Skip to main content

Made By A Fabricista: Sewing the Chalk & Notch Hayes Dress

Hey lovely friends! With summer knocking at the door, I am absolutely ready for breezy dresses at all times. I love linen all year round, but summer is my particular favorite for this fiber. This bright happy color fills me with delight, and it’s so perfect in the sunshine. 


For this project, I got all my supplies in one go! I chose this stunning Sea Green linen, lightweight fusible interfacing, ½” elastic, and of course, matching thread. If you haven’t sat down to create your own little sewing kit with all the bits at hand, it’s quite a nice gift to yourself and makes getting started that much easier. I’m all about ease these days. 

I sewed the new Chalk & Notch Hayes Dress with the open back cutout, which is View A. The other two options are a closed-back dress and a two piece set. I was a tester for this charming pattern, and I can confirm the two piece set is also gorgeous and really fun to wear. I have looked forward to sewing this version for weeks! 



Please laugh with me, I cracked up how much my hair covered the details. This is clearly an up-do-required sort of dress! 


I prewashed and dried my linen on low, then gave it the ol’ cursory pressing before cutting. I sewed a size 2 with the A/B bust and I made no alterations. I am 5’4” for reference, and I love where this midi skirt hits my frame. 

The is a fully lined bodice and sleeve style, and you can see how beautiful the armscye finish is here, really professional looking. The front V neckline also stands upright so nicely in doubled linen and you can certainly add interfacing there for floppier fabrics. 


The A-line skirt is unlined and features great big pockets that are anchored at the waistline and a lovely wide hem facing. I love the weight it adds to the hem, and helps the skirt hang marvelously. 

The elasticated waist ties and back cutout are so striking to me! I don’t have anything like this, and that is just a cute surprise in the back, and no worries about bra straps peeking out like I would with a low back style. Party in the back, people, but keep it comfortable. 



This linen is particularly soft versus crisp, and I love that. There is absolutely nothing stiff or scratchy about this; this linen is pure pleasure to wear. The color speaks for itself and I know I’ve nailed a project when I immediately look forward to wearing it. 

Happy summer sewing!

KATIE  | @kak513

Comments

  1. Very cute dress!👗

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love all the details you included. That is sure your color!

    ReplyDelete
  3. So summery ,,,, both in color and style!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. You did a good job.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Amazing how some dresses can be worn with sandals and look like you belong in a botanical garden, but then also dressed with pearls for a wedding or with a blazer for work. This is one of those timeless classic dresses that is incredibly versatile. I do have some concerns about how it would translate onto a short figure with large bust, it doesn’t look forgiving. I think this particular style might be benefiting from your lovely willowy height and frame. The color is absolutely beautiful and uplifting, also very versatile. The back hole is just the right size.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for leaving a comment! All comments are reviewed before posting to help us eliminate spam. Your comment will be posted within 24 hours.

Recent Posts You Might Like

Sewing With Intention: New Look 6106 and a More Coordinated Wardrobe

Sometimes a sewing project begins with a beautiful piece of fabric or a pattern you just have to make. This one began with my closet. Recently, I did a major closet purge. I took a good look at what I actually wear, what I kept reaching for, and—maybe more importantly—what was missing. Once the pieces I no longer loved or wore were gone, something became very clear: I want to be more intentional about what I sew next. Instead of sewing individual pieces that I love but don't necessarily wear together, I want to build a wardrobe where my handmade garments coordinate with the clothes I already own—and with the pieces I'm planning to sew next. For this month's Fabricista project, this beautiful lightweight shirting from Fabric Mart turned out to be a wonderful place to start. The Fabric That Started It All Fabric Mart provided this beautiful oatmeal and black heathered shirting , along with the matching thread for my project. One of the things I love most about this fabric is ...

The Perfect Plan for this Linen Blend! Until I Changed My Mind.

Hello Sewing Friends!  It’s Sharon from Sharon Sews with another Fabricista make.  When I saw this linen blend designer fabric on the Fabric Mart Fabrics website, I was intrigued.  After all, I, like many of you, love to find designer fabrics at an affordable price. It is a linen/nylon/rayon/Lycra blend, and I wondered what the designer had created with the fabric as I wasn’t familiar with that combination of fibers.  Surprisingly, I discovered a sleeveless, lined, mid-length vest in the same color with an almost identical fabric composition. Perfect! I’ve been wanting to sew a longer vest with matching pants, and that discovery confirmed this fabric would work beautifully for the look I had in mind.  The vest I’m wearing, from the June 2026 Burda Style magazine, it is not what I was originally going to make.  You see when I found the designer’s vest, I remembered seeing a Butterick pattern that was almost identical.  I ordered the pattern excited to...

Fall + Flannel = Shacket

If there is one piece that transitions easily between crisp fall mornings, mid-day warmth, and chilly autumn nights, it’s a shacket. Today, I’m excited to share my latest Fabric Mart make: the Ellie and Mac Patterns Connie Casual Shacket, sewn in a dreamy plaid flannel coating fabric . Here’s a glimpse at how it came together, along with a few construction tips for planning your own version! The Ellie and Mac Patterns Connie Casual Shacket pattern offers plenty of options needed to make the perfect transitional top layer for fall. With a relaxed body, oversized sleeves, three lengths, and a curved or straight hem option, you can make your dream shacket a reality.  For this sew, I selected a plaid flannel coating fabric with a soft blend of sage green and cream tones from the Fabric Mart website. Heavyweight flannel is ideal for a shacket because it provides structure and added warmth. As a bonus, this particular fabric is extra soft and snuggly, which I love. In addition to the fa...

Meeting Endless Summer Energy with a Maxi Dress

How are the temps still so hot?! I’m trying to make the best out of a blazing situation with a gorgeous swishy dress made in a splendid graphic print in an attempt to keep my cool when I am very much not. The heat persists, but so do I (while wearing sundresses)!  I really wanted a full length, all-fancy-design-details-included version of the new Chalk & Notch Noe Tank Dress since testing the pattern. This is View C. This version features a beautiful open back with a tie closure and the long gathered hem for maximum impact.  I chose the higher of two necklines. The pattern features full lining and I used the same fabric for both. I prefer to avoid any peeking-issues the easy way.  As I was scrolling through the challis options on the Fabric Mart site, this one stood out immediately, a beautiful kelly green with big abstract swipes of aqua. Simple, bold, (non-directional!), all of my favorite characteristics necessary for a showstopping dress. I wanted something very ...