I’ve had both the Tilly and the Buttons book and this Doctor Who fabric laying around for quite some time. Since winter, possibly. The fabric is basic quilting cotton (trust me, I wish it wasn’t), so I’d been toying with several patterns, trying to decide how to use it. I hate quilting cotton, but I love Doctor Who, so whatever. I wanted something that would showcase the print, but at the same time play nicely with the 0% give of the fabric. Once I started flipping through Tilly’s book, I discovered the Lilou dress, complete with a bow tie belt. Perfect for Doctor Who, right?!?

The only problem, at least for me, was the pleated skirt. It seemed to me that the lines of text on the print wouldn’t work well with pleats. So I opted for the Delphine skirt, with it’s sleek lines and sturdy shape, it was a much better option. Now, you may have noticed, there’s no bow tie belt here! Truth is, I got super frustrated with it. Irrationally so. The plan was to just attach the bow tie to the exiting waist band. But the first bow tie was far too small for the band. The second was a fine size, but then I felt the black bow tie on the black band would be lost. I contemplated a third, this time in the print, but the dogs had carried off my scrap fabric. So…no bow tie. Sorry, folks!

Based on my measurements and Tilly’s size guide, I cut a 4. I love a fitted dress, but this is a bit too snug. I used stretch sateen for the waist band, because that’s just what I had, and I think that may have contributed to some of the bunching you’re seeing. I think next time I’ll cut a 6 and grade the waist. As always, I added pockets. I also decided to fully line the bodice instead of doing facings, because I fucking hate facings. After I serged the hem, I decided I liked the look of that, just as is with no additional bulk, so I just left it. I know that’s not very professional and isn’t something I’m supposed to do, but I’m not a professional. I do what I want!

This dress definitely has a different vibe than most of the things I’ve sewn. Kind of 60’s, you know? I really need to make the Delphine skirt on it’s own, it’s so quick and easy, it would be great to have a few fun work skirts! The fabric is also really fun, I’m thinking of wearing this to Time Traveler’s weekend this year. Oh! And you may be noticing a bluish tinge to my hair. You’re eyes aren’t deceiving you, there are blue sections in there! It’s actually much more obvious in person, just wasn’t coming through in pictures. Happy sewing 🙂