Tilly and the Buttons - Cleo Dungaree Dress

Okay, okay, I know. I do too many Tilly and the Buttons pattern reviews. But seriously, the designs, the packaging, the simple and clear instructions. I'm powerless to their charms and I'm not sorry.

Sometimes a pattern comes along, very rarely, and you have to stop everything you're doing immediately and sew it up. The new Cleo dungaree dress was exactly that for me, but I also have no idea why! Firstly, it's not particularly vintage inspired and it's the last thing I would think would suit my body shape. But I had to have it!

Here's a peek at the pattern:

Such cute everything!

Whilst I love vintage styles, I'm definitely a lazy 60s style girl in the colder months and save the 1950s for Summer. And luckily a lot of Tilly's patterns lend themselves to a little 60s twist so they fit in to my wardrobe very nicely indeed!

I was worried I would lose my shape in this style. If you've seen some of my other pattern reviews, I have a reasonably hourglass figure. So some styles which don't have a waist often hit my boobs and hang off my chest like a sack - which is reeeally unflattering on my 5"4 frame. So Cleo was an experiment with a new shape for me...

New favourite pattern alert!

As I said before, I just had to stop everything I was doing and sew up a Cleo. I opted for a length between the long and mini options, the front slit, button fastening and with one larger bust pocket.

Luckily I had some black denim in my stash left over from a denim jacket I've been sewing with supplies from Sew Essential (on the blog soon!). You can pick up the gorgeous medium weight denim I used HERE.

I'm also going through a bit of a top-stitching phase, so instead of sticking with black thread for my dungarees, I decided to use baby pink. To make my top-stitching stand out and for an extra professional finish, I used a 3 stitch straight stitch (not sure if this stitch has an actual name but it's basically a regular straight stitch, but each stitch is made up of 3 rows of thread) for all my top-stitching on my new Janome Atelier 5 sewing machine from Weaver Dee (review also coming soon to the blog). I'm obsessed with the stitch and it's a great alternative to buying a top stitch weight thread.

Cleo and Agnes, a match made in sewing heaven!

Pattern:

Fabric: Black Medium Weight Denim - Sew Essential - £8.50 per meter 

Notions: 2 buttons

Sewing time: Half a day - need time to concentrate on that top stitching.

Modifications: As above, the facing piece was printed faulty. I also opted for a hem half way between the two options.

Fit: Good! It's a tighter fit on me that some I've seen online because of my figure. I think when I make it again, I'll add a little extra on the hips. But I like the tight fit with the denim fabric. It makes these dungarees feel accidentally sassy!

Difficulty: Easy-peasy! Beginners - get this pattern!

Watch out for: Tidy top-stitching takes extra care and making sure your pockets are central/even.

Make Again?: Yes! I have lilac needle cord and dungaree clips waiting in the wings for my next one!

I see many more Cleo pinafores in my sewing horizon!

Overall, I'm surprisingly happy with my Cleo dungarees! I didn't expect to like this pattern as much as I do or have it fit me as well. I can't wait to make more and would highly recommend it for all sewing abilities.

Like Tilly and the Buttons patterns as much as I do? Check out all my pattern reviews so far for her awesome range HERE. Are you making Cleo? See you at the Instagram party on Saturday 26th November! #SewingCleo

Get the pattern:

Thanks for reading, pinups!

xo