27 January 2017

British Sewing Awards 2016 - We won!

Tilly and the Buttons wins three awards in the British Sewing Awards 2016

We did it! Thanks to everyone who voted for us, Tilly and the Buttons has won gold in the British Sewing Awards 2016:

Best Pattern House
Best Sewing Blog
Favourite Sewing Personality

Woooop!

Just let me have a little gush for a minute… I’d like to extend a personal, heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you who voted for us.

As a small business, we may not have the biggest budget in the world, but we put so much care and attention into creating inspiring and accessible sewing resources – so it feels amazing to have our hard work recognised by winning three national awards.

And having the support of such creative, generous and thoughtful readers and customers who voted for us means the world to me and to my team. We really do have the best customers in the world!

Thank you sooooo much!

If that wasn’t exciting enough, we have a stunning new sewing pattern launching next week. Stay tuned...

Tilly xxx

25 January 2017

My Needlecord Rosa Dress

Tilly's needlecord Rosa dress - sewing pattern by Tilly and the Buttons

Mmm... aubergine needlecord... 

Like many in the online sewing community, I fell in love with this fabric when we started putting it in our Cleo sewing kits, and decided to put some aside so I could make myself a Rosa shirt dress, inspired by this one. The needlecord is relatively lightweight and feels silky soft to the touch. I love how it's turned out!

I made the facings in a floral Liberty lawn to add pretty details to the insides. If you can't afford to make a whole shirt in Liberty fabric, making just the facings in it is a great way to get your florals fix on a budget :) I love the contrast between the feminine facings and more industrial-looking hammer-on jeans buttons.

Tilly's needlecord Rosa dress - sewing pattern by Tilly and the Buttons

18 January 2017

Sewing Space Tours... Our Vanessa's Sewing Nook!

Vanessa's colourful sewing space!
Vanessa's colourful sewing space!

Howdy, sewing fans! We have a special treat for you in this, our latest instalment of Sewing Space Tours. Today, we're having a look around (our very own pattern cutter) Vanessa Allen's space. Vanessa has transformed a corner of her room into a sewing haven, and we are so excited to be sharing it with you. Over to Ness for more...

Hello all! My name is Vanessa. I’m a dressmaker, pattern cutter, and an all-round lover of time consuming DIY hobbies. I've had the pleasure of working at Tilly and the Buttons for the past year and a half helping to make the patterns, sew up gorgeous samples and eating all the studio biscuits. When I'm not sewing for work, I like to take a nice busman's holiday and sew for pleasure – such is the addictive nature of this amazing hobby! 

Vanessa's colourful sewing space!

My current sewing space resides in a cosy little corner of my bedroom in South London. I’ve always enjoyed inhabiting small spaces, and my sewing area is no exception. It’s my haven, with Radio 4 turned down low, copious amounts of tea and snacks, and more fairy lights than Stranger Things.

Vanessa's colourful sewing space!

4 January 2017

What I Made in 2016




One of the questions people often ask me is, now that I run a sewing business, do I still sew for fun - or is it too much like work?

While I dabble in other hobbies like knitting and drawing, for me it's still all about making clothes. I try to carve out time when I'm not working to make things just for me, both with Tilly and the Buttons sewing patterns (as the designer, I love them all!) and other brand's patterns that catch my eye. Of course, I do inevitably end up thinking about work when I'm sewing, which isn't ideal when I'm trying to have a Sunday off. But on the other hand, sewing is still my greatest passion - our photographer always laughs as, even during a stressful photo shoot when I've been frantically stitching for nine hours, I'll often let out a love-struck sigh of, "Ooh, I love sewing!"

This year I've been making a balance of our both speedy, satisfying sews when I needed a quick sewing fix, and more intricate and involved projects for when I needed to get my teeth stuck into something.

1 January 2017

30% Off Online Sewing Workshops!

Online sewing workshops - Tilly and the Buttons

Happy new year! If one of your resolutions is to sew more or learn new skills, you may be interested to know that our online sewing workshops are on sale! You can get 30% off when you enter the code JANUARYSALE at checkout.

These sewing courses are taught through video lessons, allowing you to watch the sewing in action close up. You can rewind and revisit the lessons whenever you like, as there are no deadlines for finishing.

Choose from the following workshops:

Online sewing workshops - Tilly and the Buttons