Colette Hawthorn

When I won three printed patterns from Patternsy, I asked for recommendations in the Seamwork/ Colette library since I had no clue which patterns to add to my collection! I had a few people suggest the Hawthorn. I never really thought much about it before but when I started looking into it I knew I had to make one. I ended up making two! I made the sleeveless shirtdress option and the short sleeve peplum top.

I made the dress first. I picked up this blue plaid cotton at a local fabric store knowing it would make a nice summer dress. After I made the dress, I had a vintage floral cotton I found recently that I knew would make a great top since there wasn’t a lot of it. The floral reminds me of a Liberty print! I ended up making the top right after the dress since the pattern was still out on my work table (not crumpled into a ziplock bag…) and the instructions were fresh in my mind.

I felt that they were both easy to sew and the instructions were clear. The only issue I had was with the buttonholes. My machine still likes to malfunction on those. For every 2 or 3 I did, the machine would forget what it is was doing or make the buttonhole super tiny. I’m happy to say I purchased a Bernina over the weekend and I’m hoping these problems are behind me.

Now, although I really like my finished garments- I have to admit there is a fit issue around the arms and the bodice. I feel like the arm holes need to be larger for me and maybe the bodice needs to be taken in a bit. I really should have made a muslin for this, and I’m sure you’re wondering why I made the second one identical to the first one. I guess I thought I made a mistake somewhere. I think they are both wearable and I’m not sure I’d be interested in taking them apart to make them fit better. I’m curious if anyone else had these issues.

I definitely am considering making another one- the long sleeve dress version in the fall. Hopefully I can sort out the fit issues by then.

After receiving my patterns from Patternsy, I decided I am never printing and taping together a pattern from home ever again! I placed a big order from PDF plotting because I wanted to try them out. They are both good options. I do like the tissue paper Patternsy uses over the standard white paper I received from PDF Plotting. With all of these PDF patterns comes an issue… how to store them! I’m thinking a binder with plastic inserts. I would love to hear any suggestions! I currently have them in ziplock bags but it’s become quite messy since I don’t have anything to store the bags in and I have to dig to find what I was looking for.

Lots of projects in the queue. Hopefully I will be back soon with my next make!

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Royal Wedding Sew Along (Simplicity 8591)

Ok… so this dress. I’m obsessed. I came across this fabric at an antique center on Friday and the Simplicity 8591 pattern immediately popped in my head because there’s a version for striped fabric. I’m pretty sure it’s a cotton sateen. It has a soft touch and has a bit of weight to it. The colors and pattern on it are so dreamy!

I realized I still had time to enter the Royal Wedding Sew Along Contest so this went straight to the top of my sewing to do list. I cut it out on Saturday night, spent maybe 4 hours on it on Sunday and did finishing touches on Monday. I can’t believe how quickly it came together. I thought for sure I’d be racing to finish it by the deadline.

Now for the pattern… The shape is lovely. I made a size 6, graded to an 8 in the waist. I’m very happy with the fit. The skirt is so full! It has a front panel and a side/back panel on each side. There’s a band that wraps around near the bottom as a decorative touch. This pattern is so fun for a striped fabric. I took extra care to make sure I cut everything out correctly and tried to pattern match the best I could.

I’m completely in love with how it turned out. I only wish I was really going to the Royal Wedding so I’d have somewhere to wear it!

Merry Christmas!

I hope you have a wonderful holiday!

Merci

The trees are losing all their leaves and I don’t think we’ll have much of these beautiful colors left for much longer. It pretty much feels like winter now. I’m not looking forward to taking outfit photos in these cold temperatures!

I don’t normally shop at Old Navy but I randomly went in there last month and was pleasantly surprised with their sweaters. I found this one on sale for less than $15 that day! I couldn’t resist with the price and the cute “Merci” on the front. I also picked up the cardigan from this post. I was happy when I realized it matched this vintage skirt! I’ve had it for years but I hardly ever wore it since I didn’t have many tops that go with it.

Sweater: Old Navy | Chambray shirt: Target | Skirt: Vintage

Rockport, MA

We were a little late in booking our trip to Salem so nearly every place to stay was booked up. We opted to stay about a half hour away on the coast in this cute little town called Rockport. I was so pleasantly surprised with our choice. The water and the streets were so picturesque. There’s a street that goes right down to the water just lined with shops. We strolled around for a bit, grabbed a fish dinner and ate some ice cream. Unfortunately everything closed very early so we weren’t able to go in some of the shops we wanted to. I think it’s because it was the off season for a coastal town.

Michael and I love visiting new towns and exploring around. I wish we were able to do it more but I’m always happy when we have a chance. I’m so glad we picked this town to stay in and I would definitely think about going back!

I was a little overdressed when the sun was shining but I was glad to have this sweater when the sun went down. I’m wearing all vintage or things I bought many years ago.

A Picnic in the Park

Yesterday was a beautiful day- warm and breezy. It was a perfect day for a picnic to say goodbye to summer. Michael and I packed up some sandwiches and blankets and headed to the park. We ate, read and relaxed under this tree for hours.

I found the dress I’m wearing on Saturday for only $5 at the flea market! It was peeking out under a pile of clothes as we were walking to our car. I’m so glad I looked! I packed up my summer wardrobe over the weekend, so it will be autumn colors and outfits from here on out.

Dress: vintage |Shoes: Swedish Hasbeens