Merchant & Mills The Top #64

For Christmas a couple of years back my daughter bought me this Merchant & Mills pattern, in the past when I have bought their patterns online they have arrived in a cardboard tube and the pattern pieces are made of card, you can read of my previous M & M patterns here http://finelinenandpurple.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=Merchant+%26+mills

The designs are beautiful and their shop and website sell fantastic fabrics and haberdashery items. 

For Mother's Day my daughter gave me a voucher for Cloth House, a really quaint fabric shop in London, where I bought this spotty Indian fabric to make the top. 

I know I have made a mistake around the neck as my interfacing was too short so I added a bit in and although the neck is wider than it should be, it looks ok and I'm really pleased with the result. 

Next time I will buy some thicker fabric and make a shirt for the winter, hopefully I will get it right then!

 I have found a really helpful blog on www.raystitch.co.uk they have made this same pattern and have written a review on it and now I know I have to figure out the sleeve part of the pattern correctly to get the neck right :)

                    

Summer Tops

I bought this beautiful vintage seersucker fabric some time back from a charity shop. There was at least two metres of each colour, the light colour is actually white not pink as it looks in the top photo.

I knew at some point I would find a purpose for it. 

So when I came across this lovely pattern on www.purlbee.com I knew the fabric would be perfect. Of course I would have to run that past a couple of little girls first :)

The pattern is for a dress or top depending on the age of the child, so I made tops for the twins. I haven't seen them wearing them yet but hope to get a photo soon.

I used French seams all around, made the bias binding with one of those little gadgets and hand smocked the top.

The pattern was so simple and clear to understand and the fabric was great to work with.