Inspiration and Fabrics for Making Bobbi — tillyandthebuttons.com

One of the best things about our latest sewing pattern, the Bobbi skirt and pinafore, is how versatile it is. The big sister of our iconic Cleo pinafore, not only is Bobbi super wearable (it goes with all the things), it looks so different depending on the fabric and variation you choose. You can go smart, casual, fancy, everyday, statement... It's Louise here today - I've pulled together some fabric suggestions and styling inspiration to give you ideas for making one, two, or as many Bobbis as you can whip up! (Please bear in mind that we haven't seen and felt all these fabrics IRL, so do request a sample before ordering to check it is exactly what you want.) To get the best out of this lovely pattern, you need to pick a fabric that will hold its shape. Denim, corduroy, cotton canvas and drill are all perfect choices. If you want to try something a little different, you could use velvet or gobelin (tapestry). Check the shop page for a full list of supplies needed. We know that sewists adore pockets on their me-mades so we have given you three options to play with - yay! You can choose from lots of different combinations to make an incredibly cute, yet practical garment. Clockwise L-R 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 Corduroy is one of our favourite fabrics (we picked it for two of our Bobbi samples) There is so much choice within this wonderful substrate - you can choose from jumbo cord, fine needlecord, prints, plains... the list goes on! Corduroy is great for both everyday casual and smarter office-ready Bobbis. We love cord in rich, autumnal shades like burgundy or khaki, and you cannot go wrong with a classic navy version. If you would like some tips for working with corduroy fabric, check out Tilly's blog post. Top row L-R: 1 / 2 / 3 Middle row L-R: 1 / 2 / 3 Bottom L-R: 1 / 2 / 3 This little lot looks soooo cosy, doesn't it? We love the merlot and gold options, they just look so rich and are the perfect base for any outfit. Or how about making a Liberty floral skirt for a piece you'll treasure for years to come? Pink jumbo cotton corduroy and navy jumbo cotton corduroy from Sew Me Sunshine If you loved the samples we made for the Bobbi shoot, you could recreate them! Both of these yummy jumbo corduroys were gifted to us from Sew Me Sunshine. We have popped sources for the buttons and buckles at the bottom of this post in case you would like that all-important info. Clockwise L-R 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 You can never have too many denim pieces in your wardrobe and Bobbi is the perfect excuse to add another. Choose jeans buttons for a classic style, or horn buttons for a modern look (just check they have a shank so they can sit nicely through the layers). And if you want to accentuate the stitch lines, contrast topstitching is the way to go. (Have a look at Tilly's tips for topstitching if you want some help.) Top row L-R: 1 / 2 / 3 Middle row L-R: 1 / 2 / 3 Bottom L-R: 1 / 2 / 3 You can choose from coloured denim, printed denim, authentic blue denim, goes-with-everything black denim - so many options! I've whittled it down to a few suggestions - you're welcome! Casper mustard stretch denim from Fabric Godmother How cute is this mustard sample we made for the cover shot? Fabric Godmother gifted us some lovely stretch denim and we used a burgundy topstitch thread to really pick out the details.  Clockwise L-R 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 Canvas and drill are wonderful, hardwearing fabrics that you can use for Bobbi. You will find them in a rainbow assortment of colours and a whole range of prints. The durability of this fabric gives a nod to the utility trend so you could opt to the hip and bib pockets and contrast topstitching like we did for our mustard denim sample. Top row L-R: 1 / 2 / 3 Middle row L-R: 1 / 2 / 3 Bottom L-R: 1 / 2 / 3 Look at this dreamy collection of fabrics - team Buttons are dying over them all. We are particularly in love with the Ruby Star peaches canvas (bottom left) that is the same print as one of our Indigo smock samples in a different colourway. Add a pop of colour to your outfit with these bright twills, or make your Bobbi the main event of your outfit with a fun print. Wildflower field canvas by Rifle Paper Co. from Sister Mintaka Make a stylish statement in a printed canvas fabric like we did for the model shoot. You can make this feel really smart with loafers, a plain top and black tights in the winter. We can see this being an outfit you could wear on repeat, for work and play. Clockwise L-R 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 If you wanna make a snazzy Bobbi, why not go for a velvet or gobelin (tapestry) fabric? Velvet is perfect for party pinafores and gobelin fabrics make for an instant heirloom garment. These fabric choices also lend themselves to luxe gold buttons. You could even make a Chanel-style skirt with heavy-weight textured tweed bouclé - it would be so nice paired with a roll neck sweater or classic white blouse. We also thought you might want to know where we got our buttons and buckles! We sell the dungaree buckles on our shop as they are so easy to use - you push the back end of the button through the fabric, press the parts together and hey presto you have your button, no hammer required! Then the straps slip through the buckle part - easy peasy. We used 17mm jeans buttons in silver for both of our pinafore samples - they are so easy to put on and will be hard-wearing. For the skirts, we chose lovely gold buttons for or floral print canvas that were just the right amount of fancy, and cute white and gold buttons for our pink corduroy sample to elevate it. I hope you have enjoyed soaking up some inspo and are full of ideas for making your dream Bobbi! Do share your makes with us on Instagram as we love to see them - use the hashtag #SewingBobbi. ***** Author: Louise Photography: Jane Looker Models: Megan Valero @pigeonwishes and Jess Burrell @jessbrll Hair and makeup: Laura Anne A big thanks to Sew Me Sunshine and Fabric Godmother for gifting us the fabric for our model samples! xx

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