McCalls 6891 - The Grinder Dress

You know when you are totally engrossed by your sewing project, so much so that you become obsessed, unable to sleep because you are thinking about cutting layouts or buttons?  And where you think about it at work because you just can't stop thinking about it?  Well, that was NOT the case with this dress. I probably started this dress over six weeks ago.  It is linen (of course), and it is a shirtdress (of course).  But inspiration was totally lacking, and I just managed to finish this one by grinding it out.  So I'm calling this the Grinder Dress.

It started out innocently enough.  McCalls released this pattern this spring, number M6891, and it looked sorta easy:

If you look closely, you can see that there is a one-piece collar (no separate stand), no waistband (although there is a waist for easier fitting), no front bands, and only six darts; if you make the sleeveless version (the blue dress in the upper left corner), it should be easy-peasy.  Right?


Blog reader Rachel emailed me back in March, asking me for a recommendation for a shirtdress pattern, as she was planning on making her very first shirtdress, and I recommended this one. (I regret that now, and Rachel, if you are still reading, I am REALLY, REALLY SORRY!  Go make the Colette Hawthorn instead - not only is it easier but there is a sew-along that will help tremendously.)

Still thinking this would be quick 'n easy, I decided to use the wonderful periwinkle linen I got at Mood in December:

So how did it go wrong?  Well, as I was working with the fabric, I decided at some point that this linen was probably a little too light for a dress - it is more blouse weight.  So it wrinkled even worse than what linen is supposed to wrinkle.  It wrinkled just lying on the ironing board.  That isn't the pattern's fault, however, but given that I had already cut it out, I just continued muddling through.  I ground it out.

No, the problem was the collar/front/facing pattern pieces.  So many symbols:  squares, circles, triangles, dots, lines - you get the drift.  The construction technique of this collar was previously unknown to me, and I had a frustrating time trying to figure out how the whole sha-bang went together.   I can't imagine a beginner trying it.  
A sleeveless shirtdress shouldn't be this confusing/difficult.  I finally managed to get it together, and then it sat for several weeks, needing buttonholes, buttons, and hemming.  I procrastinated on all fronts because I knew the hem was going to be a huge PITA and I was right.  The skirt of this thing is a half circle skirt, so it is on the bias at the sides.  Combined with this fabric being a lightweight loose weave linen, I had serious side stretch.  My attempts to put in an even hem were unsuccessful.

So it hung on a hanger for even more weekends, sucking my quality sewing time because I have this completion complex:  I can't work on another project until my current one is done.

Last Saturday, to save my sanity and my hobby, I finally decided to throw money at the problem:  I took this dress to the woman who hemmed my wedding dress and begged her to hem it for me.  Despite her look of horror (she knows bias stretch when she sees it), she only said in her Bulgarian accent, "Next Saturday."

I skipped out of the shop before she changed her mind.  This past Saturday, I picked it up and happily paid her for her trouble.  I wore it to Mass this morning and got the Carpenter to take a photograph before we left and the winkling began:



She did a great job and the twenty bucks I paid her was worth every penny - not just so this dress got done, but because once I subcontracted out the hem, the floodgates of creativity and sewing came pouring out of me and I finished three, count them, three projects since the day I left this dress with her, plus I did a muslin (gasp!) for a project I HAVE become obsessed with. 

Otherwise, there isn't much to say about this dress; I made a size 12.  I added 3/4 inch to the hem for some unknown reason.  I added 1/4 inch to the front side seams of the bodice and skirt, just to make sure the waist was big enough, and I sewed the waist seam just a little less than 5/8 inch just to make extra-super-duper sure there was plenty of room in the waist.  The color is wonderful, and I enjoyed wearing it today, complete with the Gertie-slip I finished Friday night.

So ultimately, what was the problem?  I think I was just bored.  This isn't what I really wanted to be sewing.  (Plus that collar thing really was objectively insane.)

So I'm on to new projects that I keep researching, and compulsively buying supplies, and I'm in the grip of happy obsession.  Fortunately, the Carpenter is tolerant - I haven't been this sewing-crazed since the Tippi Hedren suit!

More to come . . .

