Hazel time
Whew - after the mega-posting month that was May, I guess I needed a little break! But I have finished off a few projects in the last couple of weeks, one of which is Colette Patterns Hazel.
I have to admit that after whipping up quite a few Colette Patterns last year (Sencha, Clover, Macaron, Iris), I have come to the conclusion that they are not really my style. The Clovers come the closest, but their fit is just not working, and I'm happier drafting my own trousers than wrestling with a pattern that needs so many adjustments! But I did have an unused pattern left in my arsenal from last summer, Hazel. And I love it!
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| It was tricky to photograph a white dress - but I hear white is very on-trend, no? |
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| The bodice - I was really inspired by a striped version on flickr. Although my stripes go the other way. I had quite the dilemma deciding which direction they should go. |
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| Here you can really see the fabric pattern - and the overly perky darts! |
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| Hmm - maybe I could have used a bit more ease back there... |
Pattern adjustments: pinched out about 1/2" from the upper portion of the side back seams, and another generous half inch from the bust on the centre front & side front. Lengthened skirt 2". Lined bodice instead of using facings, and left out the pockets (I almost always have a bag with me). Tried to get the dart tips to behave, but no matter where I moved them, they looked worse. So they went back to the original pattern placement.
Although I don't time my sewing, this was a super quick make. The most time-consuming part was placing the straps - pin, try on, try and adjust, take off, repin, try on, and on, and on...
The bodice of this pattern is very short (great for me, but you average and longer torso-ed girls may want to lengthen it).
I feel very Anthro in this dress, especially with a belt. I've been consciously trying to take advantage of accessories lately, and I have not one, but two belts that work with this dress, belts that were just lingering in a drawer, waiting for the perfect dress.
Summer has finally begun - the season of the sundress! I'm looking forward to seeing some out there in blogland - what are people working on?
LOvely dress ,Chloe! It does look like an Anthro dress ESP with the prints you choose.
ReplyDeleteI've had similar issues with long darts that end in wrong places ... I've since learnt to shorten them keeping the same end points for the dart legs but the end point is moved back 1 inch or more away from bust point and the darts are redrawn.
Bust Darts are hard to get right. The points should end one inch away from the apex of your bust. I find pressing with a ham can make them turn out better than expected too.
ReplyDeleteI just finished a stripy knit dress for summer.
Thanks ladies - I may tackle this pattern again, I think the short length of the darts (they are barely 1 1/2" long!) just didn't give me much to work with. Maybe I can somehow eliminate them entirely!
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