Visiting Merchant & Mills

It was a dream come true visiting the Merchant & Mills Shop in Rye (not once, but twice!) on my recent family reunion trip to the U.K., made all the more special by the fact that I was accompanied by my amazing sister and niece, whom I hadn’t seen for 4 years! I was practically hyperventilating for the entire time we were there, my sister patiently waiting all the while, helping me decide which colours to choose, encouraging me to treat myself and enjoy every moment, documenting the whole experience when my phone ran out of battery, mopping my brow and speaking in gentle tones to help me keep my manic grin/crazy-eyes in check and generally maintain my composure in public 😅

I bought both the The Thelma Boiler Suit and The Florence Dress paper patterns after trying on the beautiful samples in the changing room, plus stocked up on some other notions which were missing from my studio back home, like beeswax for handsewing.

After what felt like five seconds but was actually over an hour, I was simultaneously severely dehydrated/busting for the loo, so we had to outro, but that just gave us the excuse to return a few days later to complete the full fabric haul. I ended up buying a couple of the gorgeous tencel linens in Flint Green and Josephine, which have a beautiful weight and drape that will work amazingly for loose-fitting dresses, some 8oz organic sandwashed cotton twills in Appolina and Nordic Green, which I plan to use for boiler suits, and some amazing linens (Ava Check, Oxblood and Boston Fall). Behold these scrumptious Autumnal hues…

Thanks to the lovely, helpful, knowledgable Lucy Gwynne from Merchant & Mills

It was good to have a few days between visits to mentally process all the amazing fabrics I had seen and somewhat narrow down that list of must-haves (although I have never spent so much on fabric in one go and did get a serious bout of buyers remorse at the cash register, literally having to step outside for a breath of fresh air and blot my sweaty face with a tissue 😂).

Luckily my sis and niece were there to encourage me to treat myself and remind me how much meaning and joy sewing brings to my life. (When I sit down to make all the future projects with these fabrics I will be reminded of this wonderful family holiday by the beach, finally being able to see my sister again after 4 long years and helping my niece sew her first incredible paperbag-waist skirt on the cute little sewing machine I gifted her last year! I know I don’t have to tell you guys but sewing really is the best! 💫

Eek, oh my goodness check out my fabric haul!!! 🤩 Also biggest love goes to @kimgarritydesign, for being not only the best sister in the world but also for being the best fabric shopping buddy one could ever wish for. Thank you for supporting me always and treating me to that yummy double-sided block-print quilted fabric 🥰

Ps, I also had to buy extra luggage to be able to transport my fabric haul back to Germany! Here’s a few more impressions for the shop for my fellow sewistas to drool over…