Ever pick out a fabric you think you’ll love, then pick out a pattern you’ll love and the end result is a disappointment?

I love polka dots and I love the combination of navy blue and fushia, but maybe that combination is not meant to be.

The Hawthorne, by Colette Patterns is such a cute dress…

and the lesson here is giant polka dots are best left for clown clothes.

I much prefer the Hawthorne blouse I made from silk charmuse. Instead of the peplum blouse option shown with the pattern, I just added length to the bodice and created pleats at the bottom of the darts.

I added 4 inches, the angle at the side was determined by folding the pattern along the dart, then drawing the extension and opening the dart back up.

I sewed the dart along the original markings and left the bottom open as a pleat.

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The shine of the charmuse makes for difficult photography, the blouse looks better when seen in in real life. The clown dress may be seeing the back of the closet.