Thoughts on Top 64 by Merchant and Mills

Making a new Top 64 is always a pleasure to me (Sarah). In my ideal sewing world, and my wardrobe, I have styles which add to my day, thoughtful in their design, but thoughtless (in the fact once you are wearing them, you don’t need to think about what you are wearing) with fabric choices doing all the work.

The Top 64, like all Merchant and Mills patterns, is an easy to make, easy to wear pattern – a vehicle for whatever fabric you choose to showcase. I am a big fan of Merchant and Mills designs, but not so much of the photos on their patterns – hence why I spend time sampling the styles up.

I recently made the style in a printed stretch needlecord – Floral Renaissance by Lady McElroy – the fabric picked up all the fresh blues and greens that we showcased on the stand at Sewing for Pleasure at the NEC. I have also previously made Top 64 in Outback Wife – a delicious and now sold out bark cloth, and in Essex Yarn Dye by Robert Kaufman.

My thoughts on Top 64 are as follows

Sewing Ability – Advanced Beginner, the raglan sleeve is a little easier than a set in sleeve, but you must be precise with your seam allowances otherwise the neck may not accurately come out the same size as the neck facing. The instructions are illustrated and straightforward. The fabric layouts with Merchant and Mills always seem a little bit of an afterthought, but they aren’t really a problem. The pattern is printed on a  quality durable paper.

End Use – this is a great throw-on top with your favourite jeans, but it also can be made in a more outdoors type fabric with layers underneath.

Fit – most Merchant and Mills designs are on the generous side with plenty of positive ease. I find the sleeves on this a little long.

Styling – the neck is quite open – no fastenings so the head needs to go though, so you might feel you need to add something – it looks great with an infinity scarf, or a white tee underneath.

Making up – depending on your fabric, I would decide whether you really need that Centre Front or Centre Back seam. With the larger floral fabrics, having the centre seams will only lead to pattern matching headaches, so simply mark the 1.5cm seam allowance on the Front and Back pattern pieces and lay that new line on the fold of the fabric – this will change no other pieces.

I also like to use an overlocker to finish my seams so I round off the corners on the seam allowance on the pocket pieces to allow me to smoothly travel around the waist seam and pocket bags once constructed.

Topstitching – the plainer the fabric, the more your topstitching can work for the garment – so in the Essex Yarn Dye, the topstitching really makes the garment, whereas in the floral it is lost and probably not adding anything apart from sewing time and durability.

Other Hacks – this pattern can be lengthened to a tunic or dress – just allow for your hip curve and make a smooth line from the original pattern piece to your desired hip measurement plus 2 or 3 inches. I would also be tempted to make the pockets bigger for bigger sizes and if you were doing a  dress version.

Fabric Choices – don’t attempt below a quilting weight, and head up happily to a waxed Linen. Somewhere in the middle like a hefty linen, or glowing needlecord and you won’t be disappointed. If you loved the bark cloth version we have, look for a set of old curtains from the 50s or 60s with the same base fabric and upcycle in style.

Availability – both the pattern and the fabric are available to buy on our site, in store, or at the shows. The pattern costs £14.50 and comes in sizes 8 – 18. The fabric pictured is £18/mtr. Both products are linked in the text above

Your ideas – have you made the Top 64, if so in what fabric? And how do you style it? Let us know in the comments below – we love hearing about your sewing adventures.