A Lilou Dress

In my last post, I mentioned that I was trying to lose some weight before making myself anything new! I've lost another pound this week, so that makes five pounds in total so far! I've been trying to finish a few things off instead...

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Anyway I finally got round to finishing off this dress that I started ages ago this week.  The dress is the Lilou Dress from Love at First Stitch by Tilly Walnes.  The dress features a scoop neckline and the bodice is fully lined. There are also options for making a scalloped neckline version and normally features a pleated skirt.

This is the hardest project in the book. This is the first time I've attempted a lined bodice and I'm very pleased with how it turned out.

The material was a cotton that I had originally planned to make a skirt from. As I only had a metre and a half of fabric, I did not have enough material for the pleated skirt.  I decided to make the version using the Clemence skirt pattern from Love at First Stitch, which is a simple gathered skirt that you draft  yourself.

Unfortunately the really gathered skirt isn't that flattering on my hips at the moment although it looks lovely on my dummy! If I was to make this pattern again I would make sure that I had enough material to make the pleated skirt or use a less gathered skirt such as the skirt from my  New Look 6262.

For the bodice, I cut a size 5 based on my measurements and the fit is pretty good. I did not need to make a FBA this time. I made a muslin of the bodice first and moved the darts down by an inch, something I seem to have to do on most patterns.The bodice is lined with a cotton voile that I had in my stash which is lovely and lightweight.  The instructions were very clear and I think I would like to use this method again as it finishes the dress beautifully inside.   Unfortunately I think I should also have shorted the straps by a small amount as they do tend to slip off my shoulders.  I didn't notice this at the muslin stage.



The bodice is hand-stitched using tiny invisible stitches to the skirt. It took me a bit of time to work out how to do the slip-stitch but it definitely is worth doing.

The invisible zip is pretty good too although it does gape out a bit at the top of the back neckline. I don't know if maybe the fabric stretched out even though I stay stitched the neckline?

I didn't want to shorten the dress by turning a double hem so I used white bias binding to finish the hem and I think this is a really neat way of hemming a dress.

I'm pretty pleased with this dress, and as the weather has improved it might even get worn this week!

Have you made the Lilou dress? Did you have to make any adjustments to it?

Catherine x

A Megan dress

Let me start by saying I love this dress.  I made this dress towards the end of last year, and am only just getting round to blogging it.

The dress is a flattering fitted shape, with a high waistline and a gentle A-line skirt.  The bodice has bust darts and dart tucks at the front and darts at the back.  It also has pretty gathered sleeves and has an invisible zip.

This is the third pattern I have made from the marvellous Tilly and the Buttons' book  "Love at First Stitch". As usual the pattern is clearly written with step by step photos and detailed instructions.  I found this a relatively easy make and I love the fact that Tilly clearly explains anything that you might be unsure about such as darts, or inserting an invisible zip.

The pattern recommends 1.5 metres of 150cm wide fabric, I squeezed this out of 1.2 metres with no problem. I used a 100 % cotton that I bought from myfabrics.co.uk. The fabric only cost me about £7 - bargain. I purposely used something inexpensive as I wanted to treat this as a "wearable" toile.

Tilly has her own system of measurements. I made size 4 based on my measurements and graded out to a size 5 in the hip area which I'm glad I did.  It's a fairly good fit apart from some gaping at the back of the neck. The bust is also a little tighter than in the image in Tilly's  book.

The gaping didn't appear to be a problem when I tried the dress on before inserting the invisible zip so I'm wondering if the material stretched out of shape when I inserted the zip? I also think that I need to tackle a full bust adjustment next time as discussed in my blog post here. I also have trouble reaching the top of the zip to do the dress up so not sure what fitting issue this indicates. Something to do with the position of the armholes? Any ideas?

The only head scratching moment I had when making this dress was when I could not get the bodice and the skirt to align at the darts, After half an hour or so, I finally figured that I had sewn the skirt back pieces to the front the wrong way up. Doh!

All in all this pattern is a winner, and I will definitely be making this dress again with a couple of adjustments.

Catherine x

Coco

This is my first Coco dress and my first go at sewing with knit fabric.

The pattern is by Tilly and the Buttons. The pattern comes with a detailed  instruction booklet with which includes lots of useful tips and hints. All the steps are illustrated with a photograph. It includes details of how to make either a top or dress, with the option to add cuffs, pockets or a funnel neck.

Coco is designed to be fairly easy fitting, so is a flattering outfit for all body shapes as it skims over the hips and is not too clingy. I made the size 4 based on  my measurements, grading to the size 5 on the hips (as usual). I decided to make the dress version with the full length sleeves and cuffs. I also chose the small pockets to add to the front of the dress. I lengthen the pattern by 5 cm as I thought it would be a bit short on me although when it was all sewed up, it was actually looked too long. I lopped off a fair bit so the dress is probably near the original length.

I chose a quite heavy weight double knit which was fairly easy to sew as it didn't  have too much stretch. I don't know too much about the material as it was a bargain that I picked up at the Knitting and Stitching Show last month. I pre-washed the fabric and it  seems to wash quite well.  I deliberately chose something plain to work with as I didn't want to pattern match.

The one thing I found tricky was the placement of the pockets as there are no markings for this on the pattern. I can understand why there are no markings, as with all of Tilly's patterns, she's keen to encourage you to make your garment your own. However, I would have preferred to have markings on the pattern for the placement of the pockets, that I could choose to ignore if  I wished. I found it very difficult to pin the pockets in the correct place. When I was happy, I then tacked the pockets first to make them easier to sew in place. In the end, I unpicked and removed the pockets as they made the garment look distinctly homemade. I do like the pockets on all the versions I've seen online but mine were just not neat enough. I would steer clear of the pockets if your top stitching can be a bit wonky like mine.

