Emma's Tilly and the Buttons Viscose Seren Dress

As soon as I saw this gorgeous viscose come in at Sew Me Sunshine, I knew I had to have to it! It is a stunning bright blue covered in white polka dots and beautiful sketched florals (it is also available in a yellow colourway). Although it is a lightweight viscose it has great opacity and I haven’t lined my dress but may wear a slip under the skirt just to be certain…!

I quickly knew what I wanted to make with this fabric and that was a Tilly and The Button tie front dress. I felt the fabric really lent itself to being a dress and particularly one with a 40’s vibe. Seren is a little more modern than this but I still felt it could work and so I got to work.

Now, Seren and I don’t have a great history! The first time I made her the bodice was too small and I had to order extra fabric from Harriet to completely remake the bodice! On that particular occasion I had followed Tilly’s tips around trying the bodice on for size at quite an early stage – it was very big so I adjusted it and the facings by around 1cm on both side seams. I then sewed the bodice and added the flounce at which point the bodice became way too small. Disaster!! So, I reordered more fabric from Harriet and made the bodice as per pattern in a size 2 (I’m a UK 8) Success! The dress fit me perfectly so I figured on this occasion I would make the dress as per pattern in a size two again but without the flounce as I was making the tie front version this time. Guess what – yep, too big and not a little bit too big, a whole lot too big!! The flounce clearly makes a fair bit of difference to the sizing!

I had completed the dress when I established it was too big, I naively sewed the whole dress in the comfort that the flounce version fitted me perfectly. So, a decision had to be made on how I was going to correct the fit. I was fortunate in that I had sewed the tie front version because the skirt section fit like a glove and needed no alteration at all so I could just focus on the bodice. I did not go to the lengths of unpicking the facings and amending the side seams which would’ve been the correct way to fix the issue I had. I instead moved my button placement – Significantly!!! This has made the fit perfect and I have managed to get away with it because the pieces are separate. If I’d made the dress version I would’ve definitely had to attack the side seams. If I made this version of Seren again, I would make the bodice in a size 1 and grade to a 2 at the waist – despite the fact that my bust measurement is 33” which suggests I should make a 2/3. I find this dress really tricky to fit which is strange as I’m usually a straight size 2 in Tilly patterns!

The fabric was perfect for this dress, it has a lovely drape and is beautifully feminine. I love all versions of Seren and just think it is a perfect summer dress. The fabric that I used made the sew slightly more challenging than if I was using a lawn say, and that’s simply because it was very slinky! I overcame this by using a walking foot on the machine and using wander clips to keep the fabric together when sewing. I cannot stress how important it is to follow the staystitching guidelines in this pattern (Seren) as the fabric does have a natural ability to stretch out of shape at no effort! The reason I enjoy sewing with viscose is for the final result, yes it’s tricky and you may swear a little…and maybe even have a little glass of wine…but the result is always worth it. The dress I’ve made is comfortable to wear, it’s soft, it flows as I walk around….and just look at the drape, it’s dreamy!!

Finally, the buttons! I bought these buttons from my lovely friend Lizzie – she has a great selection and I spent ages in her shop just looking at all the different options!! I settled on these pretty red flowers because I just thought they looked great and were innkeeping with the fabric.



So, there we go…there’s another Seren in my wardrobe. I’d like to say there’ll be many more but I need to toile the bodice to get the fit right on the different versions first. My chequered history with Seren continues but we always get there!!! I absolutely love the pattern and I’m determined to win on the fit front!!

Just whilst I’m here, I think this fabric would really lend itself to Rosie – Sew Over It. It was a last minute thought of mine and I didn’t have quite enough of the fabric but I think that the dress would look stunning made up in this fabric or maybe even in the yellow colourway.

Happy Sewing Folks!!