McCalls 6696 - Take 2

As you can tell from the Gabriola skirt, I'm obsessed with linen.  While it wrinkles in the wearing, it is a pleasure to sew and wear - it takes high heat steaming/pressing well, and drinks in topstitching beautifully.  Fabrics-store.com was having one of their "get one yard of linen for free" sales so I bought three yards of their color "Meadow" and made another McCalls 6696 shirtdress, this time view "D" with the more narrow skirt with pockets:

I had been waiting to make this version since I saw Handmade Jane's denim dress.  Here's my version:

(Not thrilled about the slightly uneven hemline at the front.)  Here's a closer shot:  I made the cuffs as drafted which The Carpenter described as "Star Trek":

 I've made this dress before, with the pleated skirt, in a quilting cotton, but I don't remember the back being quite this blousy before.  The linen really accentuated the blousy-factor:

 Next time, I will definitely remove some of the width in the back pattern piece to cut down on this poofiness in the back.  It's a little ridiculous.  

In addition to sewing view D this time instead of view B, I used the "C" cup front pattern piece because I felt like last dress I made was a little short in the front, and this might be due to the fact that I needed a larger cup size:

In the end, I don't think I need the "C" cup - I think this dress has a tendency to pull to the back at the shoulders and neck area, causing the front waist to rise up and I don't know why.  I don't know if it is how the dress is drafted, or if there is some alteration that I need to make that I don't know about:

Other than that, I cut and sewed a size 12.  I found, though, that the skirt was a little bit tight, so I let it out as much as I could in the hips, given that I had already trimmed the side seams and finished them with an overlock stitch, so there wasn't much I could let out. It fits, but I want to remember to add a little extra in the hips next time.

I added 1 inch to length, and hemmed with my favorite method, which is using a strip of fabric cut on the bias and then folded in half like french binding.   It gives a nice clean hem, and is an easy way to provide length.  This time, unlike my last version, I remembered to lengthen the front bands so I didn't have to piece them:

 While I had this dress done for ages, it took me awhile to get the buttons on it; all that topstitching and pressing of this wonderful linen ended up being a goodly amount of work, and I really didn't want to put plastic buttons on this dress.  So I splurged for real pearl shell buttons I got at Chadwick Heirlooms:

They weren't cheap - these 10 buttons cost me about $ 18.00.  I can definitely say that when I wear this dress out, I'll be saving the buttons for another project!

 Just like my last version, I added an enormous amount of topstitching that the pattern didn't call for.  As I said above, linen just drinks in topstitching.  It makes for a lovely finish, and helps with subsequent pressing, by keeping everything in place.  All and all, this project was an experiment in using Fabric-store.com's linen and it was nice to work with.  I'm looking forward to wearing this dress this summer!

Happy Labor Day - Patriotic Marian Martin 9212

Happy Labor Day, y'all!  To celebrate, I finished my red, white, and blue vintage patriotic dress this weekend.  This is the dress I set aside to make the Anna Dress, but I spent yesterday getting this one all put together and I impressed The Carpenter into service this morning for photos.

Here's my pattern, Marian Martin 9212:

 I really like the collar and pockets on this one and the size was bust 34, waist 28, which is perfect for me.  There's no date on the pattern, but given that this is a mail order pattern, the postmark shows this was mailed on March 22, 1954:

 And it was sent to Mrs. J.D. Coll here in Richmond, VA, which means I got this pattern several years ago at Bygones when they still carried vintage patterns:

 I had originally planned to use this plaid voile which has been aging quite nicely in my stash:

 But I was concerned that the voile might be too light for the pattern.  Plus, I thought I should break out of my habit of making patterns in the exact design fabric shown on the illustration and think outside the box.  So I found some lightweight cotton sateen in a blue & white colorway I bought from fashionfabricsclub.com many years ago.  

This pattern is unprinted, and I have avoided using unprinted patterns after giving them a try not long after I began sewing. I quickly gave up, and now I realize I just didn't have the sewing experience to deal with them.  Now I do, and I would say I'm a converted big fan.  Here is an example of a pattern piece:

 All the pattern pieces are already cut out (obviously, since there are no lines to show you were to cut), so the whole step of cutting your pattern pieces is eliminated.  As you can see, this is pattern piece number 7:

 You can also see where the notches are already cut out, which is also helpful for marking.  Small holes show your grainline:

 This piece shows it was to be cut out on the bias since the grainline holes are at a 45 degree angle on this pattern piece.  One advantage I discovered with unprinted patterns - the holes for darts, pleats, etc. make it easy to mark your dress on both sides - I suspect the holes made making tailor tacks easier, but they also allow marking by washable marker easier.  

