Welcome to my first blog post of 2021! I am reviewing my last make of 2020 - the Tilly and the Buttons Stevie dress. I finished it off in the nick of time, just before midnight! The pattern is a tunic dress, with no darts or sew in sleeves but a yolk also a tie at the back. I wanted to make this dress for a while and when my friend gave me a gift card for my favourite sewing shop I thought this would be the perfect time to try it. Note: My birthday was in October so it has been a long sew! To me, the pattern is made for summer but I was having a break from sewing this felt like the pattern to make to get my sew-jo back. I bought 2m of viscose rayon in rust from Like Sew Amazing and it was perfect. FYI rayon is good for this project because it drapes really well.
It didn't take long to cut out the pattern, fabric and the instructions. In usual TATB style, the instruction were very clear and easy to follow. I cut the pattern in a size 6 and as I have an hourglass shape, I like to go up a size when there is no stretch in the fabric so the dress can feel a bit looser. However, I probably did not need to do that and in future I would grade down to a size 5. The neckband required interfacing and I had some medium weight on hand which was perfect. I really liked the way the yolk on the back looked and so that is a definite plus on the pattern. When it came to the cuffs on the sleeves, I didn't turn them up as I didn't love the way it looked. The sleeves are all in one with the yolk and it was lovely not to put in sleeves. For the hem I turned it over twice as when tried it on I found it was a bit too long (I am 5ft4).
It look about a day to sew as I am a pretty slow (I like to have lots of coffee breaks, listen to podcasts/half-watch a Netflix show). When I had finished and tried it on, I have to be honest I wasn't completely won over by it. I don't usually wear tops or dresses with a high neck or dresses so floaty but I wore it to work in the other day and have been wearing it around the house and surprisingly this style has totally won me over. At the moment we are in lockdown and so I spend a lot of time inside and being able to wear something casual, comfortable but also feels special has been a nice change from jeans, leggings and pyjamas. I wore the dress with a lot of layers out for a walk and to be honest I still was a bit cold so I will save wearing it outside until late spring and summer. I can see this dress will go well with flats, sandals and wedges. It is a perfect dress for casual trips, holidays and garden parties. I will definitely be making more in the next few months and I already a couple of ideas in mind. Also I made some face masks with the leftover fabric because...you know...2021.
