Zadie by Tilly and the Buttons

When I wrote about my Jackie dress, someone commented very thoughtfully that they couldn’t even remember when I posted something that wasn’t related to testing. Well, there are several non-tester posts, but most posts are related to some kind of agreement – like using a fabric I got for free, taking part in a blog tour or sewing something as part of a sewing team. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t sew anything else! Those things just don’t make it to the blog that often, since I can’t take pics of everything all the time – and everything without a deadline does not have such high priority. I took some pics of my Gabriola Skirt by Sewaholic last autumn, and I have pics of the Christmas Dress I wore two years ago… They just never make it to the blog!

Another great example is this Zadie Dress by Tilly and the Buttons. I found a newsletter in my inbox, announcing the Zadie the day before it was officially released, and thus giving newsletter subscribers the opportunity to buy it a day early. I dropped everything, bought the pattern and sewed the Zadie that same evening, wearing it to work the day of the release. And I’ve worn it a lot since then! Three months have passed since then, and only now am I getting around to showing the Zadie on the blog.

Zadie is a knit dress with princess seams, a round neckline, raglan sleeves and an A-line skirt. The special thing about the Zadie is that the side panels end up as big pockets in front. The possibility to colourblock the side panels makes this a super flattering dress!

I chose some kind of stable ponte, some mystery knit I got from LA Finch Fabrics, after seeing this Morris Blazer by Leslie from Threadbear Garments, using the same fabric. The fabric is black with specks on one side and light grey with black stripes on the other side. Traditionally you would choose to use the black for the side panels, but I preferred a black dress, so I chose the lighter side for the side panels.

Most versions on instagram (and in the Tilly shop, too), are sewn with the side panels and the sleeves in the same colour, while my version is one of the few versions out there with only the side panels in a different colour. There are a few solid versions out there, too – but the majority looks like the Zadies shown by Tilly. There’s nothing wrong with that version, but, to be honest, I’m surprised that not more people choose sewing only the side panels in a contrast colour. I think my Zadie elongates my upper body, I get these nice lines all the way from the skirt hem to the top of my shoulders and down to the sleeve hem. The version most people sew makes the upper body look rather square, in my opinion. Again – there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that version, I’m just surprised to see that not more people choose a different kind of colour blocking, since I love my version so much!

Sewing the Zadie isn’t difficult. The only part that needs some extra attention is the step where you attach the side panel to the matching point between front/back and skirt. That’s not difficult, either – but you need to sew carefully to get a nice corner. But there’s a nice sew-along on the Tilly and the Buttons blog, in case you need some extra help.

I’m so glad that I finally manage to share some pics of this wonderful dress, that is in heavy rotation in my wardrobe!

– This blog post is linked to the German blogger part RUMS. –