Merchant & Mills Shepherd Skirt

Getting the pleats sorted was a bit tricky, but the pattern guides you through, and the end result is worth it. I love the volume of the skirt, and the big pockets, and the side fastenings are a gorgeous detail.

I am a M&M fan but found this very fiddly. There are many different pieces to the pockets , and as it is also an opening the pockets facings. On one side I sewed my french seam the wrong way round and because my fabric, a John Louden linen look slubbed cotton frayed easily I didn't want to unpick so snipped the edge off and then turned it and sewed it the other way one pocket is slightly smaller on the inside.

As others have said there is a large amount of bulk and trying to pleat is difficult. In hindsight it would probably have been easier to make the front and back separately and then put together. It did take a fair amount of head scratching to get the pleats right as you have to do them in a certain order. I did cut a couple of extra centimeters on the waistband pieces as others said these pieces were a bit tight. I took 3inches off the hem when cutting out. I bought buttons but again due to the fraying fabric I have used hooks and bars on the waistband and press studs on the side pocket facing instead.

Overall I like the look but feel the instructions weren't great and i consider myself experienced. I got there in the end but did make adjustments. I did have plans to make a fancier version in a brocade but don't think I will do another now.

I love this skirt. The overlaid pleats and button details give it real elegance. I made my trial version in brushed cotton and didn’t get the small checks quite in line. The pattern is easy to follow although see my notes below about the waistbands. 
To avoid dealing with so much bulk, it’s completely possible to make the skirt in reverse order, finishing with the long side seams. First, I folded the pleats on each separate piece. The order (1 to 4) is given. Two pleats are marked with notches and two with tailor tacks. Each has a direction; the second goes the opposite way to the other three and is overlaid by the third making part of the top of the skirt quite thick. You need to fix the pleats with machine basting or industrial strength tacking and make sure they are lined up exactly.
I then did all the work on the pockets. I loved the nifty French seam on the bags. There is a facing on the back of the skirt and all the rest is joined to the front of the skirt. Lining the pieces up and matching the facings required accuracy and attention to seam detail. There is a reinforced tack with a slit which appears numerous times and all must be matched. Lots of tacks to come out at the end. I kept finding them!
I attached the waistbands with the front and back still separate. I did find the waistbands a bit short and, at this stage, went back and redid the pleats. Even so I had to take in a bit more than prescribed in order to make the band fit. The front pattern piece does include an extra seam allowance for joining pieces cut on narrower fabric but I’m pretty sure I didn’t include that. I cut a size 14 which should have been roomy but, with the waistband issue, it came up pretty snug.
I joined the front to the back last, before hemming and making button holes. I was taught to hang a finished garment and hem at the end so stuck with that once front and back were joined.
The skirt hangs really well, moves beautifully and is flattering. (I think so anyway!) On my next make, I shall use the thinnest of thin interlining.

(Apologies for copy & paste text!)

I've made three of these, with varying degrees of success.  It's a great pattern.

The first version was a stretch twill, which I lined because I have lining fabric to use up. This hangs really nicely although I only had room for one button on the waistband, not two. This practice version came out best of the three. Annoyingly.

The second was in a beautiful soft Merchant & Mills linen, unlined. The construction was easier but not the fabric (see below!).

The third is in a wool Challis. I lined this, too.

Pros: As always, the instructions are excellent. Pay careful attention to the wording when attaching pocket facings and plackets - I made the same error twice!  I also like the idea of hemming at the start of construction.  It's not a difficult pattern, but see below. If in doubt, use a nice stable fabric like a twill or poplin.

Cons: These are entirely to do with fabrication.  Basically, an unstable fabric adds considerable challenges, as does lining. This is mainly because the first step is to attach the lining to the skirt, after which they are both hemmed. From that point, therefore, you're working with the whole piece. It gets unwieldy and if lined, slippery. By the time the pockets are done, an unstable fabric will be frayed at the waistband. With both the linen and wool challis, this made finding the pleat notches a bit tricky.

Lining adds to the problem, particularly if it's cheap. The challis waistband was a nightmare of cobwebby fibres and fabric threads.

Also, if you're anxious about 3D stuff as I am, something like a fine wool won't stand up well to repeated manipulation or unpicking.  I did something odd with the lining on one side, and despite very carefully lining up/stopping at notches, I had bunching which I couldn't fiddle with any more as the challis was looking stressed at the multiple seam point.

I will make this again - it's a lovely skirt and for once I don't need to lengthen (I'm 5'8" but the shape of this makes the below-knee length perfect).  I will only line stable fabrics, though - and I might try putting the pleats in first to reduce the vast flappiness while working on the pockets!

I embarked on this with some trepidation given the intermediate marking on the pattern. However, I needn’t have worried as the instructions are pretty through. The only places I struggled were when it didn’t explicitly say to press the understitched facing back, and when to remove the tailor’s tacks, which would have both been helpful given my limited experience. My main note to other beginners is it’s really important to line up all the snips for the pockets as perfectly as you can! I worked around my imperfectly lined up pockets ok but you’d be better off lining them up better to start with. And do believe the pattern when it tells you to grade the internal seams in a couple of places.

All that said I really enjoyed this make and am thoroughly pleased with the end result! The pockets are the perfect size and I’d highly recommend it.