29 September 2021

How To Tie The Perfect Bow


The perfect finishing touch for your lingerie sewing projects and more, knowing how to tie the perfect bow by hand is a satisfying crafty skill and will finish off your Iris knickers beautifully.

Taken from our 'Learn to Sew Knickers' online workshop, in this extract Hannah from Evie La Lùve (our Iris collaborator and workshop teacher) will take you through how to hand-tie a gorgeous satin ribbon bow and how to attach it to your Iris knickers. Watch how in the video below, or alternatively follow our step-by-step instructions...

SIGN UP FOR THE 'LEARN TO SEW KNICKERS' ONLINE WORKSHOP

22 September 2021

Designing Combos & Choosing Supplies for Dreamy Iris Undies!

We understand that sewing lingerie can seem intimidating, especially when it comes to shopping for supplies like elastic and lace that you might not have encountered in your dressmaking sewing projects. But we promise you that sewing the Iris knickers isn't as scary as it can first seem and we're confident you'll find that too...



In this blog post, we'll be sharing all the details on our exciting knicker supply store, along with lots of inspiration and ideas for the kinds of combinations you can create with your sewing pattern, plus a peek at the hacks demonstrated in our online workshop

17 September 2021

Fitting The Iris Knickers

Fitting the Iris Knickers - Tilly and the Buttons

Making the Iris knickers and need a little extra help getting the fit just right? Well, you've come to the right place! This post will cover the most common fitting adjustments you might want to consider for your Iris undies. 

Iris is available in printed and PDF formats sizes UK 6-34 / US 2-30 / EUR 34-62 / AUS 6-34.

The Iris knickers, designed in collaboration with Hannah from Evie la Lùve, are a simple and versatile knickers pattern with a choice of low, mid and high leg openings and waistlines that you can mix and match to create your fave style of undies. This means there are 36 possible combinations!

With so many to sew we best get cracking...

Fitting the Iris Knickers - Tilly and the Buttons

The wonderful thing about sewing is that we can alter our makes to fit the unique proportions of our bodies, getting a much better fit than anything we can buy on the high street. We all have preferences as to how our clothes fit - especially our undies! We sometimes suggest that you make a 'toile' aka a practice garment when making a new pattern to test the fit. 

As the Iris knickers are made from forgiving jersey and are quick and simple to make, you might want to treat the first pair you make as a practice fit pair. If they fit perfectly then that's great! If they need a couple of tweaks then you can make some small adjustments for your next pair with one or some of the following adjustments :)

In this post we're going to cover:

  • Choosing your size 
  • Lengthening or shortening pattern pieces
  • How to combine pattern sizes 
  • Adjusting the crotch width
Fitting the Iris Knickers - Tilly and the Buttons

15 September 2021

TATB x Evie la Lùve Iris Knickers & New Online Workshop!




It's been SEW hard to keep quiet about this one, and we can't believe it's finally here! So let us shout it from the rooftops... It's our pleasure to introduce our first underwear sewing pattern, the Iris knickers, along with a brand new online workshop. The Iris knickers have been created in collaboration with our favourite lingerie designer Evie la Lùve, and the workshop is taught by the lovely Hannah herself! The Iris knickers are available in TWO size bands: UK 6-24 and UK 16-34 - yay!

Learn to sew your own undies with this multi-style knickers pattern and helpful online workshop. A pleasure to sew, and a perfect scrap busting project, you can whip them up in no time at all on a regular sewing machine. Once you’ve made your first pair, you’ll be hooked (just ask any one of us Buttons)!

Let's meet Hannah, the lovely lady behind our new fave pattern... 


"I began sewing clothing and lingerie in 2008 and went on to study fashion at university, to take my passion for design and sewing to the next level. For as long as I can remember I’ve loved lingerie, and one day the penny dropped that I could combine my passion for design and sewing, with my infatuation for lingerie, and haven’t looked back.

I love sewing clothing, but sewing lingerie is my absolute favourite thing to sew. You can create something beautiful in a short period of time, using small amounts of beautiful fabrics and laces, what’s not to love!

Sewing lingerie has given me so much joy for many years and I love to share that with other people. My business is all about giving anyone who wants to learn, the skills and the patterns to create their own beautiful lingerie. I offer patterns with loads of variations, from simple silhouettes to patterns with cut-outs, lacy and strappy details, making them approachable for beginner sewers and more experienced sewers alike.

- Hannah Bullivant - Evie la Lùve

Excited to learn all about Iris and our brand new workshop? Of course you are! Grab a cuppa and let's go...

8 September 2021

Sewing School is in Session!


As we head into a new month and a new season, learning a crafty new hobby or elevating your skills is always a good idea! So if you want to learn to sew this month or dust off that old machine, now is a perfect time.

Tilly regularly shares her tips and tricks for everything you need to know when it comes to sewing and has written some fab blog posts, from how to choose a sewing machine (a hot topic in our DMs!), to troubleshooting common sewing machine mistakes and what sewing patterns to start with.

It's always good to have a refresher and doesn't September always remind you of starting a new school term? Cracking on with new hobbies, having a much-needed clear-out or buying new stationery to set up a tidy workspace. It's the same for sewing! In this blog post, we've rounded up some of our most popular content to kick start your term for many happy sewing sessions to come... 


If you are finding yourself at the beginning of your sewing journey and are a little nervous about getting started, don't worry, there is a selection of posts that you will find very handy to set you on the right path.

1 September 2021

Team Buttons Try... Skye Pattern Hacks!

Skye hacks header

Pattern hackers assemble! We love a pattern hack here at Tilly and the Buttons and our Skye sundress sewing pattern has inspired a whole bunch of stylish hack ideas we've been bouncing off each other in the office. We had to try some for ourselves ASAP and even better if it means we can take our Skye makes through the seasons with us and not just save them for summer.

Team Buttons have been busy trying a few out since Skye launched in July, so not only are we sharing inspiration and ideas in this post, we'll show you our finished hacked Skyes too. Enjoy!



Skye is available in TWO size bands UK 6-24 / US 2-20 / EUR 34-52 or UK 16-34 / US 12-30 / EUR 44-62. Get your copy HERE and to learn more about the difference between our two size bands, check out this handy blog post

Being a simple pattern, Skye lends itself so well to hack ideas, there's a whopping 8 to try in our Skye hacks blog post. The easy-fitting empire waist bodice is gently shaped with pleats under the bust and has a neat bias binding finish on the inside. Choose from mini-, knee- or maxi-length hemlines for the floaty gathered skirt. And, of course, it has side seam pockets for your ice cream money!

Let's get into it...

Real tie shoulders


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Turning your Skye's faux-tie shoulder straps into real-time shoulder straps is likely the first hack that'll come to your mind when you see Skye. It was certainly ours! Abi tried out this hack and you don't even need to edit or retrace your pattern...