Tilly & the Buttons Nell Dress

I like a sewing pattern that gives you plenty of options (always good to get your money's worth!), so the Nell blouse and dress that was released by Tilly & the Buttons earlier this summer appealed to me straightaway. I particularly liked the two-tone gingham dress shown in the pattern photos, so that's the version that I chose to make first.

Nell is a mix and match blouse and dress pattern, with options for a straight or peplum blouse or knee-length or midi-length dresses with gathered skirts. It also gives you the choice of short, bracelet-length, flutter or puff sleeves, and a button front closure or faux bow ties with hidden snaps. Last but not least, there are optional patch pockets that can be added to the bodice or skirt. 

My version uses the short sleeves, midi skirt and skirt pockets.

The pattern size range covers bust measurements from 30 to 60" and hips from 33" to 61".

I enjoyed sewing my Nell dress and it seemed to come together quite quickly. The instructions are very detailed and illustrated with clear photos. I found them easy to follow, and I didn't have any trouble at all when making my dress.

If I had one complaint, it's that the pattern doesn't include the full skirt pieces - it gives you the pattern piece for the peplum for the blouse with instructions on how much extra length to add for the knee-length or midi skirts. It's a small point in some ways and I understand the argument about saving paper, but I just feel like if you're buying a paper pattern, you shouldn't have to draw out your own pieces - even if drawing them out is fairly simple.

When it comes to sizing, I think Nell comes up on the large side. It is described as having a relaxed fit bodice, but when I looked at the finished garment measurements I was fairly sure that making the recommended size would give me a dress that would be too oversized for my liking. My measurements put me between a 5 and 6 at the bust and hips and pretty much a 5 at the waist but I actually made a straight size 4. That's given me a very comfy and relaxed fit, and I think any larger would have felt too big for my taste.

I made a quick toile of the bodice and it came out unusually short. I do generally have to lengthen bodices because I'm slightly taller than average (about 5'9"), but the Nell bodice was particularly short on me - it was closer to empire line than waist length. I added 3" and that sorted the problem! The midi skirt is a good length though, and my skirt is the measurements recommended in the pattern.

The only other alteration I made was to use an extra button due to my added length.

The fabric that I used is a Robert Kauffman quilting cotton that I bought recently from Rainbow Fabrics. I really love the combination of blues, purples and greens in the print, and the gold grid over the top makes it a bit different to other fabrics. I know some people don't like using quilting cottons for garments, but I think they work fine for some patterns - including the Nell dress. It was a breeze to sew, and feels nice to wear.

All in all, Nell was an enjoyable pattern to sew and I'm pleased with the finished dress. It's very comfortable and easy to wear, and I think it'll be a useful addition to my wardrobe. I may well make more versions in the future too - I should probably try some of the other options after all!

Vintage New Look 6560

I debated whether or not to post this project, firstly because it's really simple so there's not too much to say, and secondly because it uses a vintage sewing pattern that's not readily available so people might not be interested in a review. In the end, I decided it deserved a post anyway because it's always nice to have a record of what I've made.

The vintage version of New Look 6560 (not to be confused with the current New Look 6560 top pattern!) features three variations of a long, full skirt. Views 1 and 2 have flat waistbands with zip closures and are shaped using pleats (view 1) or gathers (view 2). View 3, which I've made here, has an elastic waist. 

The pattern sizing is fairly limited and covers waist sizes from 24 to 34 inches. If you're slightly above the upper end of this range, view 3 could definitely still work for you as there's plenty of ease - you'd just need to cut your elastic to fit your waist.

It's a pretty simple pattern, and you could draft something similar relatively easily but I found my copy of the pattern in a charity shop for 50p and you can't go far wrong for that price. As I'm writing, there is a version available on ebay here - I have to say I wouldn't bother buying this pattern for the £18 they're asking for it! There's a photo of the pattern below in case you want to check it out.

Sewing the skirt was easy. The front and back of the skirt are both made up of two panels with a centre seam. There are in-seam pockets that are anchored into the waistband at the top so they don't flap around, which is a nice touch. There's a separate waistband, and the elastic is inserted by leaving a gap in the inner side seam of the waistband that is then slip stitched closed.

