PINS
Merchant & Mills stocks pins for all fabrics. We love them all from our painted safety pins to the beautifully crafted, extra long toilet pins.
NEEDLES
Stop looking in haystacks and go to the shop instead. We even have Easy Thread needles for those whose eyes are much older than they are. Sadly we do not stock 150w lightbulbs.
NOTIONS
We have made it our mission to find the very best, most useful and fundamentally fantastic sewing accessories there are, anywhere.
BUYING TIME
PATTERNS, OILSKIN, NOTIONS, KITS, STATIONERY, & CLOTH, ARE ALL IN THE SHOP. IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, PLEASE USE THE CONTACT FORM.
The Sewing Box is packed to the rafters with really useful sewing notions and makes the perfect introduction to sewing. We hope it will also rekindle passion in the seasoned maker. The box itself is made at an ancient British workshop, employing traditional techniques and is strong enough to withstand use long after the contents have been exhausted.
KEEP IT SIMPLE AND DO IT WELL
There is no greater satisfaction than making; it is the very essence of creativity. We want you to enjoy the fruits of your labour just as much as the making process and so we have scoured the known Earth to find you the best sewing notions and most useful tools; to free ideas and make them physical, we are all encouraged by having the right equipment.
PATTERNS
We like card patterns as they behave better in use and can be used time and time again. They are more rigid and can be persuaded to lie perfectly still and flat. Our patterns are supplied in individual sizes from 8 to 16 and some up to 18 with full, illustrated instructions.
They do not need to be pinned out but instead are weighted down with patterns weights or handy tins of beans and marked around with tailor’s chalk. As with fashion production patterns, all notches are snipped and all internal details such as darts or pockets are drilled out with holes to be marked with chalk.
To get the full lowdown on pattern sizing, general overview and other interesting stuff, take some time to enjoy ABOUT PATTERNS.
CUTTING IT
Scissors are the most wondrous invention and we take our hats off to the anonymous early inventor of such a cunning tool. There are so many scissors on the market, so many choices and a lot of confusion. We have, over the years, tried many of them.
When it came to putting together a range of scissors for Merchant & Mills we decided to go back to the city most associated with quality cutting tools: Sheffield. We went to a factory that supplies Savile Row – our great street of British Tailors, and chose some tools that will last a lifetime. Our philosophy is: buy once – quality will be remembered long after the price is forgotten.
Sew; a needle pulling thread.
ANY OLD IRON?
The importance of good ironing is often overlooked in the making process yet a garment which is beautifully sewn but badly pressed will always look homemade. A good iron is great friend. All of the sewing needs to be carefully ironed, as this sinks the stitches down into the fabric for a truly professional finish. The secret is to press rather than iron, letting the iron do the work as you lift and put it down.
THE RENAISSANCE
Dressmaking has always been popular but never deemed cool. Photography, graphic design, even dry stone walling are creative activities that hold a certain kudos yet the complex, ancient art of joining together pieces of fabric is overlooked or worse still, derided. We are here to urge intelligent, independent women to buy traditional patterns and dress well by their own hand. And there are kits and tools for men. Nobody escapes the revolution.
Our customers are people of all ages who understand how they can make a clear statement of individuality and experience the satisfaction that comes from making clothes that compete in style and quality with top end retail, paid for in time more than hard cash.
EYES RIGHT
If you like our visual language, you will want to see some more here:
RoderickField.com
AT HEADQUARTERS
Carolyn Denham is the driving force to get you all sewing. She cuts the patterns, sources everything and keeps order. Nearby is Roderick Field, responsible for the words, pictures & packaging.