Tribal print Lilou Dress


Woohoo! I finally managed to photograph my second Lilou Dress - a Tilly and the Buttons pattern found in Love at First Stitch - sans hives and basking in the natural light that our newly stripped dining room is now receptive to!

This time round I opted for viscose for a relaxed look, very much inspired by the super cute Amy of Almond Rock, who often uses drapey fabrics to make structured dresses more wearable. I think I've definitely succeeded  in my mission and I reckon this Lilou Dress will become a summer wardrobe staple! I'm totally in love with my tribal print, cotton viscose - just £4 per metre from Barry's Fabric Superstore. It's a welcome departure from my usual chintzy floral preference and the fabric is so soft and swooshy...I literally want to sew everything up in tribal print viscose from now on!



A thing or two to note about sewing with viscose

Much like jersey, not all viscose is created equal. My tribal print viscose was a delight to work with - buttery soft yet not slippery, easy to press and not prone to much fraying. The black viscose on the other hand, was not so great on the fraying front, but it boasts a luxurious silky sheen. The lining is also viscose, but again of a different quality - coarser to touch and cheaper looking. 

Due to the high levels of fraying and anxiety about avoiding this unfortunate situation again, I actually stitched my bodice side, armhole and neckline seams with a zigzag stitch and avoided trimming too closely. I then topstitched the armhole and neckline for extra security...I hope it works!

Ideally, I would have lined the bodice in a black cotton lawn for extra stability, but I couldn't find any at the time. As a result, I've ended up with a few annoying wrinkles here and there, as well as gaping around the back bodice/strap area which you can see in the two photos below. The gaping will need addressing next time, but I don't think these snags detract from the overall success of the dress.



Unlike my first Lilou Dress, I opted for the plain, rounded neckline this time, but I couldn't resist the pleated skirt again! With the printed viscose my pleats are almost camouflaged, but I still like not having the bulk of a gathered skirt puffing out my tummy.




What I really, really love about this make is how full the skirt is, without actually appearing to be. I can get away with wearing it in a more casual way, whilst enjoying the delicious caress of the voluminous viscose against my legs on a hot day (the hot day is wishful thinking of course). 


I've got the swoosh factor!


You can see just how different my two Lilou Dresses are, proving how very versatile this little pattern is. Play with the shape of the neckline, chose different types of fabrics or switch the skirt out for another design and you've got yourself an army of unique Lilous! 

48 comments:

  1. So pretty! I love the mix of those two fabrics, hard though the black one was to sew! I'm planning a Megan dress next but Lilou is on the sewing shortlist too :-) Hope you're feeling much better these days.

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    1. Thanks for the kind words and well wishes lovely! How are you getting on with your Tilly makes?

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  2. Great dress. Love the fabric pairing, and the pleats are perfect.

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  3. Gorgeous make! Love the fabric pairings, and how versatile this pattern is with just a switch in fiber! And you are such a FOX as always!

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    1. Hehe, thanks Sallie...you say the nicest things!

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  4. I love this version :) perfect for summer

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  5. I like this a lot! I think that our fabric store here, JoannFabrics actually has a very similar print fabric right now. Perhaps a little trip to the store is in order! Thanks for the inspiration!

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  6. You are so blumming cute. I really like how this turned out! It's both swishy and summery. Siiiigh isn't viscose wonderful :-)

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    1. Aaaw, thanks Amy! And yes, viscose is divine!

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  7. Love that tribal print. Interesting to see the dress in two different fabrics, I think both are lovely!

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    1. Thanks Alex, I love how both fabrics work really well for this dress!

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  8. Lovely version Marie. I love the look of the pleated skirt. Amy's influence appears to be rubbing off in other places as I've just picked up my first lot of viscose to stitch with!

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    1. Oooh, she's leading a fabric revolution that Amy ;o)

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  9. Love this tribal fabric, and the two tone dress works so well on you. Beautiful make!

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    1. Thanks so much! Two-tone was a first for me, but I like it ;p

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  10. This looks great, you are going to have lots of summery wera out of this.

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  11. It's lovely - I like the contrasting fabrics!

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  12. Lovely dress - the Lilou is high up on my to-sew list at the moment, probably going to go with a poplin but your viscose version looks great so I'll have to remember that for the future!

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    1. Thanks Ruth, hope you got on well with your version!

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  13. This is really pretty! I love that it looks like separates, but you won't be messing around trying to keep your shirt tucked in! The viscose looks particularly dreamy! Glad to hear you're feeling better, too!

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  14. I am in love with your dress! It's so flattering on you too! I hope mine turns out as nicely as yours did. I agree, this is a summer staple.

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  15. isn't viscose the loveliest fabric to work with? and it's great to wear too, cool in the summer. i'm sure you'll get lots of wear from this one!

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  16. I really like it ! Nice fabric ! <3

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  17. Looks gorgeous, Marie! Great to see how different your two Lilou dresses are. I love the way you used two different fabrics on this one too. x

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    1. Thanks Tilly, it's a beautifully versatile pattern!

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  18. Lovely! Such a pretty dress pattern and fabric choices :D Looking forward to seeing your other projects, found you via twitter :) x x x

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    1. Thanks so much for stopping by Kathelle!

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  19. Now THIS is a summer dress! Love it.

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  20. This is lovely! I have this pattern on my to sew list and its so nice to see how your two versions look.

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    1. They're really different, so definitely a versatile pattern!

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  21. Lovely! Casual dresses are so wonderful to have and this one looks like a winner :)

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  22. Gorgeous dress and it fits you so well ! These fabrics work weel together.

    I like viscose, they are so flattering fabrics, but sometimes it's a pain to work with. I'm working on a Centaurée dress (Deer & Doe) with a viscose which looks like a silk fabric (it's amazing !). But it's so slippery that the fabric moved during the cut and the pattern isn't correctly lined up on both sides !! So remember always looking at both sides of the fabric before cutting it on fold x(

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    1. Yes, very good tip for slippery fabrics!!!

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  23. Lovely dress! I'm looking for some versatile summer dress patterns and alongside the By Hand London Anna dress, the Lilou is high on my list.

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  24. You look marvelous in tribal print!! Love this on you :)

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  25. I love the print on the skirt. Very nice dress all together

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