Merchant & Mills Hattie and Ellis Dresses

I love the finished dress. I made size 16 and made the gathered skirt a bit narrower thereby getting away with half a metre less fabric. I found some of the instructions, notably attaching the facing to the lining confusing and had to do some unpicking. I also ended up with the rouleau loop trapped inside at one point! The dress is very comfortable and the length is perfect for me. I made my usual size 16 and it is slightly too big in the shoulders and neck area. The sleeve openings also have plenty of room.

One of the many reasons I chose to sew the Ellis dress by Merchant and Mills is because my sewing machine button 'Holer' is playing up. I'm not sure if it's me or the machine but suffice to say the Ellis has a rouleaux loop and button fastening, thank goodness!

The Hattie & Ellis Dress My plans.

My plans are simple. To lengthen the sleeves and skirt as this will be a winter dress. Use the patch pockets from the Hattie dress to replace the inseam pockets on the Ellis dress. Why? Bigger pockets that's why. Plus, I will be wearing this dress around the house on repeat, and have you heard anyone ever complain about their pockets being too big? Although I am still undecided, it will depend on how the fabric hangs and I have a feeling my chosen fabric has too much drape to support such large fabric. They would be perfect for a linen dress.

[caption id="attachment_553166" align="aligncenter" width="338"] Ellis and Hattie dress[/caption]

My Fabric Choice.

I chose this fabric, because of its simple check pattern and because it has a brushed flannel feel one side is fleecy. It has a lot of drape is lightweight and it was only £7 per meter. I bought five meters, as Im also planning to make a sweatshirt style top with matching wide trousers for lounging around in. Unfortunately, it frays badly so my overlocker has been my best friend. Apart from that I have no idea what this fabric is made of?

Ellis Dress Pattern Notes.

I would advise you to make sure you cut all the pattern marking notches out and mark dart placements with tailor's chalk or tailor's tacks. This ensures accurate placement and really does make your life easier when fitting

[caption id="attachment_553170" align="aligncenter" width="240"] fall sewing ellis dress Merchant and mills[/caption]

Ellis Dress Bodice Notes

This simple cut has a crew, high fitting neckline, 4 darts shape it beautifully to your neck and upper chest. The waistline is higher than your natural waist with two long darts that shape it nicely. The sleeves are a straight, with no cuffs just a hem. The back opening is short and fastens with a rouleaux self-fabric loop and button. So far so good, but I have a largish head and next time I will make the opening at least 3 CMS longer (that is just over an inch).

Ellis Dress Sleeve Notes

As mentioned, the sleeves are a classic straight sleeve sewn with the traditional set-in method. I re traced the pattern onto thin card and lengthened my sleeve to full length, keeping the armhole size the same. For the cuffs I will add a self-fabric lining piece just at the inside of the cuff, so when I roll back the sleeves, the seams won't show. The short sleeved summery version is finished with a hem. I do advise gathering the sleeve tops before sewing the seams as this makes everything easier. The instructions as usual with M&M patterns are superb, clear and precise.
 

 
In General
Aquick and simple sew, that produces a very wearable classic dress! I plan on making many more. Next make might even be from a knitted fabric! Imagine this dress in a cream cable knitted fabric.
 
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Carissa used the Ellis from the Ellis and Hattie Dress Pattern from Merchant and Mills. The Ellis the more fitted of the two dresses. They both have four neck darts but the Ellis has more shaping with bust darts opposed to the lined bodice of the Hattie. It also has a higher waist line, with the Hattie having a dropped waist. And of course it has in-seam POCKETS. And you should see what Carissa has done to her pockets! All the heart eyes!

Carissa only had small amounts of each of the fabrics so had to great really creative with how she used it. This is a great example of what to do when you don't have enough of the fabric and how you can still make a stunning dress.

Read more and see more photos of our blog.

It’s no secret that I’m a bit of a fan of M&M patterns. I love their simple, classic, yet timeless style. I find their patterns just suits me and very little alterations are needed.

I made several version of the Ellis and I definitely didn’t need another one, but when I saw this fabric I just had this vision of a long sleeves Ellis so ..here it is.  I love it, I think this is one of my favourite versions.  It’s just so comfortable and it’s perfect even in winter with a slipover or slouchy cardi.
I drafted the sleeves using the original pattern piece and this is the only change I made to the dress.

Even my other half liked it, he told me that I looked like I’ve been running through a cornfield, which I took as compliment?

I had my eye on this pattern for a while but was waiting for the right fabric. I attempted to make it in cupro (which feels like silk) and it just didnt work, too many darts made the look very messy. So for my next version i chose poplin cotton by Atelier27. It worked really well and was very easy to sew.

Based on my bust and waist measurements i chose size 12, but i feel like the shoulders have dropped a little bit too much, so i for next one i would keep the size 12, but move the shoulder line a bit closer.

I made in seam pockets which is such a great little feature and it is super easy to make.

There are for neck darts, which i believe are more a design feature, rather than functional. On a very busy pattern they are not very visible, but if you like the look of these darts, i would recommend top stitching over the dart line with a contrasting thread.

I would definitely recommend this dress for a very casual look