Pattern release days are the best days (especially when it's so grey and grizzly outside...)! 

It gives us the greatest pleasure to introduce the newest member of the BHL girl gang, and our first ever knit specific pattern - the Poppy top & dress!

Variation 1 made from a viscose slub jersey from Stoff & Stil

Named after, and so expertly modelled by our friend Poppy Chancellor of Poppy's Papercuts fame - if you don't already follow her on instagram / have her book / harbour a major girlcrush on her, you're in for a treat!

Variation 2 made from a stretch velvet from Fabric Godmother

Poppy is a relaxed fit raglan sleeved top or dress designed to be made from knit fabrics, with delicate inverted box pleat shaping at the sleeves. The dress variation is an elegant sheath, featuring fisheye darts front and back, and midi or maxi length hemline options. Sleeve options include short and full length. 

Lightweight knit fabrics with at least 25% stretch such as cotton jersey, viscose jersey, silk jersey. Stable knits such as ponte Roma, hacci sweater, velvet jersey and French terry will work also but will result in a less drapey/slinky garment.

Controversially, some drapey wovens with a little stretch, such as viscose crepe, can also work given the relaxed fit of the top. Make sure that you check the fit with a toile first, and bear in mind that if you want to make the dress variations in a woven, you will have to include a zipper at the back, adding on 5/8” or 15mm seam allowance at the centre back and cutting that back piece as a pair as opposed to on the fold.

Variation 3 made from a snuggly viscose jersey from Stoff & Stil

With this being our first ever knit pattern, we thought we'd seize the moment and make our first proper online video workshop to accompany it! If you've never worked with knits before, the Poppy top & dress video will hold your hand every step of the way, breaking down the making of your Poppy into manageable and approachable chapters that you can watch and re-watch at your own pace, from your own home. You'll learn all the necessary skills and techniques not just for the Poppy, but for any knit garment you go on to make! So watch this space friends, the Poppy online workshop is coming soon - sign up to our newsletter and follow us on Instagram to be the first to know...

As ever, we'd like to extend a huge THANK YOU to all the wonderfully talented people we couldn't do this without - Will Pine on photography, Anna Walker for her beautiful fashion illustrations, Katie Marcus and her technical wizardry, all of our delightful (and patient!) pattern testers, and The Fabric Store for so generously supplying them with fabric. We love you guys!