27 July 2015

Liberty Fifi Sets

Fifi sewing pattern made in Liberty lawn - Tilly and the ButtonsFifi sewing pattern made in Liberty lawn - Tilly and the Buttons


The Fifi sewing pattern was born to be sewn in Liberty lawn. The cotton has a lovely drape to it, allowing the camisole to hang softly over your body, and the small scale, detailed prints work well on the little pieces that make up the camisole. Swoon...

I've made two Fifi sets for myself in Liberty lawn so far. This first one is Oxford B Tana lawn, left over from making my pussy bow Mimi blouse. The colours are just lush.

This one was a bit of an experimental make while developing the pattern - I didn't have enough fabric to cut the camisole on the bias, plus the trees would look a bit weird at a diagonal angle, so I cut it on the straight grain to see what it would be like. It's nice. But if you're thinking of cutting a Fifi camisole on the straight grain to save fabric, just bear in mind that it doesn't hang as nicely as when it's cut on the bias.

Fifi sewing pattern made in Liberty lawn - Tilly and the Buttons
Fifi sewing pattern made in Liberty lawn - Tilly and the ButtonsFifi sewing pattern made in Liberty lawn - Tilly and the Buttons

The shorts, on the other hand, look better cut on the straight grain, hence why we suggest in the instructions that you cut them this way - and this is what I've done here. We tried them on the bias (not shown here) but the hems look a bit flouncy and the elastic-stitched waistband looks a bit messy. Trust me, stick to the straight grain for the shorts :)

Fifi sewing pattern made in Liberty lawn - Tilly and the Buttons
Fifi sewing pattern made in Liberty lawn - Tilly and the Buttons
Fifi sewing pattern made in Liberty lawn - Tilly and the Buttons

I made this second one in another Liberty print that had been sitting patiently in my fabric stash for years (I can't remember what it's called, sorry). I'm not usually massively into florals, especially pink florals, but this print seems perfect for a pretty boudoir set.

Fifi is my absolute favourite sewing project at the moment - both to make and wear. There's something so relaxing about sewing on a small scale, using intricate techniques such as narrow French seams and the elastic-stitched waistband. Plus it doesn't take that long as it's so small! I'm wearing these sets all Summer long - they're perfect for staying cool on hot nights, and they look so pretty too.

Fifi sewing pattern made in Liberty lawn - Tilly and the Buttons

The instructions for the Fifi camisole and shorts set are pretty detailed, but in case you need some extra help, we're writing a blog post on fitting the Fifi camisole (it's not too tricky, don't worry) and another one on easing curves together, in case you're looking at the cup pieces and wondering how to attach them to the bodice. Ooh and another exciting little bonus... watch this space!