A Fabric Review From Modista Sewing: My Indigo Dress In Brushed Cotton


Next was to decide on a pattern. I’m personally much more comfortable in skirts and dresses than trousers and love a pattern with lots of opportunity for hacking and different views. What pattern has all these and then some? Well of course, the Tilly Buttons Indigo!
I hadn’t made this dress before so decided to toile it first before cutting into my luscious fabric. I’m very glad I did as the pattern turned out to be an intense test of my fitting skills, however deceptively simple it seems. I ended up doing a lot of adjustments and have a separate post coming upon my blog with the details.

I chose the long sleeve view which in my size (3) would normally require 2m of fabric. However, to match the checks on the skirt I squeezed it out of 2.5m – but would recommend 2.6-3 to be comfortable and allow yourself room for mistakes. There are a few pattern-matching techniques out there but personally I like to cut on the fold, peeling back the top layer of fabric to ensure they are matching before cutting and going very slowly.

Once the fabric was cut, having spent a lot of time toiling and altering already the final dress came together really quickly and I’m very happy with it. Despite the fabric being a mid-weight the gathers came together really well and the dress feels really comfortable and snug. It’s perfect for working from home with a pair of high woolly socks or nipping out in tights and boots.

The fabric washes really well and I think will stretch slightly with wear, which is what I want. My experience with the Indigo dress has taught me the fabric used makes a huge difference to the fit. As you can see from my toile versions, made in a cotton like this or needlecord, the dress is slightly more fitted. It depends on your preference but you could size up if using a heavier fabric. In a viscose or cupro, the fit is much looser and floatier so you can wear your usual size.
- Indigo Dress- Tilly and The Buttons
- Stevie Tunic- Tilly and The Buttons
- Greta Dungarees- Made My Wardrobe
- Pippi Pinafore- Jennifer Lauren
- Ilford Jacket- Friday Pattern Company
Fabric recommendations for the Indigo dress:
- Brushed poly-cotton check
- Ochre Floral Viscose Lawn
- Dotty About Dots Viscose Lawn
- Floral Needlecord
- Black Knot Chiffon
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Want more Indigo inspiration? Check out this wonderful maternity hack by Gina Seams!