Five Lessons From Me-Made-May

Agnes top + Miette skirt

Have you been taking part in Me-Made-May 2018? As it's coming to a close I've been reflecting on how I'll take what I have learned into my sewing practice to keep my motivation and happy feels going. It's Louise here, the sales and communications manager at TATB, and I'm going to share what I learnt this May. I focused on what drives my sewing, how my me-mades turn into outfits and what I hope to achieve going forward from this wonderful sewing obsession of mine : )

Patterns L-R clockwise: Freya sweater + Mila dungarees, Agnes top + Arielle skirt, Frankie tshirt + Dominique skirt, Frankie tshirt + Cleo pinafore

Me-Made-May was started 8 years ago by our lovely friend and collaborator Zoe Edwards to encourage sewers to wear their makes with pride. MMM is all about celebrating being a DIY dressmaker and building a great relationship with your handmade wardrobe. The idea is to wear handmade items throughout the month of May and share pictures with like-minded makers if you fancy. Anyone can take part - whether you have one me-made or a wardrobe full, you can get involved.

Patterns L-R clockwise: Coco dress, Francoise dress, Orla shift top + Miette skirt , Mimi blouse + Arielle skirt

Five Nursing-Friendly Sewing Patterns

Now that I'm a mama, my life has changed a lot. But one of the things that remains constant is that I want to be able to express myself through the clothes that I wear, and show my love of making by wearing things I've sewn myself. Even if somedays that just means yet another Breton top, hehe!

One of the questions that pops up in our inbox every so often is what sewing patterns to make if you're breastfeeding your baby. With a hungry newborn, you'll want to be able to pull your boobs out quickly and easily, while not necessarily flashing the rest of your body to the other customers in that parent-friendly cafe that's become your second home.

Comfort and ease are also key. Bra sizes can fluctuate wildly through pregnancy, nursing and beyond, so it's a good idea to avoid anything too fitted. And in the early months postpartum, particularly if you've had a caesarean, you probably won't want anything tight against your tum.

With these factors in mind, here's a list of Tilly and the Buttons sewing patterns that are great options for nursing mamas:

Five Tips For Making Your Wedding Dress

Bride + dressmaker: Allie
Photographer: Meg Runion Studios

Wedding season is upon us, and this year (at the time writing) is a particularly exciting one as there's a certain royal wedding coming up! We are eagerly anticipating Meghan’s outfit, with the press a-buzz with predictions.

The wedding dress is such an important part of the big day, and the right dress can make a bride feel truly special. As a sewist, have you ever considered making your wedding dress?

Bride + dressmaker: Jasmine
Photographer: Claudine Rosendale

I’m Jasmine, an intern at Tilly and the Buttons. When I got engaged, there was one thing that I really wanted to do, which was make my own wedding dress. At the time, I was a true novice. I had only sewn one outfit before this, a T-shirt and matching shorts when I was six! But sometimes ignorance is bliss, and not knowing that it was supposed to be difficult meant that I just went for it rather than over-thinking things.

It was the best experience, I learnt so much and ended up with a customised dress that fitted me perfectly and had all the details that I wanted. It was one of my proudest achievements, and even won Make It Today magazine’s Dressmaker of the Year, Occasion category! This just shows what is achievable when you put your mind to it. Where there’s a will, there’s a wedding dress!

If you’re thinking of making your own wedding dress, where to begin? When I started out, I spent ages trawling the internet for advice. Here I’ve compiled a list of top tips from my own experience and those of other home sewists who have made their own fabulous and varied wedding dresses. Hopefully this will save you a bit of stress and encourage you to go for it!

Jenny Makes All The Things

It’s Jenny here, the office assistant at Tilly and the Buttons, if you order a pattern or fabric from our shop it's most likely me who will package it up for you!

I've been sewing for about 4 years and I've recently been working my way through the patterns in our new book Stretch! sewing with all kinds of knit fabrics and making myself the comfiest handmade wardrobe ever : )

Three Maternity Joni Dresses

Not long after I started writing my second book Stretch! I became pregnant. The contents had already been drawn up and the garment patterns were already in production, so it's lucky that the topic was stretchy fabrics so at least some of the samples could grow with me!

The Joni dress quickly became my favourite dress as, even though it's not designed specifically as maternity wear, the empire waistline and flared skirt make it wearable with a growing bump. I could throw it on and look put together while feeling extremely comfortable at the same time. I always think empire waistlines are flattering on non-pregnant people as they allow skirt fabric to skim over squishy tummies if you prefer jaffa cakes to sit-ups (ahem). If there's a baby bump there too, the waist seam accentuates the narrowest point of your torso, while the twist front bodice shows off mama-to-be boobs.