I feel Merchant and Mills should issue little rosettes for customers who sew this pattern and live to tell the tale. What an experience this was!
I feel fairly familiar with the M&M pattern range, but somehow the Cawley had passed me by. It was not until I saw a version made by a friend, that I realised what a nice pattern this is. I decided to crop this into a shirt as I felt that the dress might be too much volume and I made my version in a light-ish weight vintage cotton with some drape.
This is by some distance the most challenging pattern that I have sewn so far. The welt pockets on the front, the short button placket and the gathering into the collar are all quite tricky, plus there are the more classic shirt details in the yoke, sleeve placket and cuffs. There are 17 pattern pieces and 60 individual steps in the instructions - it is quite the undertaking! That said, I am really glad I had a go at this pattern because the resulting garment is really quite special. I've not seen another pattern quite like this one, it really is unique. The instructions are confusing at times but slowing down and taking it one step at a time this pattern is manageable and definitely worth the effort.
Made the dress with the bow, with Liberty Fabric: Neon Lord Thorpe.
Would highly recommend anyone make this dress, it is very flattering.
I got so many compliments.
I'm 5ft and made no alterations, i wanted it long anyway, fitted me perfectly.
A smaller version of the ever-popular Bestie bag, what's not to love?
I had a few simple projects behind me when I attempted this for the first time and it was a great pattern to gain experience in a simple lapel, pleat, yokes, and the burrito method. I used less than 1m of fabric for a size small with no alterations. It would be very easy to lengthen if you don't want such a cropped look, and there are many modifications and hacks out there. I have made a second version and will soon be using the long sleeve extension pack for another.
This is a great bag! It's a good size and has optional inner pockets which you can of course modify to suit your preferences. I used a simple cotton with H640 for the main fabric so it holds a bit of shape but has a soft squishy appearance and feel. I opted for a self fabric tie strap and managed to use only 0.5m of main fabric for the medium size. I really enjoyed making my first one and there will definitely be more.
Lovely pattern with good instructions. I really like the shape of the jacket and the nice big pockets. I made this in a double sided pre-quilted fabric and bound the inside seams with bias binding so it is unlined and reversible. It is quite roomy which I wanted for layering but I might size down for my next version.
A beautiful blouse. I made my first version in a cotton poplin without button holes as a trial and I love it. I used french seams for the most part, but bound the cuff seams and I'm very happy with the result.The pattern pieces and instructions aren't 100%, I needed help with a few bits so watched the tutorial by Andrea from Beyond the Pink Door which gave me more confidence. I will very soon be making another version in a drapier viscose and will brave the buttons. It's a lovely blouse with sweet features.
I love this top. A quick and easy make, I have made multiple versions, with long and short sleeves. I’ve also hacked butterfly and shirred sleeves. French seams give a lovely, high end finish, and being rather narrower in the shoulders than I am elsewhere, I find the raglan shape fits me well and feels very comfortable. I will no doubt be making many more of these.
As someone re-learning how to sew after many years of not touching my sewing machine, I really appreciated the video tutorial for this pattern. I found the written instructions easy to follow and used the video as reassurance that I was on the right track! I had never done any gathering before, but managed to gather the sleeve cuffs quite easily - I used narrow elastic and sewed channels instead of using elastic in my bobbin. I made the short sleeved version. It’s such a pretty dress, very feminine and I love wearing it - sometimes with my doc Martin’s to toughen it up a bit!
I very much like the design of this pattern, however I thought it was overpriced at £10. Ease of purchase and downloading very straightforward. I have yet to make the pattern but the instructions seem clearly explained
I love patterns from this designer as they are always certain to look good. Also their paper patterns are great as I refuse to buy pdf from anyone however good the design is. This skirt hangs really well. A trick I learned many years ago is hang the garment without hemming it for a few days so it can drop and then recut the hem if needed.
I loved this jacket as soon as I saw it but it took me awhile to get round to buying and making. I bought 3.5 m of 148cm wide soft handle cotton drill fabric weight was 225gsm.
The jacket came together really well but is a slow sew due to a lot of seam binding. I also made my own bias binding from a cotton lawn I had in my stash. I like the way you bind nearly all of the hems before you sew them together . You do have to make the notches with chalk or whatever so you can still see them after the seams are bound. This is an important part not to miss out on.
The pleating really makes the jacket stand out and the shape just flows as you sew. I will make another in a heavier fabric but it still need some drape, I also will line the back,sleeves and front panels, although the jacket is roomy it doesn’t slip over a wool jumper as easily as I would like, lining it would alleviate that I think.
I love everything about this blouse - the feminine neckline, the gathering on the back and at the cuffs, the length and the fit. There's also scope to hack the collar into something else like a frill or a ruffle, or remove it all together. I've made in a cotton lawn, poly charmeuse and a viscose linen. I fell between sizes and sized down, which was a perfect fit for me.
These dungarees are really practical to wear and relatively easy to make. I substituted hardware for the tie straps on one pair, but I much prefer the tie finish. For summer I've used a tencel twill, for winter I've used corduroy. In all cases I've used fabrics with a slight bit of stretch, for comfort. In order to achieve a neat finish on the inside, and make sewing easier as well, I created front and back facings which join at the side seams. I stitched in the ditch at the sides to secure. Overall fit was good based on pattern body measurements. At 5'9 I lengthened the legs accordingly.
This is a great evening bag, or bag to keep in a bigger bag for all your essentials, or makeup bag. The pattern is simple, the instructions are clear. The handle has a really neat finish. My one criticism, which of course could be how I've sewn the bag, is that it's difficult to achieve a tidy finish in the zip ends. On my to third version I added tabs, but then the opening became quite narrow to get your hand in and fish around the contents!