The hem allowances on this pattern were 1/2 inch which I thought would be a challenge for me, but I never forgot.  Like most vintage patterns, though, the instructions were sparse. No interfacing was called for and the button size was not specified. As a beginner, I would have been perplexed by all of this, but now I was able to make the judgment call to use fusible interfacing on the bodice facing where the buttons and buttonholes go.  Also, I chose the buttons I liked and were available rather than what any pattern called for.  Here is the result:

 I think the busyness of this fabric obscured some of the pattern lines.  The front bodice has four pleats and the back has two darts.  The bodice ended up being more blousey than I had originally envisioned:

 Here's a close up of the pocket:

 I really liked the shape of the pocket front, but I felt like the busy navy and white print was going to make it difficult to see, so I used a contrasting red and white polka dot print for the back of the pocket to make the pocket shape stand out.  My original plan was to use red or white piping around the pocket, but that right angle in the middle of the pocket was just too much of a challenge, so I went with the red and white polka dot background for pop.  I was concerned that the red pocket took this dress from "vintage" to "kitchey" but then I decided I didn't care.  I'm wearing it today in honor of our national holiday, although after the photo shoot I took off the pearls and heels and put on some sandals.

Here's a vintagey photo taken by The Carpenter! 

The Lock and Key Dress - Simplicity 6584

The Lock & Key Dress is done! And it took longer than I had planned.  (As per usual.)  I thought this would be a quick, non-complicated, novelty shirtdress, but I ended up putting in way more time than the dress pattern probably warranted:

 

I wrote about it here.  I finished it last night and wore it to work today.  (I find going to work is so much more exciting when I have a new dress to wear.)  So here it is:

And here's the back:

These are the changes I made:

1.  Decreased the waist seam allowances to 3/8 inch to give me one extra inch in the waist.  It fits perfectly now.

2.  Seriously shortened the sleeves.  I probably shortened them by nearly 6 inches when all is said and done.  I originally shortened them by 2 1/4 inches and put the sleeves in but they were miles long and looked like stove pipes.  So I shortened them yet another 3 1/2 inches.  Here's what they looked like before the final whacking:

These things were so long, they hit my elbow!  I estimate that putting in these sleeves and dealing with the length consumed about 2 1/2 to 3 hours of my time .  I seriously considered making this dress sleeveless, but I've reached that Certain Age where I can't regard my upper arms with any degree of acceptance.

3.  Used fusible interfacing instead of sew-in.

4.  Put in machine stitch buttonholes rather than bound buttonholes.  I wasn't about to do nine bound buttonholes . . .

5.  I made the sleeve "cuffs" like the Hawthorn dress.

6.  In addition to the bodice pocket, I put a patch pocket on the right side skirt piece, using the pattern placement on the pattern.  It resulted in a pocket 1/2 inch smaller than the pattern called for, but it is the perfect size to store my employee badge:

This pocket is so cool and I enjoyed using it all day.  I noticed that Trena added a waist loop for her employee badge on one of her dresses (but now I can't find which one); I might have to start adding a pocket to all my shirtdresses!

How you know this is a vintage pattern:

1.  The hem is deeper than modern patterns - 2 1/4 inches.

2.  There is nothing sexy about this dress.  The bodice is loose and not close fitting, the length of the dress is "correct" for the mid 1960s, i.e. just below the knee, and the buttons go all the way down to hem - heaven forbid there be a flash of leg!  Had I been paying attention, I probably would have left off the last one or two buttons.

3.  The instructions for this dress fit on one page which seems pretty typical for the era:

This caused me some consternation.  I'm used to patterns that have an illustration for each step.  I couldn't visualize every step in my mind, so I just took it slow, completing a step, then reading the next sentence, then completing the next step, and so on.  If I sewed as I read, the next step became clear.  This was the only way I got the collar constructed, as this method/collar was not familiar to me.

4.  The front and back skirt side pieces are slightly gathered, which makes altering the dress to fit a lot easier.  If you make any change to the tucks in the back bodice or darts in the front bodice, the skirt doesn't need any corresponding changes - you simply adjust your gathers.

