Planning My Hawthorn Dress

Oh, I was practically cartwheeling with excitement when I saw Hawthorn!  What an amazing frock, no?  And so versatile, which is what we have come to expect from Colette Patterns.  I have to tell you that I have been unsuccessfully searching and searching for a shirtwaist dress pattern with no luck.  Several yards of fabric have been sacrificed in this quest, sadly.  But, no more! 

I am really looking forward to the Hawthorn sew along and wanted to share my plans with you.  I am going to make version 3, which is just perfect for summer.  As it is such a spectacular pattern, I felt it deserves an equally spectacular fabric:

Lorene Carnes - Glamour Girls

I was pretty excited when I saw this fabric collection at Hawthorne Threads.  The prints remind me of Rochelle and her lovely sense of style.Now I know there is a school of thought out there that quilting cotton is not suitable for apparel.  I heartily disagree!  My clothes need to be durable, as well as pretty, and I've found nothing better wearing than quilting cotton.  Plus, I just love all the prints you can choose from.  Me, I'm firmly in the Quilting Cotton for Clothes Camp.

Are you making Hawthorn?  What version?  What fabrics have you planned? 

New from Colette Patterns: Hawthorn

I wait with baited breath for each pattern release from Colette Patterns.  As Sarai decided to have monthly pattern releases this year, it's just upped the excitement factor even more!

Imagine my delight when Sarai contacted me and offered a sneak peak of her newest pattern in exchange for blogging about it on release day.  Sounds like a win-win to me!  I mean, who wouldn't give their eye teeth for a sneak peek and then the opportunity to share?

Exactly.

Allow me to happily present Hawthorn.  A very pretty shirtwaist dress pattern with a Colette Patterns twist.  Isn't the model pretty?  I find that Colette Patterns photoshoots always fire my inspiration.  In fact, almost all of my summer sewing plans are with Colette!

As always, Sarai has made sure to include variations to suit every season and style.  I will definitely be sewing up a summer version of this dress once I reorganize my sewing queue.  I am thinking this fabric will be just perfect!

I really love the delicate features of Hawthorn: the petite collar, lovely showcasing of buttons, and prettily flared skirt.  For fall and winter, I'm thinking a delectable wool flannel version would be just the thing.  Or a plaid version with a bias cut skirt.

And check out the blouse version!  Hello, adorable peplum!! I love how you emphasize my waist and make me feel all flirty and fabulous.  Why, yes, you will definitely be added to my cool weather queue.

I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of my printed Hawthorn and a little bird told me that a sew-along is in the works!! So exciting, no?  I am definitely joining.  Will you?

Visit Colette Patterns today and snap up your copy of this classic wardrobe staple.   In my opinion, no stitchers' library is complete without it!

Me Made May: Days 18-31

May 18, 2013
I was delighted to have been invited to one of my dear friend's wedding and wore my eShakti Allison dress in hot pink, complete with petticoat and handmade twisted rose necklace.  The wedding was spectacular - much like one of those elegant television weddings you always wish you could attend.  A glorious day and night!

May 19, 2013
A bedtime of 2:30 a.m. made its effects felt the next day!  I was, however, prepared with one of my favourite 'new' Hazel dresses.  Remember this one?  Thanks to Roisin and her Etoile dress, I took apart my botched dress and remade it, being sure to recut the bodice and add a full skirt.  

May 20, 2013
I spent the day sewing and, consequently, wore a very comfortable teal knit dress from ModCloth.

May 21, 2013
My Shelburne Hazel made its debut!  I just love this dress! The fabric is so pretty and the ric rac trim makes me smile.  I wore my Triple Leaf Lace cardigan, as it was a bit cool.

May 22, 2013
A day of running errands called for a comfortable outfit.  I wore my multi-stripe Renfrew and my denim Simplicity 3688 skirt.

May 23, 2013
One of my favourite dresses is this pink polka dot number by Emily & Fin, which I snapped up at the end of last summer for $34 from ModCloth.  It was a spectacular deal for such a well-made frock (it's fully lined!).  I paired it with my vintage beaded cardigan that I've had for years.  

May 24, 2013
One of my repeat outfits this month: Eva Dress 3322 sailor trousers, thrifted red striped shirt, and cream sloper cardigan.

May 25, 2013
The second repeat outfit: my Aloha Dress (knit Simplicity 3673) and my coral cardigan picked up for $8 from Old Navy.

May 26, 2013
A hot day called for a cool cotton gauze dress thrifted last summer and my new Mother's Day Birkenstocks.

May 27, 2013
My new Blue Ribbon dress has its first outing.  As I had said in my previous post, I am really quite happy with this dress, despite the off centre ric rac that the back.

May 28, 2013
I had a marathon sewing session over the weekend and my Church Picnic dress was one of the things I made.  I have loved Heather Bailey's Nicey Jane collection for quite some time.  When her Church Flowers print went on sale at Hawthorne Threads, I snapped up 3 yards for a song.  As you can see from the drawing, it's the same style of dress as the Blue Ribbon.  I really like the look of the bodice/midriff band paired with a full skirt.

May 29, 2013
Another busy day had my Market Skirt pressed into service.  A comfy white tee and pink headscarf finished my outfit.

May 30, 2013
I am a bit behind in my Fashionary drawings, but wore my Wildwood Flower dress and coral cardigan.  It was so nice to receive compliments on my outfit!

May 31, 2013
Another favourite white tee and my Betty Boop circle skirt were the items of choice today.  I went to August 8 with my dear friend D and our plan was to eat until we exploded! We put away an impressive amount of delicious sushi and then took a stroll downtown.  I was delighted to see that we were very close to Needlework and the lovely ladies invited us in, even though it was well past closing.

I have to say that Needlework is a local treasure!  If you are in the Hamilton area, please do make a trip to this lovely shop.  I was delighted to see Colette Patterns prominently displayed and the array of fabrics, independent patterns, and books was more than enough to get my crafty heart pumping!  I came away with 2.5 m each of Rosy Blooms and May Peony.  One of them will definitely be made into a Rooibos.

FO: The Blue Ribbon Dress

Oh, I feel good in this dress!  You know one of those makes when you just feel like you've done a great job and the end results is much better than you imagined? That's my Blue Ribbon Dress.

This is originally inspired by Roisin's Shepherd's Bush Sweetheart dress.  I loved the colour and my abiding love for polka dots is well known here!  I snapped up the fabric at my local fabric store for $3/m.  Hah!  As with many of my makes, it's a mish-mash of pattern and self-drafting.  The bodice is from my perennial favourite - Simplicity 3673- and the midriff band is simply the band pattern piece cut on the fold and tweaked for the idea fit.  The skirt is a simple gathered dirndl.

The idea for the midriff band came from a pretty dress Veronica Darling has stitched up a while ago.  It's a design of hers that has stuck in my mind ever since.  As I have been so lucky to have some marathon sewing sessions lately, this dress was the result of the most recent.

I didn't quite line up the ric rac at the zipper, which does drive me nuts looking at this photo, I must admit.  Thankfully, my head does not turn 180 degrees, so there is hope I will get over it! Ha ha!  I wore this today as part of Me-Made May 2013.  My mother-of-pearl necklace was a wonderful find at a local second hand shop for $7.

I'm at the point my hair when I don't know if I should grow it out like Jenny Lee or crop it like Audrey Hepburn.  Thoughts?