Meet Mabel! Our Dreamy Shirred Dress & Blouse Sewing Pattern

Get ready for all the compliments with our Mabel shirred dress and blouse sewing pattern! 

If you fancy giving shirring a whirl, we're here for you. Our award-winning photo instructions clearly explain how to sew with elasticated shirring thread, with the extra help of a free video tutorial by Tilly, with thanks to the support of our friends at Janome UK. Check out our Mabel sewing pattern page for helpful tutorials that will make sewing your Mabel dress and blouse a breeze!

ORDER MABEL HERE

THE PATTERN DESIGN

Shirring has become a popular sewing detail that we're loving at Buttons HQ! Mabel is the perfect introduction to this gorgeous technique. What's more, the on-trend design of this head-turning blouse and dress is absolutely stunning! Fall head over heels for these details:

• Flirty, square-shaped elasticated neckline
• Full-length or elbow-length sleeves, with deep shirred cuff or narrow shirred cuff with frill hem
• Voluminous raglan sleeves elasticated around the shoulders
• Front neckline has a pretty frill, keyhole opening and faux drawstring ties
• Blousy bodice and floaty skirt cinched in with shirred waistline
• Make it as a midi-length dress or peplum blouse

ORDER MABEL HERE

Tilly's Makes

Looking back at what I've made over the last six months, I must say I'm surprised at how productive I've been because I don't actually remember sewing this much! 

And this isn't even all of it - as usual I'm making secret projects that I can't show you yet - patterns in development, because you want a surprise, don't you?

If you fancy a peek at what I've been making, take a look at my video talking you through recent me-made projects. (The details of patterns and where I got the fabrics are listed below.) Lots of florals, knits, and Marnies!

Sewing pattern: Lyra shirt dress - hacked by leaving off the skirt and extending the front bodice, back bodice and button stand

Fabric: Floral viscose from Sew Me Sunshine

Cutting and Sewing with Stripes

It's no secret that I love a good stripe. But making clothing with striped fabric adds the challenge of matching up the lines when you sew the pieces together. So I thought I'd share some tips on how to get your stripes matching up at the seams - this is the process that I go through when making a stripey top or dress using the Coco, Romy or Agnes sewing patterns.

But first, I'd just like to point out the obvious fact that this process is totally optional. Ready-to-wear clothing is sold all the time with unmatched stripes. If the stripes on your dress don't join at the seams, the world isn't going to end. If anyone points out that the stripes on your top are a bit wonky, well, they're probably not the kind of people you want to be hanging out with. If you just wanna get on and sew without taking these additional steps, go for it - life's too short!

Still here? Okay, so on to the tips. My stripe matching strategy begins before I've even cut the fabric...

Draw a horizontal line around the centre of the front bodice and back bodice pattern pieces, at right angles to the grainline arrow or centre front/back line. The pattern I’m using has a lengthen/shorten line in the middle of the pattern, so I’m going to use this.

How to Sew with a Twin Needle

Sewing with a twin needle can be a great way of creating professional-looking hems and other finishes on your me-mades. It's one of those techniques that can seem tricky at first, so I'm here to show you how it's done!

What is a twin needle used for?

A twin needle (sometimes called a double needle) is composed of two needles connected by one shank at the top.

The twin needle creates two parallel lines of straight stitches on the top side, with a small zigzag stitch connecting them on the underside.

You can use it to topstitch the hems on garments made in stretch fabrics, like the Agnes jersey top or Billie sweatshirt, as well as topstitching on non-stretch garments such as the Jessa jeans or Rosa shirt.

Here's how to sew with your twin needle...

What supplies do I need to sew with a twin needle?

To sew with a twin needle, you will need:

• Twin needle (see below)
• Second spool pin if your machine came with one (don't worry if it doesn't have one)
• Presser foot with a hole wide enough to fit the twin needle (if your regular presser foot isn't wide enough, try a zigzag or walking foot)
• Two spools of good quality thread in the same colour, with one bobbin
• Scrap of your garment fabric to test your stitches on