Other notes:  I actually took the time to hand sew (!) a hook and eye closure at the waist to eliminate any gaping at the waist.  I had planned to use gray buttons, but saw these mint green ones, so I got both, and ultimately went with the green.  I got the belt at Target, and you can't see them, but my shoes match my belt.  This color combination of mint green and coral seem to be the "in" colors this summer.  So the dress is vintage, but the colors are up-to-date.  : )

Amazingly, for being such a non-sexy dress, I got compliments all day.  From people I didn't know.  In elevators.  I did enjoy wearing it. It was fun, it was comfortable, and I felt "cute".  This dress ended being one of those that was a PITA to sew, but a pleasure to wear.

So for the future, I'm going to have to look through my remaining shirtdress patterns, see what else is "on deck", and what I should make next!  With the completion of this dress, it was time (past time, really) to take the Bernina to the shop for a tune up; it was starting to skip stitches.  When the Bernina person told me it would be 7 to 10 days before my machine would ready for pick-up, I felt myself start to hyperventilate and wonder why I don't own a back up sewing machine after 11 years of sewing.  But then I remembered that I neglect housework and my husband for the amount of sewing I do now; the last thing I need is an additional machine to sew even more.  I have at least a week's worth of work in putting away patterns, cleaning up fabric, and reorganizing the sewing room.  And the ironing, my God, I have so much ironing to do . . .

Happy sewing, y'all.

Unlocking That Dress

Next time I pledge to blog seven posts in seven days, I need to remember that a sewing blog is different than a slice-of-life blog in that you have to actually sew something to have something to talk about.  Well, you could talk about what other people are sewing, but that will wear thin pretty quickly.  So addition to taking the time to blog, you have add in the time it takes to sew, and that adds up to a lot of time.  Eventually (after 6 days, to be precise), your husband is probably going to need some attention.  : )

So the new shirtdress did not get cut out Friday night.  We are having unusually cool weather for July in Richmond, VA, and The Carpenter and I spend the evening on our back deck listening to the bird calls.

I awoke fresh on Saturday morning to begin my vintage shirtdress from the afore-mentioned "Lock and Key" fabric from Michael Miller.  This was the 1962 pattern I had my eye on:

I was drawn to the pattern for two reasons:  1) it was a shirtdress (obviously), and 2) it was a half-size pattern. You can see it is a size 14 1/2 whose bust size is 35. 

 Erin is big on half size patterns, which seem to be patterns whose bust measurement is "halfway" between two sizes, and whose waist size is slightly larger in proportion than misses sizes.  So, while a size 14 has a 34 bust, and a size 16 has a 36 bust, this 14 1/2 pattern is a 35 bust.  Given that I am a middle aged woman, a little extra in the bust and waist would be welcome without having to make alterations to the pattern.  I'm not entirely sure were I purchased this pattern, but I may have gotten it at Bygones in Carytown.  (Sadly, Bygones underwent a renovation several years ago and the last time I was there they no longer carried vintage patterns.)

After spending the last few weeks pouring over the instructions, I decided to make the slim skirted version to test this pattern - less time, less fabric.  But on Saturday morning, I pulled out the tissue pattern - still in factory folds - and found that the only pattern pieces inside the envelope were the four pattern pieces used to make the full skirt, and the pattern piece for the waist stay.  No bodice pieces, no sleeves, no collar; basically, no pattern pieces that I needed.  So, back to drawing board.

I went through my fairly extensive vintage pattern collection to try to find a shirtdress pattern that only needed three yards of fabric, and I chose this one, Simplicity 6584, from 1966:

I don't know where I got it, but it may have also been Bygones.  The pattern was published in London, and you may notice that it is "suitable for uniforms":

For some, this designation might be a deterrent, but because I am such an enormous sewing geek, I was all over it.  I can see nurses and waitress making this pattern in Britain for work in the 1960s.  I decided to make View 2, which is the short sleeve version with the A-line skirt.  Understandably, I was concerned about whether the pattern pieces were actually contained therein.  Not all of them were; the pockets were missing and so was the sleeve cuff, the waist stay, and the belt.  But thankfully all of the major pieces were there.

