Border Print Hazel

Work travel prevented me from doing much sewing this week, as well as getting a post in on time last Sunday. Look for a post later this week as a peace offering.

One thing I pride myself on is the ability to learn from my mistakes. The Colette Hazel pattern is one I've used three times now, and I think this is the first time I got it right. My straps were way off on my first attempt a couple of years ago. And the version I sewed last summer still had bust fitting issues. But, now armed with the knowledge I need to do a Low Bust Adjustment, this time it fits much better.

The fabric is a border print cotton sateen I picked up from Joann Fabric, part of the Gertie fabric collection. Confession: when I saw her fabric line, I snapped up a few yards of most of the patterns without much thought to what I would use it for (some impulse buy shoes, I buy fabric. It's a problem.) This fabric, however, I knew immediately I wanted to use to make a Hazel. I wasn't happy the first two times I tried the pattern, but I knew this fabric would make for a gorgeous version of the dress once I ironed out the final fit issues. My pattern pieces already had the FBA alterations I made a few years ago, so all I needed to do was shift the bust dart down a couple of inches and I was good to go.

I highly recommend this pattern to any of you busty girls like me out there. The straps are nice and wide to hide any bra straps that would show on a normal summery dress, and the princess seam on the front bodice is very forgiving. It is one of their older patterns though, so it only goes to a size 18, so bear that in mind.

My only real problem with the problem is the front facing. If you interface it, it looks really weird, and worse, feels uncomfortable lying against your chest. I ended up trimming it down to a half inch and then top-stitching it down the first couple of attempts on this pattern, but I didn't want any stitching along those beautiful roses in the front. I omitted the interfacing this time around, which helped, but the facing still kept rolling up half an inch above my bust line all day when I wore it. I plan on carefully catch stitching it down and will report back on how it works out. If anyone is reading this, and has any suggestions on how to fix this problem with the pattern, please let me know.

Next on my list: the Amy Butler Mini Dress.