The Fringe Dress From Chalk and Notch

Recently I was given the opportunity to sew up the Fringe Dress pattern from Chalk and Notch. And let me tell you, this dress is all sorts of amazing and the instructions...oh my gosh, I could just go on and on and on about how fabulous the instructions are. Which I will now. Slight detour ahead before we get to the good stuff.

This was my first time sewing up a Chalk and Notch pattern. And guess what? I was privileged enough to be part of their 2020 Collaborator Lineup, amongst some of the most amazing makers! So of course I couldn’t wait to get started on such a fun project. At first it was a little daunting when I printed out the instructions, but honestly it’s because they‘re the best instructions I’ve ever seen. The attention to detail is astounding and it’s filled with measurements and fit instructions before you even reach the action points. I was able to make a muslin for myself and it felt like I had a teacher right next to me helping me fit this perfectly to my body. And who doesn’t love that feeling? Did I also mention they have their own blog? On their blog they cover their patterns in detail, show their patterns on various testers and even show you the multiple hacks you can make to their patterns. Like can a person ask for anything more?

So for my version of the Fringe dress I headed to their blog and there was something stirring inside me. What is that sensation called again? Ah yes...feelings. And these feelings were pure love for their button hack for this dress. It was like the stars were aligning. So I printed out the hack instructions. Found here. And then started preparing my pattern pieces that night. Now usually when I do hacks I’m confusing myself and going around in circles so when the hack is laid out for you, wow does that make a huge difference. Spoiler alert: It was one of my happiest sews of late.

Now let me interject quickly to talk fabric. I secured my fabric from Nerida Hansen Textiles and Print from a designer I have raved about before. Dearest Ellen McKenna. I had been searching high and low for the perfect fabric, from ally-owned and BIPOC owned North American based businesses but nothing was speaking to me. So when I got sent a sale email from Nerida, I clicked and this was one of the first fabrics I saw and I knew it was the one! If only finding your partner in life could be that easy? I’m kidding, I was engaged to my husband after dating him for 2 months. Story for another time. Moving on.

Time for the actual sewing party. I was meant to type part but autocorrect really wanted party so I’m gonna leave it cos it was actually a total party. Not only did I sew this up really fast, it was exciting to see it come together. You know, some sews just aren’t the the most fun when your in the thick of it, but this one was. And the result was even better. I should note, I made one change not in the hack. I doubled the width of my waist ties and I attached them to the side seams as I omitted the front and back waist darts from my version. Aside from that, I followed the instructions and the hack sheet exactly. I couldn’t be happier. This was further solidified by my husband stating it was the best dress I’ve made to date and that it looked like I had bought it from a high end boutique. Way to get brownie points, but really that made my night!

So for pics I couldn’t decide on my look so there’s a mixture of my Dr Marten sandals and my new Birks. Oh and my earrings! I finally got to wear these magnificent earrings from DarlyBird. They are so amazing. They’re brass and worked perfectly with my dress. Check them out if you haven’t already. And I totally forgot to mention the buttons I used. They’re vintage from Harmony Provo and I absolutely adore them. They also worked so well for my dress. Seriously, that’s what it was like making this dress. All the pieces were just handed to me and everything fell into place seamlessly. I cannot wait to make many more fringe dresses. I’ve already drawn up some on Procreate. So what are you waiting for! Go try it out! Go. Go. Go!