My waist is currently about 32.5", which would put me between a size 18 and size 20. I actually made a size 16 - I measured the waistband pattern piece and could tell that this would still give me plenty of ease. The waist is the only area that needs to fit for this pattern, and as the view that I sewed has an elastic waistband, it's easy to get the right fit.

One downside of this pattern is that it's quite fabric hungry (using almost 3 m for my size), and the cutting layout that it uses for 60"/150cm fabric relies on using a non-directional fabric. Thankfully my dotty fabric fits the bill! It's a lovely viscose that I bought from Sew Sew Sew. The navy colourway that I used is currently out of stock, but it's also available in blue, red and teal. I made a dress in the red colourway a while ago and it's wearing really well, so I have high hopes for this skirt.

All in all, I'm really pleased with my skirt. It was a quick and easy project to sew - if anything I think cutting it out was more difficult than sewing because of having to wrangle fairly large pattern pieces! The finished skirt will be a useful addition to my wardrobe - it'll go with lots of tops and, most importantly, it's beautifully swishy to wear!

Itch to Stich Amador Top

When I posted my Islares top a couple of months ago, I mentioned that I was planning on making another Itch to Stitch top pattern. Well, the project I'm sharing today is indeed another Itch to Stitch top, but it's not the one that I was intending to make. I recently rediscovered a couple of patterns that I'd had printed a while ago - including the Amador top, which quickly found its way onto my sewing table. 

The Amador top is a pattern for knit fabrics. It has a V-neckline and dolman sleeves. The top has upper and lower sections, which join with a simple seam at the back and in an inverted V with gathered seams under the bust at the front. My fabric doesn't make the details that easy to see, so if you're interested definitely check out the line drawings on the Itch to Stitch website.

The pattern has regular and full bust options, which between them cover bust measurements from 31⅛" (regular bust) to 63" (full bust).

I enjoyed making my Amador top. It's not the most straightforward knit top pattern to sew, as you do need to be particularly precise for some of the steps. The instructions are very clear though; they have a good level of detail and are accompanied by helpful diagrams. 

I worked through all the steps, taking my time to make sure I was doing everything accurately, and everything went fairly smoothly. If you happen to see me wearing this top in real life though, don't inspect my topstitching at the bottom of the V neckline too closely!

I made the size recommended for my measurements - I used the regular bust and made a size 10 at the bust blending out to a 14 at the hips. I did a tissue fit (not ideal for a stretch pattern, but I didn't have any fabric I could use for a toile) and on the basis of that I lengthened the upper front and back by half an inch (I do usually have to lengthen patterns). I'm glad I did that - if I hadn't, the under-bust seam wouldn't have sat in the right place.

In terms of fit, I'd say the pattern isn't closely fitted, but it does have a nice shape. If you're after a very fitted top, this might not be the pattern for you, but if you want a slightly looser style then the Amador is really pretty. It's a really comfy top to wear, but could also look quite smart depending on the jersey you use and how you style the top.

The fabric that I used is a gorgeous leopard print cotton jersey that I bought from Simple Life Fabrics. It's a really great quality and I love all the colours in the print. It's definitely very "me"!

I enjoyed sewing my Amador top - it's nice to have a little bit of a challenge every now and then. I think it turned out quite nicely too. I quite fancy making a version in a plain fabric that would show the design details off a bit better - I'll have to think about what colours might be useful in my wardrobe.

Make With Mandi Penny Dress

The Make With Mandi Penny dress has been on my 'to sew' list for a while and I've been keeping my eye out for some interesting fabric to combine with the pattern. Finally I found the right candidate and I'm happy to share my Penny dress with you now!

The Penny is a woven dress with a loose-fitting bodice and tiered skirt with in-seam pockets. The bodice has a rounded neckline with two depths, and the sleeves can be made in long, mid or short lengths and are intended to have elasticated hems (more on that later!). The skirt has knee or midi length options.

For my version I used the short sleeves, higher neckline and midi skirt.

The finished bust measurements for the dress range from 34" to 55⅜".

I'll mention now that I was using the version of the pattern that was included with Simply Sewing magazine, so it's entirely possible that there may be some differences in the pattern directly from Make With Mandi. For example, the magazine version pattern accidentally omitted the pocket pattern pieces - if you need them, I found them available to download here.

I enjoyed sewing my Penny dress. The instructions had a good level of detail and I found them easy to follow. They're illustrated with photos which are mostly clear. One thing I thought was a bit odd was that the instructions refer to topstitching a couple of times, when what they're telling you to do would generally be called understitching. 