The pattern had been used before; the former owner had made the straight skirt version.  In cutting out, I did a little creative layout so I could align all the pattern pieces in the same direction - it's my belief that all fabrics have a nap, and I avoid cutting out pieces "upside down".  There's a little selvage in some of the seam allowances of my dress pieces, but I managed to get the entire dress cut out with the "with nap" layout.

I also decided to add the breast pocket, which I thought was really cute.  The front pattern piece shows the full pocket layout, so all I had to do was trace it to replace the missing pocket pattern piece:

I didn't add seam allowances so my breast pocket is 1/2 inch smaller overall than what the pattern calls for, but I like it a little smaller anyway.  After trying on the bodice, I added 1 inch to the waist by altering the side seams to 3/8 of an inch in the waist area. 

So here it is with no buttons, no edgestitching, no sleeves and no hem:

I really like the breast pocket!

I like this pocket so much, I might have to add one of the skirt pockets to this dress from the scraps, to complete the retro vibe.  

I tried this dress on, pinning the front closed, and it is surprising flattering, given that it is a "uniform".  I'll probably add gray buttons.  I am going to shorten the sleeves and eliminate the large cuff; I think I'll use the faux "cuff" a la The Hawthorn.  Hopefully, I'll finish this one soon.     

I always wonder about the prior owners of my vintage patterns - whether she was a nurse, or whether she used this pattern over and over, how old she was, etc.  I wonder if she was peering over my shoulder as I cut this one out!

What We Wear . . . and Why

Have you seen Sewaholic's newest pattern, the Saltspring dress?  It is absolutely adorable.  And for about five minutes, I looked for the perfect rayon challis to make the maxi dress version and then I remembered I'm forty-nine years old and the dress design, while adorable, is too young for me.  Not wanting to give up, I actually considered making it for Aimee's fifteen year old daughter, who would look so crazy cute in it, but I realized the Selfish Seamstress would feel a great disturbance in The Force if I actually volunteered to sew for someone else.  I reminded myself of the dozen and dozens of patterns I already own that I will never be able to wear because time is flying by and I'll grow so old my arthritic fingers will wither, and I finally regained my senses.

And that got me thinking about what we wear, and what I wear, and what is in fashion. It was a classic sartorial existential crisis, dear readers.  Because, basically, I believe anything goes these days, despite what fashion magazines portray and Target sells. The incredibly popularity of vintage patterns and reissues of vintage patterns are a testament that sewers, at least, pay little attention to Vanity Fair.

And I truly believe that other people do not care one whit what I wear, as long as what I wear is clean and not too revealing.  I would venture to say that my co-workers aren't the least bit surprised by anything I wear because I've been there 20 years and not only have I worn a dress with blue crabs on it, but if I really like something, I literally wear it for years.  I could show up wearing a tiara (and I have) and they barely shoot me a glance.

So how could a cute dress pattern be "too young" and therefore unacceptable?  I don't know, but instinctively I knew it was.  I was deeply struck by Trina's post from some years back about her philosophy of dressing - that her goal was to feel cute every day, and any clothes that didn't produce such feeling were ditched.  Gone were the practical "work clothes" - she wears what makes her happy and makes her feel cute and I think she's right on the money.   Particularly since I believe, as stated above, people do not truly care what others wear.

Any dress that makes me uncomfortable, either physically or emotionally, isn't going to make me feel great about the day.  If I am wearing something "too young" I am going to feel self-conscious, which is the antithesis of "cute".  "Too young" is any dress that makes me feel ridiculous, and that is saying something for someone whose favorite dress has blue crabs on it.  But that dress makes me feel fab (sorry Vicki) and I remember dancing around it the day I finished it.  It's like we were meant for each other.

So I'm passing on the Saltspring maxi dress, even though I know that maxi skirt would feel amazing fluttering in a summer evening breeze, and I'm going with a vintage shirtdress pattern I've been wanting to try for several years because 2013 is the Year of the Shirtdress.  And after seeing Erin's dress, I am making it in Michael Miller's "Lock and Key":

So yeah, the Saltriver dress is too young for me, but I'm going to be wearing a 1962 shirtdress that has keys on it.  Which just demonstrates that "appropriateness" is all relative, dear readers.  We live in a era where we each get to decide what is right for us, whether it is the latest from Michael Kors or whether it is a 1950s wiggle dress we sewed ourselves, and no one cares.

