After sewing the Honey Dress shop sample for Ritual Dyes and seeing how cute it looked on Rachel, I decided to make one for myself but as a crop top since I don’t wear dresses often. I decided to use the cute Piccolino fabric in my stash that I couldn’t figure out what to do with because it had a crisper drape than I usually prefer. I thought it might pair well with the gathers of the Honey to highlight the structure of the top. I think it turned out cute, but it took more modifying than I was expecting and still isn’t quite right. I’m not sure if I’ll make another Honey again, but I’m happy to have sewn a silhouette that I’ve never had in my closet before.
Pattern
- Merchant & Mills The Honey
- M&M rates this pattern as Intermediate and I’d agree—this pattern requires precise cutting and stitching, but I do think the instructions make it feel harder than it needs to be.
- Please note that sizing for this pattern is NOT inclusive: the Honey is only available in their UK 8–18 size range.
- Also pictured: Soften Studio Soften Bandana
- My recommendation: pick a fabric with more drape for this pattern!
Fabric & Supplies
- Merchant & Mills Piccolino in Tartlet (75% cotton and 25% linen; 110 gsm / 3.8 oz) purchased from Modern Domestic
- Pellon SF101 Shape Flex Fusible Interfacing
- 1.5” wide soft knitted elastic
- Schmetz Microtex 80/12 needle
Sizing
My Measurements:
B: 41.5”, W: 34.5”, H: 43”; Height: 5’10”
B: 105, W: 88, H: 109 cm; Height: 178 cm
Cup Size: B (~2” or 5 cm difference between upper and full bust)
- I was frustrated that the size chart didn’t include upper bust/high chest measurements since that’s the only part of the garment that has a close fit. It seems a little silly to choose a size for this silhouette using anything other than the upper bust—even the full bust is less important to prioritize because of all the gathers.
- You can calculate upper bust if the pattern gives you the cup size the pattern is drafted for, but this information is not provided in the instructions.
- According to their online FAQ section, they use a B cup for their standard size range (UK 8–18) and “around a C-D cup” for the extended size range (20–28). M&M says that cup size isn’t as important as full bust measurement for relaxed fit garments, but I disagree (in general, but especially for this particular design).
- Upper bust measurements are included in the finished garment measurements chart, but given the ambiguity introduced by the elastic back, I didn’t actually find this information helpful for selecting a size.
- I cut a straight size 16 based on the size chart. There is so much positive ease at the waist and hips that I’d recommend selecting your size based on your bust measurement and skip grading between sizes—your hips will fit in all of them!
- The construction gives some leeway: the elastic band in the back is trimmed after trying it on to ensure a decent fit.
- Given the lack of clear sizing information, I’d recommend making a toile of the bodice before cutting into your fabric (I know, I know). You can shorten the strap lengths after trying on the top, but you won’t be able to change the width of the front panel (and therefore the placement of the straps) without unpicking everything.
- I did not make a toile and unfortunately the front panel is about 1/2” too wide for my body. The straps sit on my shoulder joint and shift inwards whenever I move, which in turn causes the front to gape open.
- If you’re making the dress, note that M&M women’s patterns are drafted for a height of 5’6” (167 cm). I also found this info in their online FAQs but I firmly believe this should be explicitly stated in the pattern.
Modifications
- Cropping the dress into a top:
- Beginning with the front skirt pattern piece, I marked where I wanted the finished hem to fall, added additional fabric for turning the hem (I used a 1/4” double-fold hem), then cut the new bottom edge at a right angle to the side seams.
- To find the location of the new bottom edge of the back skirt piece, align the side seams of the front and back skirt pieces. Notice that the center front is higher than the side seam, and the center back is lower than the side seam
- The length of the side seams on my top were about 10.5” long before assembly.
- After trying on the top in step 20, I found that I needed to shorten the straps by about 2.5” (which was more than I was expecting, given how tall I am) so that the sides and back of the bodice would sit a bit closer to my body.
- I had to shorten the right strap an additional 1/4” because apparently my body is uneven?
- Be sure to preserve the angled end of the strap when trimming! The outside edge of the strap (closest to the side seam) should be shorter than the inside edge.
- If the strap length doesn’t need modification, remember that you still need to go back to reinforce your stitches If you basted everywhere the instructions said to “tack,” otherwise your seams might not last very long!
Sewing Notes
- This pattern was so much easier to sew using a fabric with a tight, stable weave compared to my previous Honey Dress in laundered linen.
- The outside of the pattern envelope calls for 1.25” wide elastic. The instructions and online listing call for 1.5” wide elastic. I used 1.5” wide elastic for this top and 1.25” elastic for the dress. Both worked fine, but the wider elastic requires more care to avoid getting it caught in the bodice stitching.
- I love Merchant & Mills fabrics and the silhouettes of their patterns. I do not like their pattern instructions: they are sparse, with few clarifications or tips, and the diagrams are often confusing.
- The diagrams for constructing the bodice are especially tricky. This pattern doesn’t distinguish between the RS of the main/exterior fabric and the RS of the facing fabric. The key distinguishes between main fabric and lining fabric, but they didn’t use the lining shading for the facings. Paired with the sparse instructions, it can be difficult to figure out what exactly you’re supposed to be sewing at any given step.
- To distinguish between the facing and the main/exterior, look for the mitered corner. For example: Steps 8, 9, 10, and 13 all depict the RS of the facing.
- Step 1: if using directional fabric, pay attention to where you apply the interfacing on the back panel. With the design in the correct orientation, interface the top half of the panel. The interfaced half will fold over and end up on the wrong side of the garment (with the design upside down).
- Step 13: the illustration/written description here confused me. Turn up the bottom edge of the facing towards the inside of the garment(wrong sides are together). I knew which way to press this intuitively but the instructions made me doubt myself.
- Step 17: a long stitch length (~5.0 mm) paired with a looser stitch tension made the gathering process easier for me this time around.
- Step 18: I recommend aligning notches and seams and clipping/pinning BEFORE you start gathering, or else you’ll have a difficult time finding those waypoints again. Be sure to leave long tails and only pull the bobbin threads only to gather. I sewed the gathering stitches with different colored top and bobbin threads to make it easier for myself.
- Step 19–21: I tried machine basting to secure the inner bodice as instructed, but it came out a bit messier than I liked. Instead, I centered wash-away wonder tape over the stitch line attaching the skirt to the outer bodice to ensure the folded edge of the inner bodice was 1) a consistent distance from the seam and therefore 2) caught by stitching-in-the-ditch from the right side.
- Step 20: I honestly still don’t know what “draw in the elastic by 10 cm” means in this context. Compared to what?!
Notes for Next Time
- The sides and back of the top sit further away from my body than I’d like. I may reduce the elastic length further after wearing and washing the top a couple times.
- I’m not sure if I’d make this pattern a third time. If I did, I’d probably make a couple of toiles of the bodice—one where I reduce the width of the front panel by 1/2”, and another where I try the next size down to see if the front panel width and strap placement/length fit my body better without modification.
- Understitching the seam allowances to the facing seems like an easy addition that would make the bodice look a bit cleaner. I was surprised that the pattern didn’t call for understitching anywhere.
Keep In Touch
Thanks very much for reading! If you’d like in-person support and instruction, please sign up for my classes at Modern Domestic or reach out to schedule a private lesson. If you have any questions, feedback, or corrections regarding this post, please don’t hesitate to contact me!
Further Reading
may you find a home within yourself
may you find a home within yourself
June 16, 2025
sewingquiltingmakes
All content (including photographs and text) on this site ©2024–2025 Aliya Hoff-Vanoni. All Rights Reserved. Do not use or reproduce without written permission.