I hope you had a good break. I spent lots of time sewing during in the last few weeks. I just came back from China in early December with lots of goodies (mainly haberdashery) and can’t wait to use them all. But for now, here is my review of Colette’s Hawthorn Dress.
It’s a popular pattern in 2013. I've had it in my stash for long time. This is also my first time to sew Colette. I am not used to reading the 20+ pages of instruction. I just flipped through for the illustrations and thought of the steps as I went. You may have a different view, but for me their instructions are too pedantic.
The style
I really like the collar and the neckline. I happen to have
a jumper that fits perfectly to the neckline of the dress. The skirt is very
flaring. I wanted to make this dress because it reminds me of what Bernadette often
wears on The Big Bang Theory.
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| Bernadette Style... Cute geeky look |
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| Back and side view |
The Size
I cut size 4 and graded to 6 from waist. I always knew
Colette’s Pattern is more for busty women, but I underestimated how busty it
was intended for. I am a B cup chest, and followed the chart to pick size 4. I
thought I would be safe and did not make a muslin. Well… I was wrong. The front
bodice ended up having a bit too much fabric for me. When I wore it to work, my
friend pointed it out straight away for me (red face). I needed a SBA! Well…
Lesson learnt – absolutely make a fitting muslin on all Colette dresses. I shortened
the Skirt by 1 inch.
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| Not happy with the excess fabric on the front bodice |
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| SBA done… only after I have made the dress |
The Fabric
I used 2.1m (2.3yard) Japanese Lawn (112cm width) from
Spotlight. For a size 4, The amount is much less than the yardage on the
envelope. The lawn is good quality and I like a dotted blue floral pattern very
much. It’s very light and drapey. In that sense, the skirt doesn’t have a big volume
but is very flowy.
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| Pattern Layout for the bodice and facings |
What’s next?
There were lots of sales and specials during Christmas
time and I am sure lots of you must've grabbed some bargains. I bought some Colette
Patterns at 30% off and McCall’s Patterns for $5 each. I am making a couple of
them at the moment and hopefully I can finish soon.
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| Rue, McCall's M7116 and Aster |