In a perfect world, I'll cut this baby out tomorrow night so I can just start sewing Saturday morning after my cup of tea and chocolate for breakfast while I watch "This Old House".  Because that is how I roll, people.

Liberty Hawthorn!

I've been wanting to make a shirtdress from Liberty's Tana Lawn since I saw Gertie's version in her new book.  But Liberty's lawn fabrics run about $ 36 to $ 46 dollars a yard, depending on whether you buy online or at a brick-and-mortar, so I didn't want to spend that kind of money on a sub-standard pattern.  Enter the Holy Grail of shirtdress patterns, the Hawthorn shirtdress pattern that I blogged about here.  (Oh my love for you is true, Hawthorn!)

Having found the perfect pattern, I had to move on to the perfect Liberty fabric.  Many Liberty fabrics are small scale, which are perfect for blouses, but seem to be a little busy for dresses.  I finally settled for Liberty's "Mabelle" I ordered from B&J Fabrics:  

 With my linen version being essentially a test version, I was looking forward to this Liberty lawn version to confirm that size 6 was the proper size.  It was.  Here's the back:

 Pay no attention to those wrinkles on my back - it's just how I am standing.  Here's a close up of the collar and the fabric:

With this busy pattern, the collar doesn't quite stand out like my white linen test version.  I still love it.

As with the linen version, I cut both skirt pieces on the fold and used a 12 inch zipper on the left side to allow myself to get in and out of the dress, reducing the number of buttons from 13 to 5.  Essentially, you only need buttons for the bodice.

Unlike my last post, where I was so besotted by my love for this pattern, I couldn't form a coherent pattern review analysis, I've managed to calm down enough today to make a few considered observations:

1.  If you cut your skirt pieces on the fold like I did (my previous post shows your how, here), you can make the complete bodice before attaching the skirt, including making the buttonholes, attaching the buttons, and sewing in the sleeves.  As a matter of fact, the last thing you would do is attach the skirt, put in the zipper, and hem it.  All the work is in the bodice.

2.  I would recommend that you edgestitch your collar before you attach it to bodice - it will help you maintain the roll of your collar so the undercollar won't show.  I didn't do this for the white linen dress, and the process of attaching it allowed my collar pieces to shift.

3.  If you cut your skirt pieces on the fold, you can finish the unfinished facing edge before you attach it to the bodice.  Like the collar, this is much easier if you do it before than after.

4.  I put the sleeves in flat from notch to notch before I sewed the bodice side seams.  Rather than put in gathering stitches from notch to notch, I just used a lot of pins, and then sewed from notch to notch.  Then I sewed the side seams of the bodice.  Then I sewed the sleeve side seams.  THEN I finished putting the sleeves in the round.  It sounds complicated, but I like it better.

5.  The "cuffs" of the sleeves are just bias strips initially sewn to the wrong side of the sleeve, then flipped to the right side and edgestitched to the right side of the sleeve.  Do yourself a favor, and press the top edge 1/4 inch before you attach it, rather than after.  It's easier to press while flat than in the round.

6.  Ready made wide bias hem tape is a lifesaver on this semi-circle skirt - I recommend it for your sanity.  

7.  The instructions tell you to staystitch your bodice pieces first thing after cutting out, which I never do.  You really need to do this for this pattern - the front bodice collar edges are on the bias.  Do as I say, not as I do and staystich them!

What else?  I'm sure I have way more thoughts, but they will have to wait for my next version.  If you make a Hawthorn, let me know; I would love to see it!

Oh Hawthorn, I Love Thee . . .

I am seriously in love.  As soon as I saw Collette Patterns' new shirtdress, the Hawthorn, I ordered it immediately.  I have never made a dress from Collette although I have admired them from afar.  But you know that nothing gets between me and the search for the perfect shirtdress pattern.

