A Stitching Odyssey: Completed: Neolithic Hawthorn

Are you sitting pretty? Good, because I'm about to wax lyrical about my latest make - Colette Patterns' Hawthorn. As soon as I saw it, it was love at first sight - the fitted bodice, front button closure, flattering semi-circle skirt and the sweet collar! The silhouette has such a retro feel!

Not only did I instantly fall in love with the pattern, I knew exactly what fabric I wanted to pair it with - a unique seersucker gifted to me by the extraordinary Karen at a swap last year. I'm so glad I 'sat' on this fabric for so long, because it quite literally is perfect for this dress! I love the uneven stripes and hunting pattern. It reminds me of drawings found in ancient caves, maybe even Neolithic?!? Keen historians among you are probably cringing at my ignorance, so please do enlighten me if I'm saying something completely stupid.

I'm really pleased at how well I managed to match the stripes down the front, side and back seams. Because of the semi-circle skirt, the stripes create a cool chevron effect down the skirt side seams.

And the collar...oh, the collar! It's so sweet and low enough to show off the collar-bone, which is always flattering. The design also creates a cute little 'V' at the front...perfection! The best thing is that the collar is edge-stitched and top-stitched into place, so it sits perfectly.

Onto juicy fit and construction details and in both respects, I can honestly say Hawthorn is a dream. I know that sometimes Colette patterns get criticised for their extra ease which can lead to gaping necklines and whatnot. But, as Jo has already said, it seems like they're always paying attention and making improvements. I kid you not friends, but after cutting out a size 6 the ONLY adjustments I made to this pattern were to shorten the bodice pieces by my standard 1 inch and to take 3 inches off the hemline. That's literally it and I hope you'll agree it's a pretty good fit!

In terms of construction, this was a breeze! The minimal pattern pieces matched up perfectly and the dress comes together surprisingly fast. The most time-consuming part is lining up the buttonholes and buttons, but as part of the Hawthorn sewalong there's a post dedicated solely to this if you're feeling nervous.

Hawthorn is the perfect summer dress, it's casual yet chic and wearing it makes me feel so feminine! I'm already eyeing up some polka dot seersucker in my stash for the blouse variation and I've got my heart set on a colder-weather version made from either the Sorbet or Strawberry chambray from The Village Haberdashery...YUM! 

I wore my Neolithic Hawthorn to work the other day and I got SO MANY compliments. Like, a ridiculous amount...so thank you Colette Patterns and thank you Karen! I made this with the sole intention of taking it on holiday with me next week, but I love it so much that I'm now tempted to enter the Colette Pattern Contest.

Have you made this dress yet and are you entering it into the contest? If not, are you tempted at all by the design?