Your Makes!

Ready for a spot of dressmaking inspo? It's Margot here today - I've been interning at Tilly HQ since the beginning of the year and have been loving scrolling through your fabulous makes on Insta and Pinterest. So I thought it would be a good idea to share some of my favourites...

Because of the classic British winter weather we've been having lately, we’ve been living in our Mila dungarees. I love how Sophia spiced up her dungas with some cute iron-on patches - such a simple way to customise your clothes. We’re definitely stealing this idea! And jus look at these bright and bold Milas made by Ari - there's no such thing as too much colour in my eyes.

As you may have noticed on our Insta Stories, our team is obsessed with the Nora top pattern. Mainly because it’s very comfy and oh so versatile. Juliet made a glamorous version in a shiny sequin fabric - we can't get enough of this! Did you spot her on the Sewing Bee last night? So exciting! And animal print fabrics are all over the high street at the moment - Mel’s Nora is very on-trend.

Nora Cardigan Pattern Hack

Do you buy fabric with a pattern in mind, or do you figure out what to do with it afterwards? Sometimes working out what to do with a piece of material can set a lightbulb off in your mind.

I came up with the idea of hacking the Nora top pattern into a cardigan came when I was mulling over what to do with an unusual piece of fabric I’d bought from Fabrics Galore. It's a very low stretch knit that is very structured and feels almost like a wool or felt, but softer. I couldn't resist the colour, but didn’t want to make a regular Nora top as the fabric would feel scratchy around my neck, plus it’s such low stretch that I wasn’t sure it’d go over my head. So I decided to take out the neckline and turn it into a slouchy, boxy cardigan instead.

It took me a total of two hours to hack the pattern, cut out the fabric and sew the cardigan together. It seriously is a speedy make – so no excuses for putting it off! If you fancy making a Nora cardigan yourself, here's how I hacked the pattern...

How to Use Digital Sewing Patterns

If you’re new to digital print-at-home PDF sewing patterns, this post will guide you through the simple steps to turn the file on your computer into a full-size paper pattern.

While assembling a digital pattern does add an extra step to your sewing project, there are soooo many benefits to using them:

• They’re cheaper to buy than hard copy patterns, as you’re not paying for professional printing, packaging or postage
• If you accidentally cut the wrong size or spill your tea all over it, you can reprint the file
• You can support independent designers who can’t afford the costs or minimum print numbers involved in hard copy patterns
• You can get your hands of them instantly as soon as you get that urge to sew!

If video tutorials are more your thing - we've made a how to video linked below!



You will need:

For A0

• Home / office / copy shop printer
• A0 paper

For A4 or US Letter

• Home / office / copy shop printer
• A4 or US letter paper
• Paper scissors or guillotine 
• Glue stick or tape

For both A0 and A4/US Letter, download your pattern and save to your computer files. Open the file in a PDF reader such as Adobe Reader, which you can download for free. Other PDF readers are available, but you may find that some scale the pattern to the wrong size (see below).

Scaling is super important! You need to ensure that the pattern is printed at full scale so your garment turns out the size it was intended to be. Just a few % out and your garment could end up annoyingly tight.

Sewing Space Tours... Kate Tabor's Costume Design Studio

For today's sewing space tour where we peek behind the closed doors at a maker's inspiring sewing space, we're in London with Kate Tabor, the extraordinary costume designer, stylist, and maker.

Kate's impressive work is well known for being in music videos for artists such as David Bowie, Kylie Minogue, The Chemical Brothers and many more. Her work has also been featured in films and commercials and she just so happens to work in the same building as us! Her studio is awe-inspiring and original, we've admired her space for years and feel privileged to share her fascinating studio with you.

 I made this piece for The Chemical Brothers world tour visuals, it is one of four that was worn by dancers for the track 'Keep on Mak'in Me High'. This piece is made from Plasterzote which I cut into rings and threaded together to form the bodies.

I'm a Costume Designer living and working in South East London. I work in music and film, designing and making weird and wacky costumes. I specialise in using unusual fabrics and fabric manipulation to create unique pieces for each project.