I found the order of the steps a bit odd - they have you start by stay stitching the neckline and sewing the bodice shoulder and side seams, then take you on to sewing the skirt, before returning to the bodice and sewing the facings and sleeves. There's nothing wrong with that, but it felt like it dotted about a bit to me so I followed the instructions, but did them in my own preferred order. 

The version of the pattern I used didn't give you any body measurements, just finished garment measurements. There's not necessarily anything wrong with that, but it would be helpful if they gave some guidance about how much ease the pattern is intended to have. I made a straight size 12, which gives me around 2" of ease at the bust, and the waist and hips are looser fitting.

I made a couple of alterations. The first was to lengthen the bodice by 1.5", which is a standard alteration for me. I also lowered the bust dart by 1", which is not something I normally have to do. I also chose to omit the elastic from the sleeve hems - when I made a toile it just didn't feel like the sleeve hems on the short sleeves were loose enough round my arms to need elastic and I like them as they are. 

The fabric that I used is a lightweight cotton that I bought from Koala Kreations. I really like the print - it's a bit different to anything else that I've seen around recently. I think it's a good weight of fabric for this pattern and should be nice and cool to wear over the summer.

All in all, I enjoyed sewing my Penny dress, it turned out really nicely, and I think it will be a welcome new addition to my wardrobe - I can see it being worn a lot!

True Bias Nova Jumpsuit

Some potential projects float around in my mind for a while as I try to find the right combination of pattern and fabric, and others suddenly present themselves as a fully formed idea that demands to be made immediately. This True Bias Nova jumpsuit definitely falls into the second category!

I was browsing the True Bias patterns when they were on sale a few weeks ago and the Nova jumpsuit suddenly caught my eye. I'd seen it many times before, but for some reason now it seemed like it would be a good addition to my wardrobe. The next day Sarah from Simple Life Fabrics posted some new fabrics on Instagram, including a jersey that seemed just right for giving the Nova a try.

The Nova is a knit jumpsuit with a fully faced neckline and armholes. The pattern gives you the option of a wide elastic wasitband, and can be made either as a short romper or with full-length legs with elastic at the ankle. 

The pattern comes in two size ranges with the 0-18 size range covering bust measurements from 32" to 44.5", and the 14-30 range going from bust measurements from 41.5" to 57.5".

Sewing the Nova was fairly straightforward and the jumpsuit came together pretty quickly. The instructions were clear and easy to follow, with a good level of detail. They're accompanied by clear diagrams that really help to explain the processes. The pattern seems well drafted to me - I appreciated the fact that the facing pieces are slightly smaller than the bodice pieces so they easily turn to the inside of the jumpsuit.

In terms of sizing, I made a 12 at the bust blending out to a 14 at the hips as recommended for my measurements. I lengthened my jumpsuit by a total of 5 inches (not surprising because True Bias patterns are drafted for 5'5", and I'm just under 5'9"), adding 2 inches each at the lengthen/shorten lines on the bodice and legs and 1 inch at the lengthen/shorten line on the crotch. 

I'm fairly happy with the fit. I initially thought it might be slightly loose around the top, but having worn it I think that I want that slight extra space to make it easy to get on and off. I'll probably mainly wear it with a t-shirt underneath as I am in these photos, so a bit of extra room is helpful for that too. 

The only change I think I'd consider if I make another version (a definite possibility!) would be to take out the inch I added at the crotch, and add an extra inch on the leg instead. I'm going to wear this version a few more times before I make any decisions on that though.

As I mentioned above, the fabric I used is a jersey from Simple Life Fabrics. The colourway I used doesn't seem to be in stock anymore, but it is available in two different colours (here and here). It's a really pretty print and I like the blue colour. It also seemed like a good option to use for my first version of the Nova because it was quite a good price (Sarah has an excellent Bargain Fabrics collection!) so I was happier to see this as a wearable toile than if I'd bought more expensive jersey. Thankfully my "toile" is definitely very wearable!

I'm glad the idea of making the Nova jumpsuit presented itself to me. It was a fun project to sew and I really like the finished jumpsuit. Unsurprisingly, it's very comfy and easy to wear - definite secret pyjamas! It's definitely a winner for me!