Merchant & Mills Shepherd skirt made in Japanese Madoka

Sometimes with some fabrics a certain project will keep popping in my mind and the Merchant and Mills Shepherd Skirt was it for this stunning, stunning Japanese Madoka fabric. I've always loved skirts and dresses in interesting plaids and checks but I don't own many so I decided to drop this into my summer making. I was drawn to this pattern as I like the pleats instead of usual gathers, making it a little more flattering especially with the fabric volume. There's something more streamlined about this sewing pattern and it is very, very different for me. Having a lot of success with M&M I decided to go for it with an excuse to really show this beautiful fabric and it's lush texture.

The plaid is from our Japanese Kasuri collection and handles like a mid weight soft denim, or heavy'ish linen. Works for structure while still carrying a casual slubby vibe, ideal for this skirt. The corozo buttons are from The Textile Garden there is something quite beautiful about brown with indigo.

This skirt is all about the pleats and the pockets, wow it was a challenge, many people on instagram were also quite overwhelmed by this pattern. I was confused on the direction of the pleats, the many arrows directing me...it was like origami, tonnes of folding. Maybe I could have done with bigger more detailed diagrams in the instructions. I was not sure what I was doing but I just kept playing around until it looked about right, while regularly googling images for this relatively new pattern. I was also concerned about the many fabric layers in the design, especially with the interfacing but this fabric handled it brilliantly, not too thick. Once again, have faith in the Merchant and Mills process.

The way this skirt hangs is gorgeous, I went with quite a long length, brave when you're 5'3" but I wanted the drama. Also, my current trend is to not pre-wash before sewing, this fabric does not shrink if treated very carefully. I then like to wash my hand made garments straight after completing sewing them, like a 'bedding in' process which I did here before these photos.

I like this skirt a lot, feels very special but I won't be rushing into another as I'm not sure I can remember how to form those pockets again, they felt like a happy accident! It feels very nice to swish around in and I'm now considering making a top in the same fabric, for that wonderful co-ord vibe.