The Mabel Dress.

Have you seen the latest release from Tilly and the Buttons? She’s a real beauty and this is my tester version of the dress *

I love it so much that I had to take it with me on holiday a few weeks ago just to get a quick cute shot of it, before changing out of it again so that it could stay a secret until launch 😉 x

The ‘new kid in town’ is Mabel, and she is a beautiful relaxed fitting blouse or dress. She has lots of great features including..

• Flirty, square-shaped elasticated neckline
• Full-length or elbow-length sleeves, with deep shirred cuff or narrow shirred cuff with frill hem
• Voluminous raglan sleeves elasticated around the shoulders
• Front neckline has a pretty frill, keyhole opening and faux drawstring ties
• Blousy bodice and floaty skirt cinched in with shirred waistline
• Make it as a midi-length dress or peplum blouse

It’s hard to pick my favourite feature of this pattern. When I first saw this pattern I instantly fell in love with the square neckline – especially the frill across the front neckline edge (you guys probably know I love a frill or ruffle). I also loved the full pouffy sleeves, especially the short sleeve version where the position of the shirring leaves a good amount of frill at the hem. Although the more I look at the long sleeved option, the more I like that deep shirred cuff too – definitely one to make next time 😉

The blouse is pretty cute too and I can see this being in my wardrobe soon too!

The shirring is also obviously a big big part of this design. I really enjoy the shirring process, I think it looks cute and let’s be honest it is super comfy to wear. You’ve got to love any form of elasticated waist right? The head of the sleeves has elastic too, but just at the top of the shoulder, allowing a comfortable fit without the risk of it slipping off the shoulders too. You might be pleased to know that it didn’t show my bra strap either – and that was trying it with 2 different bras!

I found the dress very straightforward to sew. The pattern is rated as an ‘improver’ level, and the challenges you will find making this dress might be the shirring process, and also regular elastic insertion which is needed at the top of the sleeves and the front and back neckline. Any concerns that you may have are probably going to be solved by the excellent instructions that come with every Tilly pattern. Helpful information can always be found on the Tilly and the Buttons website, and at the time of writing this you can already find tips on fitting the Mabel and also an article featuring some fabric inspo for this garment. I understand that there will be a video focusing on shirring in the near future too.

Choosing your size with Tilly patterns is a breeze. They fit true to size so check out the body/finished garment measurements to get your perfect fit!

Oh by the way, this gorgeous apricot ginham fabric was a lucky bargain find at Neils Fabrics, Milton Keynes market.

Take care, and I’ll be back soon,

Kathy x

Keep up to date with all of my sewing and craft @sew_dainty on Instagram

*although I made this as a tester for Tilly and the Buttons, there is no obligation to share this finished project on here or any other social media platforms. My opinions are and always will be my own.