Hi everyone and thank you for welcoming me to the Lamazi Fabrics blog. I’m Tamlyn, known on Instagram and YouTube as ‘Sewn on the Tyne,’ and I was delighted when Liana asked if I would like to blog for Lamazi. I’ve ordered from Lamazi Fabrics many times before and have always been delighted with the range and quality of fabrics available, so I was very excited to be able to take my pick for my first Lamazi blog post.
I headed to the website with the idea of making a dress that would be great for the transition from summer to autumn. A few fabrics caught my eye, so I sent the ideas over to Liana along with my pattern suggestions. She was so helpful in helping me come to my final decision, letting me know which fabrics would and wouldn’t work for the patterns I had in mind.
So I had decided on making a Tilly and the Buttons Seren dress (which, considering my love for all things Tilly, I hadn’t actually made before!) with the Lizzano Bouquet Black – Cotton Satin fabric. I just loved the beautiful floral design and striking colours against the black background. When the fabric arrived, I was even happier with my decision as the quality of the fabric was really high and I knew it would be perfect for this pattern.
Cutting out the fabric was a breeze using my rotary cutter and I was ready to go! The fabric sewed beautifully and behaved really well at the machine, although I did cause a couple of little pulls in the fabric at first which made me aware that I needed to be very careful when using my pins and clips.
Although I haven’t made this pattern before, I decided to dive straight in without making a toile. On reflection, I should have toiled the bodice. As you can see from these two close up photos, the bust darts aren’t sitting in the correct place and so need to be lowered. Also, there is a little bit of gape at the bust. Neither of these things are enough to stop me wearing the dress as I don’t think they are hugely noticeable, but I will definitely make a couple of small adjustments to the pattern next time I make it – there definitely will be a next time, as I love it!
I constructed the whole dress on my sewing machine using a fine universal needle (to avoid pulling) and I finished the seams on my overlocker. Tilly’s instructions, as always, were foolproof and I didn’t come across any steps that confused me or that I found difficult.
A lovely feature of the Seren is the full button placket down the front. This gave the perfect opportunity to add a beautiful finishing touch to the dress. I considered using self-cover buttons, but then I had a look in the sewing chest that I had been gifted by my husband’s Nana Grace (who celebrated her 97th birthday this month) and I found a set of beautiful vintage buttons that complemented the fabric perfectly. There were only 13 however, when the pattern used 15, so I just left a longer section of the dress ‘button-less’ towards the hem and I actually think this allows better movement in the skirt. It makes me so happy every time I look at these buttons and it has added an extra-special meaning to the dress.
Once I had finished my dress, I still had some fabric left over. With this, I decided to make a clutch bag using the free Ida clutch pattern by Kylie & the Machine and some cork fabric. I’m really happy with this and I think it adds an extra touch of elegance to the outfit.
It definitely feels like summer is almost over, but that doesn’t mean I will be packing this dress away until next year. The beauty of the floral design being on a black background is that it will work well all year round. I plan on wearing this with a fitted polo neck sweater, tights and boots in autumn, which I think will make a lovely outfit.
Lamazi have a few different Lizzano Cotton Satin fabrics in stock and I couldn’t recommend them highly enough. Go and have a look – I’m sure there’ll be something that’s perfect for you.
Thank you for reading my blog post and I hope I’ve inspired you with my makes.
Happy sewing,
Love Tamlyn xx
Beautiful dress Tamlyn and I agree your fabric choice is perfect. I’d wear it with a cardi during the colder months for sure. It’s a very flattering fit on you and I wouldn’t have noticed the couple of tweaks you need to make if you hadn’t of mentioned it. I’d like to try this dress out too – I might chicken out with all those buttonholes though – hopefully snaps would work!? x
Omg I LOVE this make Tamlyn! And the fabric😍
Fantastic blog, Tamlyn. I love the fabric, it’s really beautiful. What a lovely story about the buttons and their special meaning. I love your styling idea for making this a year long outfit. Lamazi fabrics are so gorgeous, I must treat myself soon!