Merchant and Mills Sidney Sweatshirt

I've made a few Merchant and Mills patterns, but the Sidney only recently caught my attention.

It's an oversized, boxy sweatshirt pattern, that can be made from a woven or jersey fabric for the body, paired with ribbing for the neckline, cuffs and hemband.

I've seen some beautiful versions from the Merchant and Mills cotton Jacquard fabric, which I'm planning to use for my next version. This was a sort of wearable toile, to see how I liked the fit and how often I wore it before splashing out on the nice fabric!

The first thing to say, is this was so quick to make. I sewed the entire thing on my overlocker and I think it took under an hour to sew it together.

The second thing to say is it is very oversized. I actually sized down 2 sizes from my measurements and it is still huge!

The third thing to say is, I think the fabric choice makes or breaks this pattern. I used a cotton / poly blend sweatshirting from my stash for the body and sleeves and I don't think it gives the finish I really want. I'm eager to try this in the proper cotton jacquard fabric as the images I've seen of this are beautiful and the drape and finish look much better. i also like the idea of a woven sweatshirt, I think it is a smarter, lighter take on a sweatshirt and would be really versatile to wear.

Despite being underwhelmed initially, I have found myself reaching for this a lot through autumn and winter, especially around Christmas when I was ill. I love the oversized fit, it’s really comfy. Also, whilst the fabric choice is a bit boring, it’s actually very versatile and easy to wear.