Hello, Hinterland Dress!

Fresh off the sewing machine, I have a new me-made dress! I turned that olive green linen blend from this post into a Hinterland dress for summer, and I think I’m in love.

I used Kaufman Brussels Washer Linen and kept the skirt portion to the shorter length so it hits just above the knee. I purchased some olive colored buttons at JOANN yesterday to match the fabric, but unfortunately they’re too big for my button holes, which is why you see it unbuttoned looking a little less than flattering and more frumpy than it should. That bust dart isn’t as pointy-looking when the thing is buttoned up as it looks here. I probably should have thought to take a swatch with a button hole sewn on some scraps so I could test out the sizing, but eh – live and learn. I have some vintage buttons on order from Etsy in a smaller size and as soon as those arrive I’ll remove these and re-sew the new ones on so I can wear it.

Every time I sew I learn something new. This time around, for example, I learned what under stitching is, and how to do a button placket. But, mostly, do you know what I learn? That I always fail to learn to take my time and not rush. Seriously. I start feeling like I’ve got this and know what I’m doing and then, usually, do something stupid.

Also, shout out to Sara Johansen and her Hinterland sew-a-long videos on Instagram. The button placket baffled me for some reason, and seeing her vids made a world of difference!

If I make this again – and let’s face it, I probably will given my obsession with Pyne and Smith dresses that are very similar to this style – I think I’ll lower the skirt length just an inch or two to have something a more proper length for fall and add sleeves.

Now to figure out what my next sewing project will be… I might actually have enough of this linen left to make an Ogden cami or a Wiksten tank to coordinate with the skirts I’m planning to make, but I feel like I need to actually MAKE those items first before I decide to add another project to my to-do list.