THE DRAPERY BLOG

We’ve had the Merchant and Mills Ellis & Hattie pattern sitting in the shop for years and I’ve often thought I’d like to give it a try. Gathered waists, however, are not necessarily my bag. Then there was the question of which one to make: Ellis with its sleeves and in-line pockets, or Hattie with a dropped waist, lined sleeveless bodice and impressively voluminous patch pickets. It was all too hard! The pattern stayed on the shelf. Then, earlier this year one of our lovely customers, Alisha walked in wearing her gorgeous version of Ellis , and - BAM - straight it went to the top of my sewing queue.  Weeks later when actual sewing was due to commence, we had just taken delivery of some beautiful fabrics from Japan and I was smitten with these linen/cotton  light twills, especially in this lush deep teal . After cutting (of course, AFTER) I recalled that I may have unintentionally completely copied the version that inspired me: same pattern, same colou...

Francine is a top & dress pattern from British company Merchant & Mills' recently released Denim Collection . It's a stylish and simple take on a workwear style, 'inspired by the fishermen of Brittany'. For the purposes of a true-to-the-pattern shop sample I made a size 12 top with no alterations.  This size was chosen based on my previous experience with Merchant & Mills patterns, but my measurements would put me in a size 14. Not all Merchant & Mills patterns are quite so generous in ease, as I discovered! If I was making this specifically for my own wearing I'd have made a muslin first, so please bear in mind the fit comments below are not intended as criticisms of the pattern, but as observations that may be helpful to others who make it. The process I find Merchant & Mills instructions to be quite good, but often a bit different to methods I'm used to. I don't mind this, and quite enjoy surrendering to the process,...

The Merchant & Mills 101 Trouser pattern states: "A gentle drawstring trouser with side pockets and a false fly, cut to sit right on the waist. Features 3 versions - cropped & tapered trouser, wide straight trouser or shorts." I made these trousers as a shop sample and I put them on for blog photos to demonstrate the fit. They're not really my style or fit (explained below!) but we hope this review is helpful if you're considering the pattern for yourself. I used one of our washed 100% linens - this one in ' Tapenade ' - since the pattern calls for something soft and drapey (washed linen suits just about every Merchant & Mills pattern, and we have a lovely new shipment due any day!). SIZING Merchant & Mills patterns tend to run on the generous size, and a size 12 in their dresses has always been plenty roomy on me. My measurements, and the finished garment measurements (provided) for the 101 Trousers however put me in the size 1...

Merchant & Mills, who produce some of our best-selling women's patterns, have recently released three patterns for men . The Merchant & Mills style of casual elegance - understated and slightly rumpled yet distinctly tailored - translates well into these garments. I was quietly excited when I saw the All State shirt . My husband has a chequered history of wearing my handmades. He's very particular. But could this be the breakthrough? What's not to like? My cunning plan was to make a 'sample for the shop' that just happened to be in Andy's size and choice of fabric. So here I present, The (no pressure at all, really) Shop's Shirt.  And, maybe not The Shop's Shirt after all.  I'm not sure if I've ever made a garment so true to the pattern cover image.   There's lots of nice topstitching, although in matching thread it is quite subtle on this substantial linen. The pattern came together nicely, with som...

Happy Frocktober lovely sewing people! This year we've asked a few friends to join us in celebrating fabulous frock patterns and fabrics, and supporting the incredibly valuable work of the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation (OCRF). Today we have the delightful and always stylish 'Blogless Anna' from Melbourne. Anna made comments on others' sewing blogs in the early days under that name. Then she started her own sewing blog and kept the already-familiar screen-name! She's on Instagram too. Anna blogs a lovely variety of handmade clothing, especially our favourite independent designer patterns. She always includes lots of useful information about the patterns, processes, fitting and so forth so if you haven't seen her blog before, you can have fun trawling her archives. She has a great sense of fun and finds some awesome locations for her photo shoots ! Visit Anna's blog to find out more about her fabulous Merchant & Mills Fielder Dress , ma...

The Merchant & Mills patterns receive a lot of love at The Drapery, and it's easy to see why. The designs are ridiculously comfortable and very practical to wear. Yet they also include enough smart, tailored detail to make you feel stylish and like you've actually 'made an effort' rather than just thrown on a sack. And so here is their latest offering, the Union Dress , which we made up in Merchant & Mills' own 'Oxblood' washed linen .  The wrinkles you see in these pictures are the result of it being freshly washed and ironed, then moved around in just a little... give it another hour of wear and it would be evenly, softly crumpled all over. The Merchant & Mills washed linens are very soft and feel gorgeous to wear. It was a bit shifty to work with at cutting out stage, but with just a little extra attention to straightening the grain, all was well. This dress was made up as a sample to live in the shop, and so I cut a straight si...

For the second year, we're bringing you a bunch of ideas for handmade Christmas gifts and also, lovely gifts for the makers in your life. (Or, gifts for you to hint loudly at with your loved ones!) Today, we're celebrating fine pins, and no, not a good set of legs. We're talking dressmaking pins, those fiddly little things you probably use all the time but don't give a lot of thought to. Then perhaps the pleasure of using Good Pins awaits you! Good pins like these: (All available in store or online in the Tools & Notions section .) Frankly, for far too long we'd both been using pins, at home and at The Drapery, that were more like this:  Little did we know what we were missing! Now, we are converted to the fine quality pins from Merchant and Mills. In particular, for garment sewing, we have enjoyed the Toilet Pins and Entomology Pins. The adorable Wooden Map Pins are newly arrived (they're red! they're wooden!) and the Spanish Lace Pins, we...

We're celebrating FROCKTOBER at The Drapery,  to kick-start your spring and summer sewing! When you buy any dress pattern plus the fabric to make it, we'll take 10% off the price  (in store or online using code 'FROCKTOBER' at checkout).  Plus, we've teamed up with the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation ,  and for every pattern + fabric combo sold we'll donate $2 to this great cause. We are almost over and out with Frocktober, but for this one last post about a frock we love: The Merchant and Mills Dress Shirt . Inspired by the shape of a classic men's shirt, the dress shirt is a loose-fitting frock with a bib front and shirt tail hem. It's one of those garments that is easy to throw on over leggings or worn alone, and it really comes into its own when sewn out of lightweight fabrics like linen or chambray. The Dress Shirt, like other Merchant and Mills patterns we have tried (our review of The Factory Dress is here if you missed i...

Here at The Drapery we recently received our second shipment of patterns from the incredibly stylish UK company Merchant & Mills . Originally Merchant & Mills released their patterns in single-size format on sturdy brown cardboard, which was lovely but a bit inaccessible to overseas shoppers due to postage and sizing uncertainty. Their new 'Classic Export' pattern range brings us multi-size patterns in standard envelopes. Hooray! The instructions are all contained on a double-sided A4 sheet. The diagrams are charmingly hand-drawn. The pattern is printed on quality paper that's sturdier than standard tissue. (extra scribbles on instructions are my notes to self) I chose to make the Factory Dress for its combination of austerity, comfort and - let's face it - kind of schoolgirl sassiness. To up the 'Depression-Era Chic' factor I selected this beautiful, drapey  Yuwa Japanese cotton that has a definite dusty-old-armchair vibe. The pattern de...