A Kitty Holly

Kitty Holly

The wildest of all the wild animals was the Cat. He walked by himself, and all places were alike to him.

This is a double By Hand whammy – my approximately billionth Holly dress hack, plus the fabric was printed by their very own super-printer, Patsy.

Kitty Holly

I was one of the first to have a play with the By Hand fabric customis-o-matic – firstly because I helped the girls design the whole uploading process, and secondly because I backed their Kickstarter campaign to fund the printer. When to came to cashing in my reward print of 2m of fabric, it didn’t take too long to decide what to send to Patsy. I designed an interpretation of the Rudyard Kipling Just So story, The Cat Who Walked By Himself, which has always been a favourite of mine since I was a kidlet.

Kitty fabric

When I got the fabric though, way back before Christmas, I was a bit stumped as to what to make with it for a while. It’s not the kind of fabric I’d usually buy: it’s a cotton poplin so rather stiff and crisp to the touch – barely any drape at all. Then I remembered I already made Holly in a fairly crisp wax print and it’s one of my favourite dresses, so suddenly it seemed obvious.

Kitty Holly

Working with the fabric during the sewing process was easy enough. Its crispness means it presses and stitches up really smoothly, so hemming and doing the neckline and cuffs were a piece of cake. However I did find that it left permanent marks when I needed to unpick a few bits (*glares at buttonholes*) and I had a slight issue where I tried on my unfinished bodice and it tore right down the side, requiring a crafty patch-up that’s luckily now hidden under the arm. It feels more secure now it’s all sewn up but I’m slightly concerned I might bust out of it, Hulk-like, with any excessive arm movements. Next time I might consider underlining the fabric for a bit more strength.

Kitty Holly

Anyway, I’m really pleased with the fit I achieved, and with such a crisp fabric you really need to make sure you have the fitting nailed because any little error will show pretty clearly. Despite my initial misgiving about the fabric’s stiffness it’s very comfortable to wear, and I’ve washed it twice already with no noticeable fading or bleeding to the colours.

Kitty Holly

Now if Patsy could just start printing on a nice drapey viscose or knit, that’d make my day!

19 thoughts on “A Kitty Holly

  1. Marilla

    Very sweet! The fabric is definitely tricky for dress making, but the print has turned out lovely and I’d say you did good to take your time deciding on the right style for it. Love the last kitty pic!

    1. Katie Post author

      I remember you made a skirt from the first print they brought out. Be great if they can print on more substrates in the future.

    1. Katie Post author

      Ugh it grows so fast and needs a trim again – that’s good fabric money going on my hair instead, dammit!

  2. Amy

    Great print! And holly looks sweet in it. That’s what puts me off digital printing a little. I got to print on silk during my course which is probably too far the other way but a nice drapey viscose would be perfect

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