Welcome back! After my coat expedition, I wanted a simple sew that didn’t require much thinking. Enter Tilly and the Buttons’ new dress, Lotta. I bought this pattern fairly soon after its release. The versatility really appealed as it can be made with wovens or knits and has two sleeve options, and two lengths of skirt. It’s basically got all the seasons covered! Plus, as Tilly says on her site, there are “no fiddly bits” so I knew it would be a satisfyingly quick make for me.
Working from a fridge
Since the season changed in the UK, I’ve noticed that my work set-up (i.e. dining room) is quite chilly. I think it’s something to do with the lack of 1000 people and computers in the same building! Even with the heating on, it can feel a bit nippy. A while ago, the genius sewing queen, Elisalex ,posted on Instagram that she had lined a dress with some pointelle. It basically gives a thermal-style lining to a garment. I thought this was possibly the best idea ever to have been formed. I bought some pointelle with the idea of replicating this on one of my makes.
I wanted to make a jersey Lotta, but also decided this was the garment to test the pointelle layer on. The Lotta has grown-on short sleeves so I decided it was a good pattern to try because there wouldn’t be too much bulk directly under my arms.
Adjustments
The TATB block fits me really well and I rarely have to make many alterations. For my Lotta, I…..
- Cut a size 4 all over. Sometimes I would cut a 5 at the hip but there is a generous amount of ease in this pattern
- Shortened skirt by 2″
- Added in-seam pockets (which are a bit too low!)
- Added a secret thermal layer
I also played around with the sleeve length. The long sleeve add-on is designed as ‘bracelet-length’ but I’m not a big fan – it just feels a bit “half mast” to me! Is it 3/4 length, is it full length, who knows? As I’ve got short arms, I used the original pattern pieces thinking the length would probably be about right for full length on me. In fact, I still had to take a bit off as they were too long! I cheated slightly and doubled the hem allowance (3cm instead of 1.5cm), which worked well.
Adding the thermal layer
I only added the pointelle layer to the bodice. To do this, I cut the bodice pieces in my main fabric and the pointelle. I added a strip of stabiliser to the back bodice shoulders of the main fabric.
To make sure the pieces stayed together, I basted both front bodices wrong side together along the shoulders and neckline. Then I repeated this with the back bodice pieces.
After that, I treated each as a single piece of fabric. If I was to do this again, which is highly likely, I would probably baste around the entire outside of the main and lining pieces to keep them together.
Secret pjs
My main fabric was from Pin and Sew, who were having a closing down sale. It’s a cotton jersey and the black dots have a hint of sparkle in them. To make things interesting, and not have to worry about pattern matching, I rotated the bodice pieces 90deg so the ‘stripes’ are horizontal. I had fun playing with the design of this, cutting out tiny pattern pieces and seeing which I liked best.
The fabric is so cosy and embodies the phrase “secret pjs”. I wore the dress the day after finishing it and was so comfortable, and warm! I’m already plotting a summer version, maybe in double gauze with patch pockets and short sleeves.
Thanks for reading :o)
My Stash Reduction Quest 