If you love new sewing patterns then today is your lucky day. Today we launch not one, but two shiny new Tilly and the Buttons sewing patterns and we couldn't be more excited! If you missed it, check out our previous post introducing the new Jessa trousers and shorts for more info. Otherwise, read on to find out more about our gorgeous new pattern - the Romy top and dress.
If you love stylish yet comfortable jersey tops and dresses then look no further than Romy. With multiple, gorgeous variations to choose from you'll want to make them all. Romy is another multi-seasonal winner - three different sleeve options mean she's suitable for all temperatures. And have you seen those back ties? We are obsessed.
So without much further ado let's dive in and learn more about our new gal pal, Romy.
Taking inspiration from Rivieria style, Tilly designed the Romy top and dress to emulate the casual cool of the south of France. Think sunshine walks along the promenade, looking chic but feeling comfortable at the same time. Ahh, the dream. Whilst the style lends itself particularly well to stripes, it looks gorgeous made in all manner of different patterns and prints.
If you like the Coco dress and top, you'll be head over heels in love with Romy - she's got all of Coco's chicness with a looser fit, straighter silhouette and extra delectable design features. What's not to love?
The Romy top or dress is designed for knit and jersey fabrics. It has a modern loose fit and high slash envelope style neckline where the back shoulders wrap over the front making it super chic and comfortable to wear.
There are three (yes three!) gorgeous variations to choose from. The first is a knee length dress with three quarter length sleeves and ultra-chic back ties. The second is a cap sleeve top with a plain back and visible neckline binding. This version looks especially pleasing with a contrast binding - in fact, Tilly has made a version using navy and red Breton stripes (of course) with a red front neckline binding and a navy back one. C'est magnifique! The third and final variation is a top (or dress) with a plain back and hidden neckline binding and full length sleeves. It's so hard to decide which one to sew, you just might have to make them all!
THE SEWING PATTERN
Our award-winning patterns feature clear instructions with step-by-step colour photos to guide you through the project. The pattern pieces themselves are clearly labelled so you can see which seam is which and how they go together.
We've labelled the Romy top and dress as suitable for improvers. If you've got a couple of jersey projects under your belt, you'll be absolutely fine to sew Romy! The only slightly tricky part is lining up the shoulders for the envelope neckline, but we've worked really hard on explaining this bit (with feedback from our amazing testers!) and have made these steps extra clear.
Order the printed sewing pattern and we'll send you a beautiful package in the post. Made in the UK, our patterns are printed on durable paper which you can use again and again without it tearing or scrunching up. As well as our online shop, you can buy them from fabric shops and department shops around the world - check out our list of stockists.
Prefer to print and assemble your pattern at home? Buy the digital pattern and you'll get an email in an instant with a PDF to download. You can either print it at home on A4 or letter size paper, or send it to the copy shop to print large scale.
SIZING AND SUPPLIES
*****
Photographer: Jane Looker
Hair and make up: Julie @ The Bridal Stylists
Gorgeous Models: Suzanne Hopkins and Alice Irvine
Blue stripe lobster top: Jersey from Spoonflower (gifted)
Teal and white stripe dress: Jersey from Fabworks
Black and white stripe top: Jersey from My Fabrics
Enormous thanks to our amazing pattern testers, we couldn't do it without you x x x
SIZING AND SUPPLIES
Romy is designed for medium-weight low stretch knit fabrics such as jersey and interlock. As the pattern has a modern, looser fit, it has "positive ease", meaning that it's larger than your body measurements. The good news about this is that you won't need to worry about looking for fabric with a certain amount of stretch to make it fit you. Hurrah!
If you want a long sleeve version for the cooler months, you could try a ponte to make it extra snuggly, although steer clear of anything too bulky if you are making the back tie version. As Romy is designed to be a modern, looser fit, you'll want to avoid jersey fabric that is too lightweight or drapey as this may make the neckline and back ties droop. Louise is going to be publishing a fabric inspiration blog post very soon so watch this space.
If you want a long sleeve version for the cooler months, you could try a ponte to make it extra snuggly, although steer clear of anything too bulky if you are making the back tie version. As Romy is designed to be a modern, looser fit, you'll want to avoid jersey fabric that is too lightweight or drapey as this may make the neckline and back ties droop. Louise is going to be publishing a fabric inspiration blog post very soon so watch this space.
Find out how much fabric and other supplies you’ll need for each version on the shop page. For all versions you'll need matching thread and a ball point needle - this is a needle specifically designed for sewing with stretchy fabrics. If you're making the back tie version you'll also need 0.5m (5/8yd) of 6-9mm (1/4in) clear (swimwear) elastic and a sharp all-purpose needle or microtex needle to attach the elastic to the back neckline.
The pattern includes eight sizes – from UK 6 – 20, US 2 – 16, or EUR 34 – 48. You can see the exact body measurements on the sizing chart.
As Romy is designed to skim the body, fitting is rather easy. If you want a closer fit you can always take in the side seams a little if you prefer. If you often find you have to alter the shoulders or the back to make tops fit properly, we have a nifty fitting tip for you. We advise that you tack (baste) the sleeves on before stitching so you can try your top or dress on and widen or narrow the shoulders if needed. Easy peasy :) We'll be hitting publish on a fitting post very soon to go over this in more detail, plus more basic fitting tips such as well as how to combining, lengthen and shorten sizes.
In love with Romy as much as we are? Grab the pattern from our online shop today.
Here at Tilly Towers we are absolutely thrilled to see your finished makes and progress shots - nothing makes us happier. Please share with us on Instagram @TillyButtons with the hashtag #SewingRomy :)
*****
Photographer: Jane Looker
Hair and make up: Julie @ The Bridal Stylists
Gorgeous Models: Suzanne Hopkins and Alice Irvine
Blue stripe lobster top: Jersey from Spoonflower (gifted)
Teal and white stripe dress: Jersey from Fabworks
Black and white stripe top: Jersey from My Fabrics
Enormous thanks to our amazing pattern testers, we couldn't do it without you x x x
