Tilly and the Buttons Lyra Dress (Maternity-Friendly)
Over the years I figured out that viscose challis dresses are the most versatile garments for my wardrobe. They’re perfect for the summer thanks to their breathability, but also great for winter if worn with warm tights.
Lyra dress by Tilly and the buttons was the perfect choice for me for an extra reason - it’s fantastically quick and easy to make.
As much as I love viscose challis, is about as much as I hate sewing fitted dresses with zippers. They look lovely, and I do have a dress cut on the bias that I have no issues with, but most of the time the situation is different. The seams stretch and rip, especially around the zipper, which makes it important to interface them first. Which means it turns the project into quite a time consuming one.
Things are so much easier with loose fitting dresses that require a belt or have one sewn in already. These ones are truly my favourite! They create my favourite fitted waist silhouette, but still provide a nice drape and easy sewing process. Another reason why I really wanted to sew something loose fitting with an option to use the waist tie was my pregnancy. I was able to wear most of my clothes till month 6, with quite a few options left even at more advanced stages. It made me feel that there is no point in sewing maternity clothes. I decided to make something I can wear both during the last weeks of the pregnancy and at any point after the baby is born. Lyra dress was the perfect choice for it!
I loved that despite featuring an easy-fitting bodice, it still has a classic collar with a stand. I picked a version with short sleeves and a gathered midi-length skirt. I skipped pockets though, since I never really use them.
The dress was extremely quick and easy to sew. I finished all of the seams with French seams, which is my favourite way for thin fabrics.
For this project I used a lovely floral viscose challis made in Italy. I wanted to make a special dress with it and Lyra felt like it was a perfect choice! Since the fabric has a lot of mint coloured flowers and leaves, I paired it with minty buttons.
I can highly recommend this pattern for an easy and lovely dress to make. If, like me, you pick a floral print with a dark background, you can wear it all year around.
0 comments