Ten Design Ideas for Marnie

You've seen our Marnie sewing inspiration and fabric picks, you've learned all about how to get a great fit and you've even seen how to sew those striking tucks... well, now it's time to make Marnie your own!

We love a pattern hack here at Tilly and the Buttons and our latest sewing pattern Marnie has had our heads buzzing with ideas for weeks! We quickly realised there are sooo many small tweaks you can make to your pattern that will make it even more unique, so we've compiled them into a blog post for you! 

Here's how to make Marnie your own…

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1. Attach a playful pompom trim or pretty crocheted lace trim to the ruffle edges. The hemmed edge of the ruffle is cut straight, so it’s easy to stitch on a trim – yay!

2. Hand-embroider a pretty design on the front yoke and/or sleeves. Need some inspiration? Don't miss Tilly's embroidered Indigo dress. 

How to Sew Undulating Tucks (with video!)

Tucks add a beautiful touch to garments and can make your me-mades truly stand out from the crowd.

The optional undulating tucks on the front yoke and upper sleeves of our Marnie blouse and dress pattern are a particularly striking feature. Whether you’re looking for extra guidance for sewing Marnie, want help sewing tucks on another pattern, or are just curious about how the undulating ripple feature is formed, read on for more help and take a look at our step-by-step video.

But first…

What are tucks?

Tucks are folds of fabric that are pressed and stitched in place so they stand away from the rest of the fabric. They’re a bit like pleats, but with stitching running parallel to the folds.

What are undulating tucks?

Also known as cross-stitched tucks, undulating tucks are tucks that are then pressed and stitched in different directions to create a wave-like effect. The ripples create a pretty detail that looks complex to achieve but is actually surprisingly simple once you know how!

What fabric should I use to sew tucks?

Tucks are easiest to sew on crisp, cotton-based fabrics that press well – think cotton poplin, lawn, voile, chambray…

They show up particularly well on solid colour semi-sheer fabric, such as cotton voile, lawn, Swiss dot or dobby.

That’s not to say you can’t use a different fabric though. If you’re a more confident stitcher, try a more slippery substrate if you like, such as viscose (rayon), Tencel, silk or poly crepe de chine. You could try stabilising the fabric first with spray starch (do check it washes out before spraying though!), and pin close to each fold when pressing to help hold the tucks in place.

Read more tips for sewing with slippery fabrics

Fitting the Marnie Blouse and Mini Dress

Fallen head over heels for our Marnie blouse and mini dress pattern and want a helping hand on how to get a great fit? You’ve come to the right place 😊

The Marnie blouse and mini dress is suitable for improver sewers and is available in both printed and PDF formats in sizes UK 6-34 (US 2-30 / EUR 34-62 / AUS 6-34). The easy-breezy, swishy design makes for a finished garment with lots of ease, which means not only is Marnie great for twirling in, it's also pretty simple to fit - yay!

Here, I'll talk you through the most common fitting adjustments you might want to consider for your Marnie blouse or dress. However, please bear in mind that Marnie is designed to be easy-fitting and floaty, so you might find you only need to make a couple of our suggested adjustments, or perhaps none at all!

In this post, we're going to cover:

• Making a toile 
• Choosing your size 
• Lengthening or shortening pattern pieces 
• How to combine pattern sizes 
• Fitting the bust area
• How to do wide and narrow shoulder adjustment

Inspiration and Fabric Picks for Sewing Marnie

Are you as obsessed with our new Marnie blouse and dress sewing pattern as we are?

Aside from the dreamy design, one of the great things about this pattern is that it pairs well with many of the fabrics you probably already have in your stash - hooray! Think cotton lawn, poplin, double gauze, seersucker, viscose (rayon), and more.

If you're after some style inspiration and fabric ideas to create your Marnie, read on...

Mad about floral minis

Fabric: 'Rita' floral viscose crepe from Fabric Godmother

Everybody needs a ditsy floral mini dress in their lives and they are HOT this season. With so much inspiration on the high street for this style right now, as I'm writing this I'm itching to finish my own floral Marnie mini dress that's watching me from the corner of the office...

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Ditsy florals in lightweight fabrics with drape are ideal for Marnie. Think viscose, crepe and rayon types. Let your fabric do the talking with simple style lines, or opt for contrasting but complimentary prints to make a statement of the gorgeous features with one print for the main body but the shoulder and neck ruffles in a different print - swoon!

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