Pattern Review • The Dress Shirt Sewing Pattern by Merchant and Mills

For our latest make we've chosen The Dress Shirt by Merchant and Mills. This dress comes with 2 sleeve options, one short sleeved, which we're chosen, and the other a longer half sleeve with rolled up cuffs.

This dress is inspired by the Grandad style of shirt; its classic cut and relaxed style has been designed by Carolyn Denham, founder of Merchant and Mills, to be worn loose but at the same time she's managed to create a flattering silhouette. Carolyn's clever pattern cutting skills mean there's no need for a zip or buttons for this dress, making it suitable for both beginners and experienced sewists alike!

As this dress would work well in so many different fabrics it was hard to decide what to use for our first make of this pattern! However, we finally landed on the Yarn Dyed Essex Linen in Black by Robert Kaufman and chose to line the bib and back yoke in the tonally contrasting Organic Cotton Crossweave in Black. The Essex Linen is a beautiful quality fabric, what we particularly like about the yarn dyed fabrics is how the Black is woven with an Ecru to create a subtle chambray effect, as apposed to a solid colour.

This pattern is a joy to make, the instructions are clear and have helpful illustrations, which we found really easy to follow.

The one point that may be a little tricky for those new to sewing is when the back yoke and lining pieces are attached (Points 11 to 14), if this is a little daunting then check out our blog post on The Camber Set. Other than that it's really straightforward.

We did find that this style came up quite big, so we would recommend that you check the sizing carefully first with a view to possibly making a size smaller.

This is a style we'll be making time and time again, next we're thinking possibly Robert Kaufman's Chambray Union Woven Spot or the Striped Railroad Denim!