It was a pleasure to sew this Curcuma Dress designed by Tilia Patterns. Tilia is a new independent pattern company founded in 2019. Eveline, the founder and pattern designer for Tilia comes from Switzerland. Her goal is to offer sewing patterns that stand out because of their chic feminine styling and their clear, detailed instruction and illustrations.
Curcuma is a modern, boho inspired garment with raglan sleeves, a gathered neckline and a slit back opening. Its feminine details like the ruffled collar and the shirred sleeves give it a chic French feeling. The pattern can be made into a blouse or dress with both long and short sleeve options. Size Ranges are from 34-54. I sewed a 46 based on my bust line.
I had fun with piecing this pattern together. I used two polka dot print fabrics to add interest and definition to the dress. I used a poly crepe small polka dot fabric for the sleeves. collar stand and bias trim for the neck opening. The collar ruffle, main bodice and dress ruffle were cut from a large polka dot poly silk blend.
The pattern sews together very easily. The raglan sleeves attach nicely to the front and back bodice. Making and attaching the bias trim to the back slit of the bodice is a bit fiddly because you are working with such a small piece of fabric. Just take your time and follow along with the instructions if you haven't made bias trim before. It is straight forward and adds such a nice finished detail to the back. When you sew the button loop I suggest using a piece of tissue paper underneath. This keeps the thin piece of fabric from getting stuck in the feed dogs of your sewing machine. Sew the button loop as you normally would, attaching it to the tissue paper. When you are done, simply tear the paper away. This is a great tip to remember when sewing any narrow fabric strips.
Sewing the collar stand and the ruffle is probably the most complicated part of the pattern. The instruction and pictures will guide you along. One helpful hint that I offer is to remember that the ruffle is attached to the long side opposite from the edges that you have pressed. The finished edge of the ruffle faces down away from the seam edge. If you would like a more dramatic neck ruffle simply increase the depth of the ruffle strip. I will be trying this when I make the blouse. I love a good neck ruffle and will make it another 1/2 inch higher. I think this will give the blouse more of a turtleneck feel which is another style I love.
The dress itself fits with a bit of ease which gives it movement and drape. If you use a cotton or linen fabric the dress will definitely have more structure and thus more volume. I think either way you will have a wonderfully styled dress and a wardrobe staple.
You can make the dress or blouse with or without the hemline ruffle, and the pattern comes with both long and short sleeves. There are may ways that you can create both dress and blouse combinations. I am so pleased with this fabric combination that I plan to make a blouse with the same mix and match . I am also looking forward to sewing a Curcuma blouse for the fall. The shirred sleeves are fun to make and add such a flare to an already great pattern. After all....
There is Sew Much To Design
Happy Sewing,
Lou Sheffer
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