The Aquaria Coat

In case you hadn't noticed, we've firmly caught the lilac lovers bug here at Tilly Towers. Not only did we pick this colour for the cover sample of our new Eden sewing pattern, I also made myself a winter duffle coat in lilac wool using the same pattern. I've been wearing this coat loads these past few months and absolutely lurrrrrve it!




I bought the wool/poly blend fabric from Doughty's, and used a silky mint for the lining. The inspiration for the colour combo came from a beautiful creation worn by Aquaria in season ten of Ru Paul’s Drag Race. I’d never thought to put lilac and mint together before until I saw her drop-dead gorgeous outfit. This one albeit more understated - but it still makes me smile, particularly as I slip the hood over my head on a frosty London morning.

Toggles Inspiration for Your Handmade Duffle Coat

Busy planning your new Eden coat or jacket and considering choosing toggles as your fastenings of choice? It's Nikki here with another dose of seriously lovely inspo to help you plan and make your coat of dreams.

The Eden coat or jacket has the option of either snaps or toggles fastenings to keep it closed and shelter you from the elements. Toggles look gorgeous on both a nautical style raincoat and a winter wool duffle coat and are great for adding a bit of interest to outerwear garments.

I hadn't really thought much about toggles before. I mean, toggles are toggles, right? Well, that's not strictly true. There are so many fun and interesting ways you can jazz up your toggle fastenings to make your Eden coat or jacket totally unique to you. Here at Tilly Towers, we spend a lot of time planning and scheming about those little details that make our me-mades extra personal, special and fun. If you're wondering how to raise your toggle game on your Eden, then read on.

Ten Tips for Sewing Rainwear Fabrics

Want to get stuck into sewing a raincoat? There are more and more amazing water repellent fabrics coming onto the market for home sewists to get the hands on. And our Eden coat sewing pattern is the perfect accompaniment, taking you through the steps to making a gorgeous raincoat or jacket.

If you’ve never sewn with waterproof or water repellent fabrics before, here are some tips on what to look out for, how to handle the materials, and stitching tips to get a great result.



1) Choosing your fabric

There are lots of different types of rainwear fabrics on the market, and more and more of them are becoming available to home sewists to buy. Which is great! However, be aware that they can vary wildly in weight, content, feel and how they behave when you cut and sew them.

How they perform in the rain will be one of the main factors to consider when choosing what to buy. If you want to sew something that will keep you dry in a full-on downpour, take a look at waterproof fabrics such as PUL and Goretex. They are proper performance fabrics that won’t let rain through the fibres… but on the downside they can feel very synthetic and aren’t breathable – so you may get a little sticky!

If you’re not planning on wearing your handmade raincoat on a mountaineering expedition and just want something cute that will wear well on a short rainy walk, try a fabric that is “water resistant” or “water repellent” rather than “waterproof”. The waxed cotton in our Eden sewing kits is one such fabric – it may not withstand a tropical storm but will keep the rain off you on your commute to work or a gentle country walk.

Knowing what all the different rainwear fabric names mean can certainly feel a little confusing. If you’re buying online and aren’t sure what to get, see if you can order a couple of sample swatches to get a feel for what you like before buying.

Fitting the Eden Coat or Jacket

Making the Eden coat or jacket and need a helping hand on fitting and choosing a size? It's Nikki here with some hints and tips on what you will need to know.

The good news is Eden's casual, boxy and easy-fitting style means it doesn't require much, well, fitting. Hooray! Having said that, you're probably going to be investing in some lovely fabric, not to mention the time it takes to make it, so it's worth planning a few fitting adjustments if you need them.

When you're choosing your size and fitting the Eden coat or jacket, bear in mind that it's an outerwear garment and is designed to be roomy. Don't over-fit it as you'll most likely be wearing layers underneath, which makes fitting Eden a lot easier (yay!).

We're going to cover:

• Choosing your size
• Combining pattern sizes
• Lengthening the bodice, sleeve or hood
• Shortening the bodice, sleeve or hood
• Making a toile