Georgina & Joy's Tilly and the Buttons Marigold Trousers

Georgina (@sewinthegarden)

So before I tell you about the amazing fabric I'm going to tell you about my experience shopping at Sew me Sunshine.

I have been following (stalking) Harriet on Instagram for a while and when she opened Sew me Sunshine I popped over to the website and was amazed at the fabrics on offer. I'm a bit fussy when it comes to buying fabric, I know what patterns and colours I like and usually find fabric shops have a large amount of stock that doesn't appeal to  me. I can honestly say if I had an unlimited supply of money I would have bought about 95% of the fabrics at Sew me Sunshine! Buying fabric online can be risky but with designers like Robert Kaufman and Cotton and Steel you can be certain that what you are buying is top quality even if not a well known branded fabric.

To narrow down my fabric purchase I knew I wanted to make another pair or Tilly and the Button Marigold trousers so searched for viscose fabrics. When the Emily Viscose popped up on the screen I knew that was the fabric for me and for a super cheap £3.50 a half meter I definitely couldn't resist.



The fabric arrived within a couple of days in very colourful packaging with a handwritten note designed by Harriet herself.



The colour of the fabric is exactly as shown, it's so soft and has an amazing drape. It went straight into the machine for pre washing ready for sewing.

I loved my first pair of Marigold trousers so was looking forward to sewing up another pair. As I'm not one of the tallest people around I shortened the leg length and the waist to crotch length. I'm not going to go through the steps of making the Marigolds as Tilly's instructions need no further explanation

Sewing with viscose can be tricky as it can pull out of shape but with lots of pattern weights and a rotary cutter cutting out is easier and lots of pins when sewing keeps the seams together. It's also prone to fraying so if you have an overlocker use a scrap left over from cutting out to check the tension or French seams give a really nice finish. As any sewer will know ironing at every step is key to a neat finish and this fabric is an absolute dream to iron.

These trousers are so comfortable and they can easily be dressed up or down. I know winter is well and truly on its way but I'm eyeing up the Wildflower Meadow viscose for another pair.

If you are a first time trouser sewer I would definitely recommend this pattern and fabric. The loose fit and elastic waistband means that there will be few, if any, alterations. The fabric is of brilliant quality and very reasonably priced so no need to be scared of cutting into expensive fabric for a first attempt.

Joy (@joy.margot)

The Marigold wasn’t a pattern that immediately leapt out at me, but when I saw Smile and Make’s beautiful ice-cream print one, it secured the top spot on my summer sewing wish list. Lucy has also made one in a gorgeous sunflower print - check out her blog & instagram for more pics!

photo from Lucy (@smileandmake)

I received the pattern for my birthday and chose an unusually understated (for me) black and cream dahlia print peachskin fabric for my first pair. I decided to make a toile of the top half of the jumpsuit before slicing into my fabric, for which I am very grateful to past Joy because sadly it did NOT work for me. I should probably pretend that I make toiles of all my makes, but the truth is…ain’t nobody got time for that!

I was a little disheartened but I persevered with the trousers, and I’m so glad that I did because I adore them and lived in them all summer! I paired them with a tied-up shirt and wedges for date night and a cropped tee and Converse for a day at the beach. I was also super excited when @tillybuttons shared my photo on their instagram page

(Bag is from Yoshi & shoes are from Lotta from Stolkholm)

Naturally I wanted a second pair, and when I spotted Atelier Brunette’s Moonstone Pink Viscose I knew it was The One. I was thrilled when Harriet told me that Sew Me Sunshine would be stocking it, and I ordered it on the day they opened! It arrived beautifully packaged (along with a few other gorgeous fabrics – blog posts about these coming soon!), and I set to work.

The fabric has a luxurious feel and is very lightweight – I would suggest handling it as you would bias-cut pieces, i.e. ensure it’s carried flat and don’t skip the stay stitching on the pockets! The trousers came together pleasingly quickly, and I whipped them up on a Saturday afternoon with the help of my sewing assistant, Luna.

I’m thrilled with the finished result - they’re even comfier than my first pair, and who doesn’t love Secret Pyjamas? They’re not quite warm enough to wear outside in this surprisingly cold September, but they’ll keep me lounging in style at home until Summer 2018!

Thank you so much Georgina & Joy for your gorgeous Marigolds.  We stock the TATB Marigold pattern and lots of gorgeous viscose including viscose from Atelier Brunette so you can make your very own pair of Marigold trousers.  Don't forget that we have 15% off everything in the store with the code SEWINGBEE until tomorrow evening (Sunday 24th September)!

Happy Sewing :)