I chose the Anneka tunic as my first proper Simple Sew blogger make because I like the front and back box pleat detail and I do like a nice pinafore! It’s one of those styles that you could make in a warm fabric for winter like tweed or corduroy, or in a summer-weight linen or cotton drill perhaps. I have a not-insubstantial stash of fabric that I’ve accumulated over a long period but there wasn’t quite enough of any of the three pieces I wanted use which was so annoying. What I could have done was leave out the box pleats but then it wouldn’t still be the pattern I chose in the first place so there was nothing for it, I had to buy more fabric.
I took myself up to Walthamstow market where the famous Man Outside Sainsbury’s came up trumps with some lovely cloth. If you’re close enough to London he’s well worth a look [Saturdays he’s outside Sainsbury’s and Tuesday and Thursday he’s outside Lloyds/HSBC] I think a lot of his stock is ex-designer fabrics so you can often find some gems. It was fairly quiet when I arrived-it’s worth getting there early before the market starts to get crowded later on-so I had a good look round. I spotted a few possibles but then he drew my attention to some lovely wool which turned out to be Harris tweed. I bought some of the check, and I fell for a beautiful plain red too.


Once I got home I decided to make the Anneka in the red [laziness really, I wouldn’t need to pattern match anything!] The pattern instructions remind you to launder your fabric but because this is wool I’ll have to dry clean it whenever it needs it.

Because I’m super-stingy on fabric quantities in order to cut both front and back on a fold I had to fold the tweed slightly off the norm and not following the lay plan which is more wasteful, the photo below explains that a bit clearer hopefully.

Because it’s wool I wanted to line the dress so I cut that too but it doesn’t need the pleats. Simply place the front and back pieces onto the fold of the lining but without the whole box pleat, you could keep a little of it if you wish though. I actually made a seam in the centre back by using the selvedge simply to save a bit more fabric. I cut some for the pockets too, the photo below should help. The pocket lining is cut smaller than the tweed, minus the fold at the top.
When it comes to construction the first thing to do is make the pockets. I wanted to line the pockets so I used the lining I’d cut to bag them out instead of pressing the edges under as per the instructions.





Sew the pockets onto the dress-I moved mine slightly further apart than the tailor tacks because I thought they looked a bit close together (they could possibly move down a bit too, particularly if you’re tall with long arms!). Before I sewed them on though I thought I’d try out one of the fancy stitches my new machine does. I settled on a sort of wave which looks quite nice.
You could choose to embellish the pocket top edge using braid or ribbon for example, or you could fold the top so that it’s on the outside instead, as a wide band, and top stitch it down. Or you could make the pockets in a contrast fabric.
Once the pockets are on you can make the pleats in the front and back. Making the actual pleat is fine but getting it nice and central and even on wool needs a little bit of effort. I made a row of tailor tacks down the CF and CB lines so that I could ‘squash’ the pleat flat and know that I had them central all the way down. If you look at these photos you can see how I pinned through the the tailor tacks to the CF and CB seams underneath. Once I was happy they were accurate I basted the pleats down the edges through all the layers to stop them moving about.

Sew the shoulders and side seams next, I made the lining up to this point too and, after neatening the seams, stitched it inside the tweed with wrong sides together.
The instructions allow for ready-made bias binding so you could choose a matching colour, or a contrast, or make your own as I did.
This was a slightly risky strategy because the tweed is fairly thick but I decided to give it a try. I made about 1.5m of bias which I pressed under by one centimetre on just one edge using my homemade crease-pressing guide. It’s just a piece of cardboard with centimetres drawn on in 5mm increments.

Once the binding was pressed I pinned and stitched it to the inside edge of the neck and armholes. This is because I wanted it to come to the outside and then topstitch it down for a visible and decorative finish.


If you’re a bit stuck with the binding there’s tutorial on the Simple Sew website which should help, just click on my link.
Finally, finish your hem. This time I decided to use some grosgrain ribbon over the raw edge to stop any chance of it fraying-as you can see I had just enough!!


The lining should be shorter than the main fabric by a couple of centimetres, I did this at the cutting out stage.

Overall I’m happy with my first Anneka, I might cut the next one a bit shorter though. This version is nice and cosy and the lining will help it to keep it’s shape. If you’re using pure wool for skirts, dresses or trousers it’s definitely an idea to line it to prevent it ‘seating’ or going baggy. I’m wearing it with a RTW top but a shirt or blouse would like nice too. In spite of the absence of darts and a zip this one wasn’t particularly quick to make because of all the care I had to take with the fabric and various techniques but a slow-sew can be really satisfying if you’ve got the time.
Until next time,
Happy sewing
Sue
Good job, Bob! I’ve acquired a few Simple Sew patterns along the way but haven’t attempted any and I’ve always discounted pinafores too but this is making me think again, it’s very ‘me’ and work appropriate. I use that folding method when cutting out too.
It’s a pleasure to see sewing well executed and it proves that simple designs can be lifted up a notch when we take care of the details.
Bonkers weather, it looks nice here but it’s bitterly cold (n.b. I’m not in Canada, they’re tougher out there I hear).
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I’m glad you like it, although I’ve only managed to wear it once so far because of the snow!
I always try and encourage fellow sewers to up their game by tweaking things as they go.
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Looks great. Thanks for the detailed explanation. Do you have any tips on getting both pockets aligned? Like you, I need to move them but then can’t seem to get them at the same height and square, as it were. Thanks.
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Hi Jane, I started off with the tailor tacks to mark the top corners so I still used those initially to get the pocket in place. This is when I decided that aesthetically they were not quite right. I moved them down by about 2cms but I also moved them closer to the side seams as well. I measured from the top corner of each pocket to the side seam and the pleat to make sure they were symmetrical. I found that the top of the pocket needed to dip down very slightly towards the pleat to actually look right but it probably depends how far you move the pocket from its original position. Does that help? let me know if not!
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Many thanks for your explanation. I’ll just have to measure much more carefully next time. I just couldn’t get mine symmetrical, so tried just one pocket which didn’t look right. Ultimately I removed both!
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I always enjoy your blog posts Sue! It looks fabulous on you. I love how you’ve made a feature of the binding with your lovely wool (what a find!!) Josie
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Thanks Josie! x
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Love your blog. I have just started looking at blogs and totally agree with your over 50 comments. Most blogs seem to be from young sewers ( their sewing leaves a lot to be desired) and they all use indie patterns rather than the big 4. Keep up the blogging for us “antiques”
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thank you Helen, I’m glad you enjoy the blog
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I have been looking at the Anneka dress/ pianafore and think it would suit me, but a bit worried it will emphasise my girth! Do you think it would be OK to miss out the box pleat in the back and just cut it to a fold centre back? Your blog is great with so many useful tips along the way and I think your finished dress looks fantastic- you are a true professional!
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Hi Sue, if you haven’t already started (I’m just back from holiday) I would suggest before you leave out the pleat completely that you check what the total hip/thigh measurement will be without it to ensure it’s still plenty big enough. Alternatively, you could leave the back pleat in but stitch it so that the pleat itself becomes shorter and the stitched section is flatter over waist and hips.
Thank you for your kind words, it’s really nice to know that what I chunter on about is helpful to others!
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