Tilly and the Buttons Coco Dress

Well it’s been a while since I posted on the blog - the last several weeks have been rather busy since I launched the business at the end of September. It has been busy which is fantastic but the opportunities to do some selfish sewing have been few and far between! I managed to finish this Coco dress by Tilly and the Buttons just before half term in October and have enjoyed wearing it loads! It really is the perfect Autumn/winter dress.

The Coco dress is one of Tilly and the Buttons’ earliest patterns and it is an absolute classic. I love all of her patterns but this has to be my tried and tested favourite. It is made in knit fabric and doesn’t have any fiddly fastenings to worry about - not only easier to sew but just shove it over your head and you’re good to go! This dress is described as having ‘sixties style’ 3/4 length sleeves, a funnel roll neck and rolled cuffs. Other options are patch pockets, a boat neckline, a top version and long sleeves. I have previously made a grey Ponte Roma coco dress and a jersey top so I knew this style was going to suit me. The fabric is a purple Ponte Roma from the beautiful Guthrie & Ghani haberdashery in Birmingham. Purple is my absolute favourite colour and this shade is so vibrant especially outside. I cut a size 3 and lengthened the dress at the shorten/lengthen line by 10cm.

So here it is…

If you get the hang of working with stretch fabrics the dress is straightforward to construct. Ponte Roma is even easier as it’s quite a stable fabric so not too slippery. I used the sewing machine with a stretch needle as need some time to experiment using the overlocker to make the dress (haven’t been that brave yet!) and so used the stretch stitch on the machine for the horizontal seams and the ballpoint twin needle around the neckline, cuffs and hem. I also used the walking foot throughout. I didn’t finish the raw edges inside as the fabric doesn’t fray so all in all it came together quite quickly, hurrah! Tilly and the Buttons wrote a good blog post on sewing knits on a regular sewing machine which you can read here. Inevitably I ended up taking it in at the side seams as I do prefer more close fitting garments as they are more flattering for my body shape. I wonder whether I may have taken it in a bit too much around the bust though - next time I may do less.

So don’t be put off sewing with knit fabrics - practice, practice, practice and the results can be really really comfy dresses!! I absolutely love knit dresses with tights and boots in the Autumn/Winter - the next one is planned already!

Until next time…

Happy sewing!