Your Makes!

Hello! Lexy here, the newest member of Tilly’s team. It is my privilege today to go through some of the lovely things that you have been making with our sewing patterns, and have selected a few to go into this month’s round up blog post…this has been difficult. You are all so talented. (I also get sidetracked reading your blogs and wanting to make things, which really isn’t helping guys. Also, many of you have ADORABLE pets.)

Orla is the newest member of the TATB pattern family, and she’s a beaut! Who can resist a snowdrop collar and dipped hemline to skim your derriere?! Tres flattering. Here we have Jennie rocking her cat print Orla. Tilly was lucky enough to see this IRL at the Knitting and Stitching show, and assures me it is every bit as gorgeous in reality as in the pic. Momita has also made a beautiful Orla, and customised hers with textile markers – super creative and cute.

Mathilde was Tilly’s first ever pattern, and has established itself as a classic – and can we please take a moment to appreciate the beauty of this bicycle print version, posted by Bonjour Teaspoon?! And if you prefer the life aquatic, how about Amy’s lovely royal blue one covered in fish?



Miette is such an amazing first project – it’s the first thing I ever made (aside from some embroidered cosmetic pouches, but the less said about those…). We are loving Wiebke’s chic purple version, which will no doubt become a wardrobe staple. Props for the cute floral waistband lining, I may have to borrow this idea for my next Miette. And here’s a hack we shared on Instagram, but are still in love with – Bex’s pinafore Miette, where the pinny is attached with poppers. How could you not want this in your wardrobe?!



Oh Coco, how well you serve us. A style that flatters all, and is versatile for winter and summer, it remains one of our most popular patterns (and guess what? Beginners can do it too! Yeah!). Karen is looking lovely in her monochrome Coco, and has made it in a gorgeous striped ponte roma jersey. We heart stripes. Ashleigh is rocking her sweet tangerine Arielle – top marks for accompanying band t-shirt. I hope you didn’t need any Help! and that sewing it up didn’t prove A Hard Day’s Night. I’m sure it was fine, as it did all Come Together and it’s a beaut. (I love puns. I can’t help myself. Sorry Ashleigh.)



Hack alert! Marie has created the CUTEST bunny print dress by modifying the Agnes top. Bunnies in top hats. Bunnies in glasses. Cute and comfy dress. What’s not to love? Emily has also created a super chic and versatile stripy Agnes, which will no doubt be worn again and again. If you don't feel confident sewing stretchy fabric, take a look at our Learn to Sew Jersey Tops workshop which you can watch from the comfort of your own sewing room/dining room table/desk when the kids have gone to bed and you finally have some peace.

Vivi chose a lovely red cherry crepe for her Bettine, and customised it with a scarf belt at the waist, which looks lovely and also comfortable, and is making us miss summer! Rachel has gone for a beautiful flowery number, perfect for cheering up a grey day. Rachel – you can never have too many Bettines. Go for it!



How cute are these Fifi sets?? Angela has made hers in a beautiful, vibrant checked tartan, whilst Bee has created a gorgeous blue flowery print number. Who needs to get dressed when we could be lounging around the house in beauties like these?!?

Alexandra looks lovely in her monochrome Megan dress, and Jude looks fab in her flamingo Lilou! These ladies have the party season sorted! These beautiful patterns are included in our book, Love at First Stitch.



Lauren is such a sixties babe. This Francoise dress is gorgeous, the perfect thing for when you want to be able to say “This old thing? Just something I threw together!”. Lauren also has a post on her blog about using the Fifi shorts pattern as part of a Rocky Horror Picture Show Halloween costume, I highly recommend checking it out! And to round off the delights of the Maker Gallery this month, here is the pattern we have been SWOONING over at #tillytowers…it’s the Delphine-arees! Hats off to you Rach, you have created a thing of beauty by hacking the Delphine skirt from Love at First Stitch, and we are in lust. This has been getting a lot of love on Instagram, head over to her blog to see more pics and read about how she did it.

So that’s it gang! I’ve had a lot of fun going through your makes, and as it’s always so hard to pick which ones to include on the blog, we’ve put more on Pinterest for you to go and check out and be inspired by. We love seeing what you’ve created, so please do get in touch via email, Twitter, or the link on this page. You can also tag us on Instagram, but please do also email it through so we can be sure we’ve received it.

I hope you all have a lovely November, and can’t wait to see your makes. Until next time! Lexy x

Five Tips for Threading a Sewing Machine Needle

When you’re itching to get on and sew, the last thing you want to do is fall at the first hurdle – threading the sewing machine needle!

Maybe you're lucky enough to be able to thread a needle with your eyes closed, but many people find it tricky – particularly if your eye sight isn’t top notch. In fact, it’s one of those things students on our Make Friends with a Sewing Machine class often need help with. So today I thought I’d share some tips on threading a needle with ease...

1) Trim the thread end

Your thread may well have fluffy bits at the end that are getting in the way when you try to insert it through the eye of the needle. Grab a pair of scissors and snip off the end - if you cut at an angle it'll be even easier to get it through the tiny hole.

Also - lick it! Yeah I know it sounds gross, but we’ve all done it, non? Licking your finger and tightly pressing the end of the thread with your wet finger and thumb can help seal any fraying ends of thread. Sssshhhh!

2) Shed some light on the situation

The eye of the needle is teeny tiny – trying to get thread through it in a dim or shadowy room is really hard. Get some extra light with a desk lamp or the torch function on your phone. Of course you can always use the light of your sewing machine too – just be extra careful you don’t accidentally start sewing when the machine is on!



3) Highlight the eye of the needle

Place your finger behind the eye of the needle and you should find it easier to see exactly where you’re trying to insert the thread.

4) Hold it close

Hold the thread as close to the end as you can while still having a few mm to insert through the needle. That way you'll have a lot more control over getting it in the right place than if you are trying to thread a couple of centimetres.



5) Use an automatic needle threader

If all else fails, there are gadgets! Many sewing machines have an automatic needle threader attachment included. Check your sewing machine manual in case yours works a little differently, but on our Janome DKS100 machines what you do is this... Pull down the little lever to the left of the needle as far as it will go - if you look closely, you should now see a teeny little hooked wire through the eye of the needle. Wrap the thread to the left and under the plastic hook in the middle, pull it to the right just in front of the needle, hooking it into the little wire. If you let go of the lever on the left - or push it up - the wire should pull a big loop of thread through the eye of the needle.

If you don't have this on your machine, or if the little wire breaks (as they can do easily), you can try out a separate needle threader, such as this one (I haven't tried it myself, it just looks good).



Remember to check that the thread is going from front to back through the needle and that it isn't twisted.

I hope you found this helpful! Do you have any tips on threading a sewing machine needle?

If you liked this post, you may also like Common Sewing Machine Mistakes and How to Fix Them