Merchant and Mills Union Dress

So, I have finally gotten around to making the merchantandmills union dress.  It appealed to me since it was released, in that it seemed an easy-to-wear dress with pockets that could be worn in a number of different ways.  Every time I took the pattern out of the envelope, I was never sure which size to make.  Sometimes when I have sewn M & M patterns they have turned out way to big for me and there were so many steps to this one, I'd have been gutted if it hadn't have fit.

Had I used the measurements on the envelope I would have been making an 18!! In the end I went with the actual pattern measurements on the instructions and made a size 14, which is my normal dress size and the fit is great.

Three-colour buttons.

I'm not going to lie, for this dress to look fairly plain and simple, there is a lot of making to it, but I think it's definitely worth it. There are darts for shaping, the making and attaching of the mandarin collar, front and back facings, making the front placket, lots of top-stitching, front pockets, in-seam pockets, sleeve insert, side-splits and button-holes.... PHEW!!

That's quite a lot, I think, but none of the individual parts were really too tricky.  It's all explained well and I just took my time.  The trickiest bit for me was attaching the collar, especially at the front, simply because it's quite a narrow collar piece so you don't have a lot of room to work with it.

I shortened the sleeve to elbow length, as we are meant to be in spring and coming into summer, I toyed with having to taper the sides, but in the end I didn't.  They are straight enough to just shorten.

The side in-seam pockets feel like they are a bit too low for me, don't know whether that's my proportions or not?  I made it from a medium weight linen fabric from Merchant and Mills, which was purchased last summer, it's pretty crisp at the moment, but I think it will soften and crinkle well over time.  It's a french navy shade of blue and was really great to sew with.  (I don't think they have this particular linen at the moment, but lots of other beautiful ones)

So, in the end I'm very pleased with the final result and I think I will get a lot of wear out of it.

Wore it today, but was very glad to have my Haremere jacket to put on over it ... it's still pretty nippy here in the Antrim hills.

Two turtles and a Haremere

Thought I would share some recent makes that have been getting a good bit of wear lately.

The first is the Papercutpatterns Rise and fall turtlenecks, let's face it if you are a fan of layering and you like turtle/polo necks you really need to have this pattern.

I've made version version 1 which is a slightly more fitted style with a lower turtle neck.  The one above is a teal modal/silk jersey fabric from Guthrie-ghani.co.uk which as you'd imagine is incredibly soft and silky with a good bit of stretch, absolutely perfect for this pattern.

 The second one is the same version but in a Liberty jersey which is completely different from the teal one.  Being a cotton jersey with just a little elastane it is more rigid and disappointingly it seems to have shrunk, even though I pre-washed it.  It just doesn't seem to work as well as the more stretchy fabric above.  Amazing the difference choice of fabric makes, also the Liberty jersey seems to stick to itself a lot.

I do love the pattern and these turtles are very useful as they are fine enough to be worn under a blouse, which gives your blouses a bit more seasonal longevity.  Turtles are also very 'in' at the moment for you trendsetters out there.

I plan to make the second version, which is more drop-shoulder style, less fitted at the waist and a deeper turtle neck, it would probably suit a knit/merino fabric better.

My other recent make is the Haremere jacket from the Merchantandmills Workbook.  I'm getting through this book rightly and I must say everything I've made from it has been very wearable, including this jacket.  It's a longer length jacket with a shawl type collar, two buttons and lined at the shoulders and sleeves.  I used a cotton jacketing fabric from Croftmill.co.uk, I think it was in the spring and they don't seem to have it now.  It has a tweed-like appearance and is actually quite cosy and being navy it goes with a lot of my wardrobe. 

It is a loose-fitting style, I made the Medium and I would say it's turned out quite big on me, so if you are of a petite stature (I'm 5'5") you would have a bit of fitting to do or it could drown you.

There are two lined pockets, which are a good size and are place over the side of the jacket.

You can see the dart detailing on the shoulder above.

I finished all my exposed seams in bias binding as my fabric was fraying like mad, it also makes the inside look pretty.

It's the type of jacket style that you can wear with trousers, dresses and skirts, sort of a 'throw-it-on' type jacket.  It's a bit longer than my ideal jacket style, but I actually quite like it.  As regards sewing it up, probably the trickiest bit was stitching the collar and the lining on at the shoulders, there is some easing which you really need to take your time with, but otherwise it's quite straightforward.

I used an Atelier Brunette fabric (Cosmic Blue) for the lining of the shoulders and sleeves, which is perfect for it, I love the way it looks.