Maker's Atelier swam detail dress

[Highlove]

Has anyone made this? It says it's suitable for novice dressmakers - is it? Any tips? Would love to see pictures if you'd like to share?!

That should say seam detail, obviously.

No I haven't made that but some Merchant and Mills designs are quite similar and I have made plenty of those. My favourites are Camber dress, Dress shirt and Top 64 which are all vvv straightforward.

Oooh yes I like all of those. Think I just need to brave and dive-in.

I would suggest doing a sample ( toile ) first in a cheap fabric before jumping in with your nice fabric. This means you can check the fit and practice. M and M patterns tend to run on the generous size for fitting, I find. I love the M and M patterns but it took me about 3 goes to get the neck binding right on the Camber.

Yes, it is too wide isn't it Get. I have used it so much that I recut it in card in my size a couple of years ago. I don't bother with the binding on the pattern, I just use one of these.

I actually redrew the neck on the Camber Set with my curve as I found it came up high at the front when I sat down.

Oh, and I add four darts and a side zip these days because I prefer them a bit more fitted so it has definitely evolved for me.

I still make the odd true to pattern camber set but that is a v casual affair for me.

I've made a couple of Makers Atelier patterns. I love the styles but find they are cut quite big on the shoulders - depending on your body shape that may or may not be a problem. I'm narrow shouldered so need to alter.

I've made several versions of the Merchant and Mills Top 64 hacked into a dress - similar in style to the Seam Detail Dress - as this pattern is a great fit for me. Also I find the instructions in MA patterns a teeny bit skimpy as a few steps are missed out, and some are not entirely clear. I have their book though and have made a couple of things from it as I do love the styling.