Dress Up Party – Pattern Review – Tilly and the Buttons Coco

This post is part of Dress Up Party. For contest rules, full details, and schedule, please click here!
Today’s post is from Jenny of Cashmerette.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I want to conquer a complicated new pattern or learn a new skill…  and sometimes I just want a quick make that I know I’ll wear. Enter: the Tilly and the Buttons Coco top. It’s a super simple knit top with an A-line flare which is a fantastic wardrobe staple. So when I recently decided my wardrobe was sorely lacking everyday tops, I knew the Coco would be just the ticket.

As the original pattern has a significant flare at the bottom I cut the size 8 overall, but graded down to a 6 at the hips to give me a more traditional tshirt shape. To liven it up, I chose to colour-block the pattern, a very straightforward adaptation: just draw a line across the front and back piece at the same height, divide them into two pieces, and add seam allowance back on. For the main body I used a gorgeously soft Japanese Nani Iro knit, which is absurdly snuggly, and I teamed it up with a heathered grey Laguna jersey from Robert Kaufmann. I also made another two changes to the pattern: first I scooped out the neckline considerably, which I think looks much better if you have a bigger bust like me. And I also added a t-shirt neckband to finish it off, which is another easy adaptation. To make your neckband piece simply measure the length of the neckline, add 1.25 inches seam allowance, and take off 10%: that’s the length you need to cut. For the width, I went with 1.5 inches which gives a 3/8 inch band. Sew the band into a loop, fold in half wrong sides together, and divide into four using pins. Then simply match up the four quadrants of the neckline with the four pins on the neckband and stretch the neckband to fit as you sew.

This pattern is fantastic for beginners because Tilly makes a huge effort to make her patterns very simple to understand and use, and great for more advanced sewists who want a quick project.

As luck would have it I finished my Japanese top just in time for a trip to Japan! These photos were taken early in the morning at the Tsujiki fish market, near the market temple – just out of sight are crazy forklift drivers and tunas being shuttled around. How my white jeans managed to make it out unscathed, I’ll never know.

Do you enjoy sewing wardrobe staples? I know that some people prefer buying basics like t-shirts, but I can’t resist making my own unique versions that fit me much better than those I can buy!