Friday, August 7, 2015

Merchant & Mills Workbook and my Strides muslin


My Workbook arrived! And much sooner than I expected, it only took 8 days. I ordered from The Book Depository (a U.K. company) via Amazon. My cost, including $3.99 shipping, was $28.13.

The Workbook. It is beautifully done. The size alone is startling - it's A4 size, and it's over an inch thick. Opened to the inside: on the left is a heavy card folder, in which the folded pattern sheets reside.


While the patterns are multi-sized, they do not overlap one another in the manner of, for instance, BurdaStyle patterns, or The Stylish Dress Book by Yoshiko Tsukiori, also in my library.


On the right side is the reading material, bound with stitching. Although I'm old enough to have had many stitched books,  I didn't expect it from a contemporary publication. What a pleasure.


All the pages are sturdy, heavy-weight paper. And they are liberally filled with drawings and instructions for each pattern. 


For each pattern, there are reverse-image line art drawings and tables of measurements, fabric requirements, and so on.


Throughout the book are sepia and gray-scale photos of the garments being styled and worn. Quite nice. The entire book reflects the persona of the Merchant & Mills online site. Somewhat vintage, with an 19th century vibe. The Workbook does not disappoint. It's lovely. I would be happy just to own this book, and I now I want the Merchant and Mills Sewing Book for my library as well.

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So what to do first! The Strides of course, the ones in the last photo. It's also described as the most demanding of the patterns that make up the collection. Well, OK, I'll work backwards!

My understanding is that 'strides' is a casual reference to trousers and has its roots in Australia. Kind of the same usage as the term 'britches' in the South. They are my favorite style of woven pants. 

Wednesday morning, I spent about 3 hours developing my first draft of the tissue. I have high hopes for this pattern, so I got out the measuring tape and verified my own measurements (no changes) and did lots of flat-measuring and note-taking on the pattern sheets. At last - my muslin in broadcloth. 

This morning was dedicated to sewing, ripping, and fitting the muslin. I only made it as long as the shorts, because I knew the fitting requirements would be well above the knee!





I'm ready to sew for real, using this substantial linen/cotton blend fabric. I plan to make these cropped, not long, because of the 'shrink and grow' nature of linen. Too short out of the dryer, too long after one wearing :-)

And it's now early Friday evening. I hope everyone has an enjoyable weekend - 

Bye for now, Coco


9 comments:

  1. What a lovely bit of marketing with this book! Your trousers have me holding my breath in anticipation.

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    1. I'm starting the trousers this morning, so excited by this pattern.

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  2. I've been drooling over the M & M workbook and products also. The esthetic definitely appeals to me. Looking forward to your finished 'Strides'.

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    1. It's so nice to just have it and read it. Such nice craft work and so much thought went into it.

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  3. Coco - you got a bargain! At current exchange rates you paid far less than I did in the UK for the workbook. I've finished all the patterns and think I might just start all over again - I love the styles. Just watch the fly and zip instructions in the book for the Strides. No 16 should read LEFT.
    So looking forward to your Strides.

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    1. Hi Ruth - I couldn't believe the price! I thought it would be very much more, particularly being shipped to the U.S. Only two companies ship it here, so I expected to really pay for it. Nice surprise, because I wanted this book! I've so enjoyed your makes of the garments - thanks for the tip on the Strides. I want a bunch of Bantams for sleep shirts. What a nice book.

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  4. This looks like a beautiful project book...I am unfamiliar with Merchant and Mills, except a quick mention from a friend. I would love to have this in my library!

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  5. Coco,
    I've eyed this book myself but I already have a fair number of M&M patterns and those included, while awfully nice, mimic many patterns already in stash or easily modified for the details they offer. The Stride looks great on you!

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  6. Is there a U.S. source for M&M patterns?

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I love it that you came by...and thank you for your comments! Coco