I'm going totally backwards here and posting my first Hawthorn after my second one! This dress was finished about two weeks ago, but then it rained forever and I got busy with commissions and work and my contest dress. So today I finally decided to get pictures while we still have some sun out!
I fell in love with that sleeveless white seersucker version from the promotional photos the minute I saw the announcement from Colette! I knew I'd have to make one just like it. It's the perfect summery dress!
I was swooshing around trying to show off that circle skirt when a breeze just happened to blow by. First time that's ever worked out for me! Usually I'd just have a camera full of pictures of me with one half-close eye and a dumb expression on my face. Good times!
I love how nice and swishy this version turned out! I underlined it with plain white cotton muslin.
I found out the hard way that it is totally possible to press the
texture right out of that seersucker! I did test it out before sewing
and it bounced back every time. But when I had to press each side for 15
seconds for the interfacing...well, it went flat and didn't return even
after washing. Luckily, this isn't really noticeable and only happened
along the button placket.
One of the perks of working at a sewing store is that I'm encouraged to bring projects to work on at the store. There is a lot of downtime - we may not have a customer for an hour, but then suddenly 10 people will walk in! So we get busy in spurts. But having us sewing also helps get customers interested in what we're making and helps show off our machines. So I actually finished this dress up at work!
Since I'm learning all the ins and outs of the embroidery machines we sell, I decided to make a label for my dress. I feel fancy!
I used a catchstitch to secure the facings down. This was my first time doing this and I'm not totally sure I did it right since I was working purely from memory. I probably should have just made it more narrow. But it does its job well!
My new favorite trick for hemming a circle skirt is to use Flexi Lace. A lady at JoAnn recommended this to me years ago when I asked how the heck you're supposed to hem these things, but of course I didn't listen. It didn't make sense to me at the time, but I am now officially a convert. I actually stitched the lace right sides together to the bottom of the skirt, flipped it to the inside, pressed, and then blind stitched it by machine. I was sure that it would pucker up like crazy but - it didn't! It's magical! Flexi Lace for everyone!
Sorry if this was picture overload. Is it obvious how much I love the Hawthorn? Despite all my issues with adjusting the fit. Which I will, hopefully, have time to offer more advice on later. Actually, this is my only advice: Don't use the SBA tutorial on the Coletterie! (I still love you anyway, Colette Patterns)
Labels: colette patterns, dress, hawthorn, sewing
