Back in 2012, the dusty, disused shell of 14a Tower Street was discovered by Carolyn and Roderick as they scoured the home counties, desperately seeking a new home for Merchant & Mills. The business was born in Herefordshire, but Sussex beckoned. Little did they know, the struggle to find the right place was about to end. The former toy factory was now a leaky, cold and unloved warehouse. Replete with pigeons, mice and old school desks, its crowning glory was an Airstream caravan, plonked in the middle. From first sight, its potential was obvious. After some investigation and a lot of har ..read more

We’re sure many of you will already follow Ellie @the.weekend.sewist on Instagram – she has enviable style and exquisite taste! But what you probably don’t know is she can put together a mighty impressive pre season stock strategy spreadsheet! We never knew what we were missing until she came aboard! We sat down and asked her 10 questions… From left to right – Vintage McCall’s pattern in Dew Block | September coat in Flax Dry Oilskin | Ottoline and Jack Tar bag | Hattie dress in Indigo Snow | Harlene dungarees in Utility Black | Vest (taken from the Foreman pattern) in Soft Stitch ..read more

Merchant & Mills, a market-leading retailer/wholesaler of fabric, haberdashery, and dressmaking patterns is looking for a driven Marketing Assistant to join our team. Reporting to our creative and buying team you’ll be responsible for driving sales to our retail and wholesale website. If you get excited by the prospect of new pattern and fabric releases and how you can best showcase them, then this is the job for you! Salary / Rate: Dependent on experience Contracted Hours:   22 hours per week (approximately, can be flexible) Location: Remote or Rye Office. Start date: We are i ..read more

We are looking for a part time retail assistant. You’ll be working in our online dispatch team with occasional help needed in the shop. Please note this is not a creative role. We are looking for somebody to work 3-4 days per week including occasional Saturdays. We normally ask potential candidates to come into the shop for a paid trial day. If you are successful, full training will be given. Your duties will include: Cutting and folding fabric orders, with speed and precision. Gathering and collating all items for orders accurately. Booking out orders with couriers, preparing documents. Ta ..read more

We recently introduced our new Hemp Blend Jersey range. The cloth is a fine lightweight knitted jersey that’s 55% hemp, 45% organic cotton, and the perfect weight for a summer tee, like The Tee Shirt. Elwen is wearing The Tee Shirt in Lake House Hemp Blend Jersey in a size 44, paired with The Eve trousers in a UK size 10 (which were lengthened by 5cm). Our Tee Shirt pattern is a versatile wardrobe staple that features a breast pocket, optional rolled up sleeves and a stretch rib neck. It can be sewn in a wide range of fabrics, from linen and cotton to fine wool and needlecord. As we’ve histor ..read more

Katie recently sewed up a Saltmarsh skirt in Jelly Mix, one of our newest Indian cottons. The cloth is a soft, mid-weight organic cotton that features a colourful check of green, pink and blue on a pale peach background. The Saltmarsh skirt can be found in our Workbook, available in sizes UK 8-18. The pattern is a simple long-line skirt gently gathered into the waist with a drawstring tie. The skirt is both practical and extremely comfortable. A versatile piece that is destined to become a wardrobe staple! Katie shortened her Saltmarsh skirt by 12cm. Katie is wearing The Saltmarsh s ..read more

We have given two of our patterns a little summer refresh. Introducing the short version of our classic Harlene dungarees and our long-brimmed Bucket Hat. The Harlene is an intermediate pattern with classic detailing and optional top stitching. It can be made in a range of fabrics – from cotton twill and denim, to corduroy and medium to heavy weight linen. For our summer Harlenes, we opted for Toast 260 linen. Available in UK sizes 6-28 in paper and PDF format, The Harlene’s offer an oversized fit. Here, Elwen has sewn up a UK size 12, using 2 metres of fabric. The Bucket Hat is our free patt ..read more

It’s no secret that at Merchant & Mills, we love our linen. So when it comes to perfect linen cloth for your next sewing project, we’ll be the first to admit, we’ve got a wide range to choose from! It can be easy to get overwhelmed by all the possibilities, which is why we’ve put together a guide of our core ranges. Plus, we’ve included our top tips for sewing with linen fabric, too. Linen has many great qualities. To start, it’s naturally stain-resistant, anti-bacterial, and completely biodegradable. Linen cloth is also naturally absorbent, which means it requires less dye than cotton an ..read more

We are currently looking for models in the sizes listed below, who are able to easily visit Rye for quick fittings and photoshoots. When referring to the size chart, it’s not essential you fall into one size exactly, but two out of three measurements is ideal. Any age, race/ethnicity and disability is welcome. Please email Elwen at classes@merchantandmills.com with your measurements, location and some photos. This is a paid opportunity, but travel expenses are not covered. The post A Call for Models appeared first on Merchant & Mills ..read more

The Factory dress is an advanced beginner pattern with ready-rolled up sleeves and an easy-fit. While it was originally designed as a dress, there’s no reason it can’t be made into a top! You’ll need The Factory sewing pattern to follow along this pattern hack. The Factory is available in both PDF and Paper formats, in sizes 8 – 28.  Below you’ll find instructions to alter the pattern to sew up a shirt. Elwen’s Factory hack has been made in Papier linen, in a size 14. Paired here with The Heroine jeans. The top version in size 14 took approximately 1.35M of fabric (140cm width). The inst ..read more