I was such a big fan of Tilly’s handmade wardrobe when I first saw her as a contestant at The Great British Sewing Bee. Some time later Tilly launched her award-winning book Love at First Stich, with some of the cutest patterns you’ve seen around. The book is ideal for beginners, taking you from the very first steps to a finished garment with easy and very clear instructions. I bought the book a while ago and finally had the chance to have it a go. I started with the Delphine skirt!

The Delphine skirt is a lovely, yet extremely simple, A-line skirt with a waistband and an invisible zipper at the back. I’m not very experienced, but after cutting the fabric pieces it only took me some hours of a weekend to put it together. Such a fun, simple and rewarding project!

Pattern alterations

After measuring myself, I thought that a size 3 would be right for the hips, however, the waist was between a size 2 and a size 3 (the book contains all the measurements and conversions for the sizes, don’t worry). So I traced the pattern in a size 3 and also traced on the same paper size 2. Then for the waist, I drafted between the size 2 and 3 and joined the lines for the size 3 at the hips.

I also needed to reduce the pattern to fit my petite size. With my 1,55 meters, this is always a crucial step if I want the garment to fit properly. When you only deviate from the standard size a little bit, it is often ok to simply shorten the hem to the desired length. But when the difference is so big as in my case, alterations need to be made in the pattern itself. This pattern luckily already had a ‘shorten or lengthen here’  line, so that made it easier. I shortened 4 cm there and rejoined the pattern lines. These instructions are also available in the book!

Cost

For this skirt, you only need some fabric (I think I had ~ 1 meter), a bit of interfacing for the waistband, an invisible zipper, and thread. I had some fabric (and thread) left over from my Burda dress (see here) and the interfacing was also in my stash. So, in the end, I only needed to buy an invisible zipper (~ €1,5).

For the next time…

I’ve really enjoyed this pattern and my finished skirt, and I can’t wait to make some more! However, there are some things I will change. The waistband turns out to be a bit loose at the top, so I think next time I’ll stick to size 2 at the waist, joining size 3 at the hips. I also want to get rid of extra fabric at the hem earlier on, so perhaps I’ll reduce it in the pattern already. This time I still had 7 cm extra at the hem, despite the fact that I had already reduced 4 cm half through the skirt. So in total, I will need to reduce 11 cm. I’m deciding how to separate this as it will influence the shape of the skirt. Another thing I will change is the stitch length and tension for sewing the hem since I wasn’t too happy with how this one turned out. Hey, but did you see my invisible zipper and matching waistband lines? It’s not 100% perfect, yet so much better than before!

All in all, I absolutely adore my new Delphine skirt and can’t wait to be making a black, a pink, a yellow and who knows a floral one. Such a flattering piece that can be made quickly and worn endless times with tops and blouses, throughout the whole year! And because it is an easy and quick project I can take the time to improve on my technique and really pay attention to the details for a good looking finished garment!

What do you think of my Delphine skirt? I recently styled it with a matching blouse (see all the details here), and have been wearing it non-stop! Also, let me know if you have any tips for the alterations and re-scaling of the pattern. Pattern alteration is something I really want to tackle this year, so feel free to help out this passionate beginner ;)

Xo,

Catia