Merchant & Mills Trapeze Dress

The finished item is fabulous, but the facing construction for the sleeveless version unnecessarily awkward in the old version of the pattern. In fact it made a real mess of my M&M cotton/linen due to the strain forcing it into place - it ended up like a wrangled dishcloth (was ok after a press). It could be a very fast make without this fiddling. Next time I will sew the facings onto the front and back separately (leaving the shoulders unsewn) then sew the entire side seams and facing in one go, then tackle the shoulders (main dress pieces) and slip stitch the facing closed on the inside. It's the only M&M dress I can wear as the others make me look frumpy . Even then I made it about 12 cm shorter. Reading other reviews, maybe M&M have now come up with a better way to construct the facing? My pattern is very old.

Post-script - I contacted M&M who kindly sent me updated instructions very quickly. I have since almost made another!

I've always been aware of how popular this pattern is among the sewing community, and the release of the Trapeze 'additions' pack was the nudge I needed to get myself a copy of the pattern and give it a try. I opted for the standard pattern for my first version, and I made the sleeveless variation in a size 8 with no modifications. I really love the finished dress - it's so easy to wear and nice and breezy on a warm day. The fit is great, but I think I would make the size 10 if I was using a thicker fabric or if I wanted to layer a t-shirt or polo neck underneath for winter. I'm looking forward to giving some of the versions in the add-on pack a try next!

I was determined to get the neck right for me, first two toiles had gappy necks and the shoulders were too far back but I did not give up. I got it right eventually and now have three lovely trapeze dresses in my wardrobe. I need to trace over my adapted patterns to make sure I preserve them, this is certainly a go-to dress now. I make it with sleeves which suits my aged arms better. My favourites are in fine linen, including one in an expensive Japanese fabric

It has taken a while for me to get around to writing about and sharing the Merchant & Mills Trapeze dress pattern. It's possible that this is because I've been making so many versions!
This is a versatile pattern, which is not immediately apparent from the pattern cover illustration. With a variety of sleeve options, as well as a plain or button-back detail, this dress is suitable for everyone.
The dress comes together easily, and the directions are straightforward and simple to follow.
The dress's open back version requires a series of facings to be sewn together. They form the returns of the back openings and hem of the dress. If you have sufficient fabric, it's worth considering cutting them out as one continuous facing. If not, at the very least larger sections for the facings.
It is certainly a comfortable dress to wear, and I love the trapeze shape of the dress and the lovely details on the back and sleeves. It looks great worn with a sandals, trainers, flats, heels, or boots depending on the season and your chosen fabric, or even your mood.
You can read all about this version @ https://www.sewatelierm.com/merchant-mills-trapeze-the-perfect-dress-for-all-seasons/

Making this pinafore involved interfacing, bagging out and understitching which were new to me, but it was ok. I used a fairly floppy denim from The Cloth House which they describe as 'moss backed', a greeny undertone that I could pick up in the facing. I used the selvage for the back seam to avoid finishing that. As the fabric is 150cm wide I could fit in the front and back more or less the length of the pinafore, 120cm, so have fabric left over for a skirt maybe.

I added pockets, apart from *of course*,  but also helps with the movement when you're wearing it. The pattern had a notch in the sides which I guessed would be a good level for the top of the pocket, in the event maybe a couple of inches low.

I cut two pieces from the facing material using the pattern pieces as the to hem it, and top stitched that in place. Just as well as if I had foled up the hem allowance it would have been too short (I'm 170cm). I am thinking to add a topstitch at the neck and armholes too but think it might bulk it up a bit. The neck doesn't lie completely flat but that might be because of my bodging a bit, not much. I didn't really want to use interfacing (plastic!) but it did mean that I could just overstich the facing edge and it will stick together. If I had been more adventurous I might have simply roll hemmed the facings and done away with interfacing .

I think this is something I will wear and wear. The blouse is the Zadie shirt, elsewhere reviewed by me, but the pinny be good with a thin polo and cardi. And my new navy boots!