard that July is an Orla Affair month hosted by Rachel from Maker Style, Maddie from Maddie Made This, Allie from Allie J. and yours truly. This post was meant to go up on the first of July, but I was leaving for a vacation and with all the running around I didn't get a chance to get to it prior to going into a no-reception zone. My sincere apologies for it! I promise the rest of my posts this month will be prompt and hopefully full of inspiration and information. I can not say enough good things about Orla Dress. It is a FREE pattern from French Navy and it is absolutely wonderful! The pattern is really well drafted and is amazing as is, or can serve as a great start off point for numerous pattern hacks. I have made Orla a couple times myself and I have been wearing both dresses all the time. A while back the four off us hosts were chatting how wonderful this pattern is and how everyone needs to know about it. As a result a month of Orla Affair idea was born. I think it is a great way to celebrate this fantastic pattern and bring more awareness to it. We have loads of amazing inspiration and tutorials coming your way! I am very excited for all of them. The best part? You can enter your Orla Dress during the month of July into this contest and you will have an opportunity to win great prizes. To find out more about prizes and the rules on how to enter, head on over to Maddie Made This to read up on it. The ladies did a wonderful job of securing the prizes and I can not thank them enough for doing it! Now the fun part, The Schedule! July 1: Introduction posts. Except for mine, mine is late... July 3: Fitting the Orla on allie J. July 5: The Orla Dress Sewalong on Maker Style July 6: Customization Inspiration on MaddieMadeThis July 7: Facing and Pockets - drafting on Anna-Zoe July 8: Sleeveless Orla - pattern modifications on Anna-Zoe July 9: Sleeveless Orla - sewing tips on Anna Zoe July 10: An Eyelet Orla on allie J. July 11: Sleeveless Lined Bodice and Pleats Orla - pattern modifications on Anna Zoe July 12: Sleeveless Lined Bodice and Pleats Orla - sewing tips on Anna-Zoe July 13: Embroidery patterns for the Orla on MaddieMadeThis July 17: A Preppy Orla on allie J. July 18: Shift Orla - pattern modifications and sewing tips on Anna-Zoe July 19: An Orla Hack on Maker Style July 20: Lace Up Front Orla Hack on MaddieMadeThis July 24: A Vintage Orla on allie J. July 28: Shirt Orla - pattern modifications on Anna-Zoe July 29: Shirt Orla - sewing tips on Anna-Zoe July 31: An Orla Roundup on everyone's blogs August 3: The Orla Affair winners announcement Well, here is it. I am all caught up. Now I am off to do last little bit of finishing touches on the few posts that are coming your way in the next few days. Love, Anya

How is every one's Me Made May going? Are you participating? What are you learning so far? My first week went reasonably well. I mean, I managed to get dressed in the mornings and take pictures, so I consider that a success. I find that participating definitely takes some planning on my part, by that what I really mean is the first week taught me that I have to plan a little better. For example, I really should finish doing my laundry and have the clothes pressed and hanging in my closet. Running around in the morning trying to think what I should wear, then ironing it and taking photos is too much. I am notorious for doing laundry and then throwing clean clothes in the baskets to iron later. Later rarely happens, and if it does, it is only when I really need it to happen. I am a little late with the round up of my daily outfits for the first week of Me Made May, but here they are. Day 1: https://www.instagram.com/p/BTj1qo3loVe/?taken-by=anna.zoe.sewing Day 2: https://www.instagram.com/p/BTl5AXBlvZp/?taken-by=anna.zoe.sewing Day 3: https://www.instagram.com/p/BTo8_NGF48M/?taken-by=anna.zoe.sewing Day 4: https://www.instagram.com/p/BTrJeElFgp9/?taken-by=anna.zoe.sewing Day 5: https://www.instagram.com/p/BTtxoTbl820/?taken-by=anna.zoe.sewing Day 6: https://www.instagram.com/p/BTw0GAwF7RY/?taken-by=anna.zoe.sewing Day 7: https://www.instagram.com/p/BT1h2muF0SR/?taken-by=anna.zoe.sewing I have started Me Made May with taking photos in my new photo space, but I have really been feeling the pull to take photos outside. So I have been pushing myself to do it, and Me Made May provides a great opportunity to start doing it. I was, and still am, feeling super self conscious and insecure about taking photos in public spaces, and my way of dealing with it is to make jokes and poke fun at myself. So little write ups of my thoughts and feelings, which started off as a way to cheer me up and loosen myself for photos, inadvertently became a daily occurrence on my Instagram. It makes me so happy that other people find my silly jokes funny! So I think I have to continue it for the rest of the month. I have no idea how I will do it... but I will try! Until next time, Anya

I love sewing dresses. I started off sewing with making all kinds of dresses. Well fitting dress is such an easy outfit, don't you think? Orla Dress is the first PDF pattern by Sarah from French Navy. I am so in love with everything Sarah makes and her style. I want to repeat every single outfit. She is great! I should also mention that the dress is a free pattern. I really like fit and flare dresses. They have always been my soft spot. But a few years ago I think I made too many and I got tired of them. My dresses were very fitted on top and had a simple gathered skirt. When I saw Orla Dress it reminded me of my old dresses quite a bit, but the top of this dress is semi-fitted and I absolutely love it. This dress strikes the perfect balance between dressy and casual fit and flare dress. I can see it working for either occasion. I made this dress back in February and since it was still very cold in Calgary, and likely will stay chilly for a while, I chose thin wool suiting from my stash. I had this fabric for a year or so. I bought it thinking I would make pants, but in the end I decided it would be a perfect Orla Dress. Since the fabric is wool, I decided to line the bodice of the dress. I used a piece of leftover bemberg lining for it. This resulted in a dress I want to wear all day long. It is not itchy at all! The pattern fit great right away! The only changes I made was to lengthen both front and back bodices and add some width to the back and shoulder. But those are my very standard adjustments. The dress came out exactly like I envisioned it! It is a perfect work dress, and actually any occasion dress. I love this dress so much, that I am trying to figure out what color-way and fabric I can make my next one in. I am a big fan of reusing patterns. If something fits great, why re-invent the wheel, right? Until next time, Anya