The Facts
Fabric: 4 yards of cotton print $30, 4 yards of white Kona cotton $12
Pattern: Colette Chantilly ~$12 on sale
Year: Contemporary
Notions: 1 14” invisible zipper $1.50
Time to Complete: Just under 6 hours
First worn: In Hawaii
Wear again: When the weather warms up
Total Price: $55.50
This dress was the fourth garment that I was able to complete in March and was one of the items that I was determined to complete before my trip to Oahu. I recently purchased the Chantilly pattern on sale; I had put off owning it because it used up so much fabric and I wasn’t looking forward to all of the gathers in the bodice. I always think gathers are going to be worse than they are and the dress itself came together surprisingly fast considering you basically make two dresses as it’s fully lined.
Ultimately I like the fullness that the fabric gives to the fully lined dress. The bodice was substantial because of all of the gathers and the skirt ends up fairly full as well. Luckily I rarely have to make adjustments to Colette’s patterns and this one ended up fitting perfectly.
I wore the dress to a luau on one of my last night’s on the island. The weather was perfect - the wind had died down for the evening and we had great views of the beach and nearby mountains. The luau itself was fun... I’ve only been to one as a kid and one several years ago with my hubby, but for some reason we left early... It was on Kauai and I think it was extremely crowded and hard to see the stage or something... I don’t really remember. The food was delicious and the dancing was fun the watch. I did hula for a short while as a kid - and I always enjoy watching it. I’d love to take it up again but I just don’t have the time with my Irish and Scottish dancing.
Now I write this from my plane back home, where the weather is at least 10 degrees cooler than Hawaii. But it makes me look forward to the summer and warmer weather. It was a great trip and a true vacation. I tried surfing and stand-up paddle boarding, spend tons of time at the beach, snorkeling, swimming and just laying out, all in the company of good friends. Though I did get some interesting tan lines which were unfortunately very evident in this dress... and which I didn’t realize I had until I was out and about.
Once I get home it’s time to evaluate what my next projects will be! I’d like to plan a couple in conjunction with upcoming Sew Weekly challenges and continue working on my stash busting - especially since I acquired some new fabric from the meet-up. I also want to get in an item or two for the Sew Cinematic sewalong and plan my next Sew Colette item.
What projects are on your crafting plates? Are you following any sew/knit-alongs?
What I Watched:
Some of Scrubs Season 3
