Sunday 2 November 2014

Hawthorn no. 2 - Blue and white delight

So now we've seen the cheap, slightly rushed, polyester Hawthorn, I'd like to introduce to you this beautiful (there I said it) cotton lawn Hawthorn. I'm really proud of this dress, and despite being constantly told growing up that I should be more modest, I feel like I am allowed to chuck that out the window every once in a while.


I was naughty with this fabric as it didn't meet my SS14 colour scheme at all but it was so pretty and so cheap I couldn't leave it behind. I bought it in Simply Fabrics, Brixton whilst visiting for the By Hand London kickstarter bash. A lovely lady, Barbara, offered me a bed for the night so I could stay a little longer and meet up with some of the girls from NYLon14 the next day. I had some time to kill in the morning and Barbara recommended this shop not top far away. I'll definitely be going back! The fabrics are very good quality and a fantastic price, though the stock changes frequently with what he gets his hands on so it's very much a "pop in and see" kind of place.



This is a gorgeous soft, fine, cotton lawn and was just £3.99 a meter. They also stock liberty fabrics (normally discontinued rolls) at about £12 a meter. I adore the print on this fabric, and this kind of print will feature heavily in my SS15 plans (yes, I'm already thinking about it!).


So onto the dress! 
I wanted to do this dress better than the others. I wanted it perfect inside and out, and bar a couple of wonky stitches (where no-one will see) I'm really very happy with it. 

Would you like to see my insides?




The main seams are all French seams. The facings and waist seam are all bias bound in a soft white binding.

The sleeves are faced with the bias binding also...


...hand stitched down almost invisibly...




...and the hem, also hand sewn, is finished with a sweet blue and white lace trim my grandma gave me.



The best part of finishing everything so carefully is that I know this dress will last a long time. And I really look forward to wearing it summer after summer.




I bought 3m of the fabric which was 57" wide. Sadly I didn't record how much was left but I think it was just under a meter. I gave the rest to a friend who has just bought a house and the colours match her kitchen, so she wants to make some sweet things out of it. 

I also used 4 and a half meters of the bias binding and almost 3 meters of trim for the hem. It's amazing just how much length you can get through, and 3m of hem is a lot of work by hand, but it's so lovely to have an invisible finish. I used to really loathe hand stitching but now I enjoy the process knowing how much better the finish will be. I've also got a lot better at it than when I first started, which helps with the motivation!



My only issue with the dress is that it's a little loose around the waist. With all the bias binding on the inside it's not worth altering, but if/when I make another I'd probably lose an inch or so there.

I've promised myself to get back on the blogging train, and will hopefully be posting weekly from now on. I figured if I say this here then I can be held accountable if I don't! I still have plenty of finished items to share before I start struggling for content, so fingers crossed I can stick to it! 

Until then, I hope you've enjoyed my little Hawthorns :)

5 comments:

  1. Jodie, this is gorgeous! I absolutely love all the finishing details you've added, especially the trim on the hem from your grandma. What a special touch! Hand stitching always takes forever, but I agree that the beautiful finish is worth the effort. Congrats on a spectacular dress! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beautiful dress! I think the fabric was a good choice, very spring-like. And, I love the bound seams. Somehow, when you bind the seams, it just becomes a very 'expensive' garment, doesn't it?

    ReplyDelete
  3. wow I love it! that fabric is beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ooo lovely insides! You've done a fantastic job on this Jodie and should feel proud! It fits beautifully I think

    ReplyDelete
  5. This is gorgeous! The innards are great, and I love the fabric. Perfect for a lovely sunny day!

    ReplyDelete