24 June 2020

Tilly's Indigo Midi Dress of Dreams

Tilly's Indigo midi dress - sewing pattern by Tilly and the Buttons
Tilly's Indigo midi dress - sewing pattern by Tilly and the Buttons

It's official... I've joined the Indigo Midi Dress Club... and I'm obsessed!At 5'1" with curvy hips, I always thought a midi dress would look unflattering on me, especially a looser fitting shape like this. But I tried one on in H&M and was pleasantly surprised. And of course I left the shop empty-handed thanks to the stitcher's refrain, "I could make that!".Tilly's Indigo midi dress - sewing pattern by Tilly and the ButtonsTilly's Indigo midi dress - sewing pattern by Tilly and the Buttons
So make it I did. This is of course our popular Indigo dress sewing pattern, with the short sleeves and midi tier extra pieces from the Indigo add-on pattern. (You can buy them together at a discount with this PDF bundle.) I love love LOVE this dress - it's so floaty and whimsical, comfy yet pretty, breezy for summer days with a bit of extra leg coverage for cooler evenings.
And it turns out I really like the silhouette on me. It just goes to show, never say never when it comes to your style or what is supposed to suit your body shape.


19 June 2020

Fitting the Jaimie Pyjama Bottoms and Shorts

Fitting the Jaimie pyjamas sewing pattern - Tilly and the Buttons

Making the Jaimie pyjama bottoms or shorts and want some advice on getting a good fit? Well, that's lucky - you've come to the right place!

The great news is the Jaimie PJs are easy-peasy (lemon squeezy) to fit thanks to the loose, loungewear style and waistline cinched in with elastic or a drawstring. Yay! And, as they are pyjamas, the only people who will see you wearing them are the people you live with, your pets, and anyone you're showing them off to on your Zoom meetings, so there's no need to worry if you don't nail the perfect fit on the first try.

Jaimie pyjama bottoms and shorts sewing pattern by Tilly and the Buttons

Jaimie is available in a choice of TWO size bands - the UK 6-24 and our new UK 16-34 size range, which has a whole new size chart, going up to a 152.5cm (60in) bust, 134.5cm (53in) waist and 155cm (61in) hip, with different proportions to get the best fit. 

Want a little more help picking out which size range is best for you? Check out this blog post which guides you through the differences.

Jaimie pyjama bottoms and shorts sewing pattern by Tilly and the Buttons

For more involved projects we often recommend you make a toile or wearable toile (a practice version made in cheap fabric to test the fit) but it's not necessary here. Sure, if you have your eye on some expensive and stunningly beautiful, one-of-a-kind fabric, you might want to make a practice pair in cheaper fabric so you're not devastated if they need a bit of tweaking. Otherwise, just go for it!

If you're new to sewing I'd like you to listen very carefully to what I'm about to say: your pyjamas don't need to be perfect. So what if they turn out a bit wonky or baggy? You made them. How amazing is that?!

In this post we're going to cover:
  • Choosing your size
  • Lengthening or shortening 
  • How to combine different waist and hip pattern sizes
  • Full booty adjustment
Fitting the Jaimie pyjamas sewing pattern - Tilly and the Buttons

Choosing your size

17 June 2020

Fabric Shopping for the Jaimie Pyjamas

Fabric shopping for the Jaimie pyjamas - Tilly and the Buttons

Making the Jaimie pyjamas? Wondering what fabric to choose? I'm going to take you through some fabric suggestions for our latest sewing pattern - the good news is that these fabrics are easy-to-sew, easy-to-find and come in lots of lovely prints!

If you haven't yet seen the latest sewing pattern to join our collection, the Jaimie pyjamas are an ideal sewing project for beginners, and a satisfyingly speedy make for more experienced stitchers. Super comfy, they're perfect for sleeping, lounging, and working from home - just throw on a smart blouse and you’re ready for your Zoom meeting! 

If you're a new stitcher and are nervous about getting stuck into your first project, Jaimie is designed to be the perfect first make. It is easy to sew and fit, plus there is an accompanying free video tutorial where Tilly takes you through making the Jaimie pyjama bottoms from start to finish. 

It's also a great pattern for teaching people to sew and, as we often get requests for patterns for teens and tweens, we've added an extra small size to this pattern - equivalent to UK size 4 / US size 0 / EUR size 32. 

*Update!* The Jaimie sewing pattern now comes in a choice of two size bands - a UK 4-24 (US 0-20 / EUR 32-52) or a UK 16-34 (US 12-30 / EUR 44-62).

Fabric shopping for the Jaimie pyjamas - Tilly and the Buttons

Jaimie is designed for light- to medium-weight woven fabrics such as cotton lawn, shirting, “quilting cotton”, flannel, double gauze and viscose (rayon). The first four of these options are great for beginners as they're to cut and sew. If you have a few projects under your belt, you might want to pick a more floaty viscose or crinkly double gauze for a luxury pair of pyjama bottoms or shorts.

We reckon anything goes when it comes to pyjama prints, so you can have so much fun choosing your fabric! Pick that doughnut print, show your love of cats in what you're wearing, or go for a bold floral that you wish you had as wallpaper. The opportunities to play with print are endless!

We haven't seen these fabrics IRL, so do request a sample if you want to check it's exactly what you are looking for before making your purchase. If you are completely new to shopping online for fabric, check out Tilly's tips.

Fabric shopping for the Jaimie pyjamas - Tilly and the Buttons

10 June 2020

Meet the Jaimie Pyjama Pattern - With Free Video Tutorial!

Jaimie pyjama bottoms, trousers, pants and shorts sewing pattern - Tilly and the Buttons

Who wants to hear about the latest sewing pattern to join the Tilly and the Buttons family? All of you? Yay! Meet your new handmade wardrobe must-have, the Jaimie pyjama bottoms and shorts!

The Jaimie PJs are an ideal sewing project for beginners, and a satisfyingly speedy make for more experienced stitchers. Super comfy, they're perfect for sleeping, lounging, and working from home - just throw on a smart blouse and you’re ready for your Zoom meeting!

We wanted to make this pattern as accessible as possible for new stitchers, so we filmed a free video tutorial where Tilly takes you through making the Jaimie pyjama bottoms from start to finish.

Jaimie pyjamas sewing pattern by Tilly and the Buttons.
Since it's a great pattern for teaching people to sew, and since we often get requests for patterns for teens and tweens, we've added an extra small size to this pattern - equivalent to UK size 4 / US size 0 / EUR size 32. *Update!* Jaimie now comes in a choice of TWO size bands - a UK 4-24 OR a UK 16-34.



Jaimie pyjama bottoms, trousers, pants and shorts sewing pattern - Tilly and the Buttons
Jaimie pyjama bottoms, trousers, pants and shorts sewing pattern - Tilly and the Buttons
Jaimie pyjamas sewing pattern by Tilly and the Buttons

THE DESIGN