I would like to look at how to finish the dress more professionally as to be honest it's a bit of a mess inside. Tilly suggests in one of her tips to stitch or fuse stay tape or hemming tape to the neckline and hemline to give a neat and strong finish.  She doesn't go in to any more detail about this in the pattern booklet so this is something I will have to investigate as I've never heard of either before.

All in all, I'm pleased with my Coco and will be tackling it again.  It's a quick and easy make and perfect for this time of year.  My new dress is nice and warm, and perfect for a cold day with tights and boots.  I've also discovered that knits aren't too scary for beginners!

Have you got a favourite knit pattern that you could recommend?

Catherine x

My first ever skirt!

I made my first ever skirt!

My finished skirt

I used the Delphine pattern from Love at First Stitch by Tilly Walnes of Tilly and the Buttons fame. I used a medium weight blue denim from John Lewis and I also bought a 8 inch invisible zip. This is the first time I've used a zip let alone put one in a skirt!

I found the instructions clear and easy to follow although on a couple of occasions I did wish the pictures were a little larger! It's a simple pattern for a super cute A line skirt and perfect for a beginner like me. The skirt has a waistband and an invisible zip. There are also ideas for adapting the skirt such as adding belt loops or decorating with buttons. 

The zip was actually easier to insert than I thought it would be although it's certainly not perfect. It took me ages to work out how to attach my invisible zipper foot to my machine though! 

Not invisible but not bad for my first attempt!

I made a size 5 (Tilly's patterns go from size 1 to 8 rather than using standard sizes) based on my measurements.  The finished skirt came out about an inch and a half bigger than the finished garment measurement listed in the book so it's a little  on the loose side. If I made this pattern again (and I think I will!), I'd go down a size as I think this skirt looks best more fitted at the waist. 

This week's sewing!

Finally managed to get a bit more sewing done this week! This is what I've been up this week:

New look 6212

Managed the front plackets, neckband and the collar. My tip is to definitely tack the placket before stitching close to placket seam on outside, catching in the pressed edge of the facing on the inside  otherwise you could end up unpicking where you didn't manage to catch it the first time! The same applies to the neckband. I hate unpicking things, so do think it's sometimes worth taking a bit more time tacking things first, especially when you are still learning like I am!

New Look 6212 - now with collar and front plackets!

New Look 6212 - the collar!

Just applying bias binding to the armholes and the buttonholes left!  May use mum's machine to do the buttonholes as she has an automatic buttonhole foot where as mine is the four step buttonhole, and I find I constantly have to refer to the manual when making a buttonhole. Have found this pattern a bit challenging at times but pleased with the overall result - it's certainly not perfect but not bad. Will she wear it? We will see. 

Delphine Skirt

Pieces all cut out and ready to go!

This time I took Tilly's advice and washed the material first. I suppose this makes sense as if your material is going to shrink then better to do so before you make the garment up. I'm using a medium weight denim material from John Lewis.

This will be the first time I will use an invisible zip. Hopefully with Tilly's advice I'll manage it!

Delphine - front piece

Dephine - back pieces

Delphine - back waistband and facing pieces

Delphine - front waistband and facing pieces

New Look 6262

I also bought this pattern that I mentioned in my post on my sewing summer want list. Going to make view C I think but still not decided 100 percent. Which would you make?   

New Look 6212

What do you think of the material I have chosen? From the stall in St Albans' market (again!)




My daughter is away for the week so I hope to get lots of sewing done and maybe even a bit of tidying up, but sewing is much more fun! 

My summer sewing want list

Having recently had a clear out, my wardrobe is looking pretty sparse to say the least! There is nothing worse than a wardrobe full of things you don't wear, either because they no longer fit, are worn out or out of fashion. Having done this, I then thought it would be a good idea to evaluate the clothes I already have and think about the things that are missing from my wardrobe. Turns out most of them I could make myself, so this is my summer sewing want list:

1. Pretty summer dress

Mortmain dress

I love this dress from Gather. 

2. Simple shift dress 

Shift dress

 New Look 6095. Looks pretty easy! 

3. A line skirt

Ginger Skirt

This skirt by Collette Patterns is super cute. You can buy it here.

4. Pretty gathered skirt

New Look 6872

Great with wedges and a strappy top. 

5. Mimi blouse

Mimi Blouse from Love at First Stitch by Tilly Walnes

Love at First Stitch

I'm itching to get started on this one! 

6. Forties style tea-dress 

New Look 6069

Lovely retro look. Or how about maybe this one. 

 New Look 6183

Maybe I should make both!

7. Wide leg trousers

New Look 6873

Are trousers too scary to have a go at? 

8. And finally another pretty summer dress!

New Look 6262

What's on your summer sewing want list? I'd love to know.

Love at First Stitch

Just got my copy of this amazing book by Tilly Walnes of Tilly and the Buttons fame! I can't wait to get stitching on some of these. I think my first make will be the lovely Delphine skirt - I've been too scared to to tackle a zip but I think with the help of this book I should be able to manage it. I've got some lovely denim fabric that I bought in John Lewis with the intention of making a skirt, so watch this space!

Delphine Skirt from Love at First Stitch by Tilly Walnes

You can see all the gorgeous patterns available in this book here.