It's the collar, the darling collar on this dress that knocks me out.  As soon as I saw it, I knew I wanted to make it in white linen.  I've been wanting to make something this summer in white linen ever since I saw Peter's white linen trousers.  So while waiting for the pattern to arrive, I bought some white linen at Hancock's.  The fact that I have never sewn with linen was no impediment; I was obsessed with this project from the get-go.  I made a size 6 based on the finished garment measurements and never looked back - no muslin, no tracing - throwing all caution to the winds!  Here it is:

I don't normally wear my hair up, but I wanted to make sure you got a good view of the collar, the major reason I made this dress:

As you can see, linen tends to wrinkle:

The linen I chose is not an even-weave; it has stripes running through it, with little dots between the stripes:

Let me tell you that this type of weave does not lend itself to precise cutting, sewing, or pressing.  It probably would have been smarter to begin with an even-weave linen for my first linen project, but no, I had to have this.  Given the loose weave, the fabric had a tendency to stretch - which was great while putting in the sleeves, not so good for everything else.

One thing you may have noticed is that my Hawthorn does not have buttons from collar to hem; the buttons only go to the waist.  I cut both the front and back skirt pieces on the fold of the fabric so as to create a smooth front and back.  I put a 12 inch zipper on the left side to help get in and out of the dress, which is how Simplicity 1880 worked:

I again went with a centered slot zipper rather than the invisible.  I have tried to love invisible zippers, but I just can't cotton to 'em.

To hem the dress, the instructions direct you to turn up the hem 2 inches and slipstitch in place, and I thought, "Nope, not going to do that."  The skirt on this dress is a half circle skirt - turning it 2 inches requires major easing to get the hem to lay flat.  Plus, I liked those two inches.  And this uneven weave doesn't exactly press so accurately. So I picked up some extra wide single fold bias hem tape at Joanns to hem this baby, and all I can say, is "wow, why haven't I ever used this stuff before?"

It worked like a dream and was much faster.  I love it.  The hem tape is part cotton, part polyester, and gives the hem a little more body, which for this drapey fabric, is a plus.

My decision not to make the dress with buttons all the way to the hem stemmed from several factors, not the least of which was laziness.  By limiting the buttons to the bodice portion of the dress it reduced the number of buttons (and buttonholes from 13 to 5!) Plus, it eliminated any possibility of gaposis at the waist, which I hate, or any possible wardrobe malfunction.  Here's how to draft the skirt pieces if you want to do this:

For the back skirt, all you need to do is eliminate the 5/8 inch back center seam allowance and cut on the fold.  Here you can see I positioned the pattern 5/8 inch from the fold:

For the front skirt, you just need to determine where the center of the skirt pattern is and place that on the fold.  For this pattern, the skirt center front is where the buttons are to be located, which Collette so thoughtfully indicated on the pattern.  Just align the fold of your fabric where the buttons are supposed to go:

I hope you can see this.  Just one word of advice though:  cutting on the fold for the skirt pieces is only going to work if your fabric is a wider width of 52 inches or greater.  If you are working with 45 inch wide fabric, you are going to have to cut the skirt pieces separately, adding seam allowances, and then sew the back and front center seams to create your back and front skirt pieces, like Simplicity 1880.

When I first saw these photos, I thought maybe size 6 was a little large, but I realized that this drapey linen was not a fair test of fit.  I love this pattern so much, I have deemed it Liberty fabric worthy, and have made a Liberty lawn version which confirmed that size 6 was the correct size, and any looseness in the linen dress is due to the fabric, not the pattern size.  (Photos of the Liberty version are mysteriously locked in my camera - I can't get them to download, but will keep working on it.)

Collette is having a dress sew-along for the Hawthorn, and check out these wonderful versions from sewing bloggers who have already made this dress:

1.  Erica's cute blue sleeveless dress.

2.  Sanne's adorable polka dot blouse.

3.  The Lazy Seamstress' yummy rose dress.

4.  Katrina's unique heart version.

5.  Elizabeth's cool floral blouse.

6.  Z's test version - wow, is she tall and thin!

7.  Amazingtaracat's longer dress version - with swimmers on it.

8.  Melanie's blue bird seersucker dress.

9.  Kristin's pirate head dress.

10.  The Queen City Stitcher's red seersucker dress.

11. Daniela's dress with contrast collar and sleeves.

I can't overstate this:  I want this dress in every color and fabric imaginable.  I have another linen dress planned (sleeveless this time) and at least two blouse versions dancing in my head.  It might be the perfect shirtdress pattern, but I am taking a break to try out another vintage pattern soon.

Update:  I've posted on my Liberty version here!