The Rugby Dress - my confidence takes another step forward

One of the greatest things about an ecletic group of twitter friends is that they make you aware of companies you might otherwise not have found.  I cannot remember who first alerted me to Merchant and Mills, but I thank you even if my bank account does not.  I first started looking at their patterns, The Ellis and Hattie caught my eye and it still remains there as a thought not followed........ yet.......

What started off this particular thought-chain was a wish to make a denim dress.  I had seen a couple for sale that were that nice casual but smart mix, but sadly also rather expensive.  I had that 'I reckon I could make one of those' moments and so started searching for the perfect denim fabric. This search took longer than I had expected.  I could find lots of denim, but which one was the right one.  I needed to be certain of weight and the aspect of colour also was perplexing me.  I saw some nice red denims and they are also stored in that little 'maybe later' corner of my mind.  In the end I found exactly what I wanted at Sherwoods Fabrics, this rather lovely red-backed denim.  But then, of course, I needed the right pattern.

There was more searching, I kept going back to the Merchant and Mills website and eventually I decided it was The Rugby that was worth a try.

I love the quality of this pattern.  The pattern itself is on thicker paper than the usual tissue paper from the large manufacturers.  I bought the fabric and waited for it to arrive.  It is quite a heavy denim and very good quality.  I read through the instructions carefully and set to work.

Gosh denim is a delight to sew!  It behaved itself and the pattern came together very well.  I was very pleased with the results.  I used the red reverse to make the contrasting collar and cuffs.   I took my time with the collar and I think I did a good job with it.  I did, however, hit a snag.  My sewing machine did not enjoy sewing this denim.  I broke three needles (yes three), it was a bit of a scrum and I started to wonder whether the machine I have was the right one for where I wanted to go with my sewing.  Anyhoo, the machine did complete the dress, it was a good conversion and I felt that I achieved my goal.

I have worn the dress a couple of times and I truly love it.  It is comfy and perfect for these mild autumn days we are having at the moment.  I think in terms of my sewing journey I definitely advanced over the gain line.

I also at this point, bought a new addition for the sewing room, a little bin.

This little bin slips into the top of the fabric stash cupboard and is incredibly useful.  It cost very little and is just a wonderful thing.  Sometimes it is the little things that make all the difference.

and so it was on to the next project......