We have been working hard lately to show our notions and tools at their best. We have some superb scissors, oilskin bag kits to make and everything you need for happy hours spent making.

Many of the items on the new NOTIONS page make lovely gifts but you might find them hard to part with.

COURSES

Please see the courses page for current course info. We are hoping to find the time for new courses in 2012. Watch this space.

Now you can even drink Merchant & Mills in our fine bone china cups from Scotland. Go on, have a biscuit too.

At Merchant & Mills, we are determined to encourage the world to sew. We are the home of magnificent dress patterns, beautifully packaged notions and high quality sewing tools.
Our online shop is filled with sewing goodies.

To buy patterns, notions, sewing tools, kits or cloth, visit the SHOP.

For questions, please use the CONTACT FORM.

Patterns @ £20.00
(plus shipping – worldwide)

The Merchant & Mills Pattern is in itself a thing of rare brown beauty. We use sturdy card that can be directly chalked around instead of pinned out.

Our sizes range from 8 to 16 and come with full instructions that even small children can understand.

Heavyweight patterns to chalk around.

CLOTH

We have begun work on collecting an amazing range of CLOTH, made in England wherever possible. Take a look if you dare!

Couture is French for dressmaking . . . at its very best. Merchant & Mills was formed to return couture to the public. We want you to experience the deep satisfaction that comes from making bespoke clothes for yourself. So we are sharing with you our superb easy to follow patterns. We do not stop there. We believe you will want to find everything in one place so we have scoured the known Earth to find the finest fabrics and notions to make your couture dreams come true.

The secret of our formula is simplicity in construction yet sophisticated to wear. The choice of fabric contributes to the final silhouette, redefining the cut with a variety of individual, distinct outcomes.

We have kept the current Collection down to just a few beautifully unique pieces. We understand how hard choosing can be.

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 Saville 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.

Wide Bow Scissors – poetry in motion.

DESIGN & IMAGES

If you like our stark graphics and the photography on the site, you’ll want to see more of Roderick’s work, online here: fieldafield.com

At last we have a strong and gorgeous notions box set that can be re-used as a sewing box.

Merchant & Mills are slowly spreading across the globe with stockists in Australia, USA, Japan, across Europe and of course, dotted about the UK. Naturally we are careful about where we put our goods so you will only find us in the nicest, finest stores.

We are also working on new products including handmade eBook covers and some top secret projects, more of which later. We have even recruited some nifty sewists to help us keep up with demand for our oilskin products and kits.

It’s a busy year already!

Merchant & Mills is Carolyn Denham, the driving force behind the movement to get you all sewing. She does the patterns, sources the notions, chooses the cloth and makes sure everyone behaves.

At the computer is Roderick Field, photographer, writer and now the graphic designer for all packaging and the company image. He enjoys negotiations and selling too.

This is where the creativity overflows, 500 years old (just like we feel on bad days).

PRESS

We owe a big thank you to the press who love us at the moment. We have sneaked into April’s World of Interiors and Cloth Magazine and are looking forward to Selvedge, Making, Country Living, Home & Garden and more. Keep your eyes peeled in Smiths!

Dressmaking has always been popular but never 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.

Carolyn Denham, the creative force behind Merchant & Mills is setting out to change this outdated view. Starting with a small collection of beautifully designed pieces, she is urging intelligent, independent women to buy traditional patterns and dress well by their own hand. We also source superb notions that we sell in stark, utilitarian packaging, standing in profound contrast to the pretty, flowery image of the average haberdasher.

Our customers are women 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.
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