Collarless Hawthery Dress for OWOP 2014

My second and final make for OWOP 2014 (One Week, One Pattern) may be considered sacrilegious by some, because surely the collar is one of the sweetest things about the Hawthorn pattern?!? As much as I agree with that sentiment, I really wanted to try out a collarless version that would be easier to wear with cardigans. And guess what? I love it for its simplicity and versatility, aided by the pretty neckline and my gorgeous raspberry chambray.

I'm calling this dress a Hawthery (oooh, snazzy!), because I decided to replace Hawthorn's circle skirt with the gathered, A-line Emery skirt. This was pretty easy to do - the back skirt piece is cut on the fold and I cut two front skirt pieces after adding the Hawthorn button placket to the centre front. The placket was very nearly the right length as well!

As I said before, what keeps this dress from being boring is the lovely neckline detail. As I was feeling less lazy than usual I decided to further embellish it with one of my machine's decorative stitches and also went to town on the armholes and hem. Be warned that I may now be decoratively stitching pretty much everything I make...such fun!

One of my favourite things about the Emery skirt is how the pockets are 'hidden' within the side seam. You'd never know they were there, but for my own kicks I made them using some crazy fabric scraps I found in my stash.

So far, my absolute favourite way to wear my Hawthery is with this navy blue cardigan and shoes! Something about the combination of the raspberry and blue makes me so happy. Am I alone in thinking it looks like quite an 'expensive' combination?

All in all, I'm actually taken aback by how much I've loved making and wearing what is essentially, such a basic dress! Have you been pleasantly surprised by a recent make?
P.S. Chambray looks lovely, feels gorgeous and sews up beautifully. But boy does it delight in creasing and resisting the iron!!!