Mary Quant's classic 'Miss Muffet' design was first produced in 1964 for her 'Ginger Group' label, and sold in her two London shops and at department stores. The dress was illustrated in Tatler on 20 May 1964, with a price tag of 9 1/2 guineas, the equivalent of about £200 (using The National Archives currency converter). A simple shift dress, its plain-ness relieved with subtly historic ruffles, it was easy to make, and ideal for Quant's collaboration with Butterick paper patterns. The design worked as a maxi dress, or with the increasingly popular shorter hem. As a paper pattern, the Miss Muffet design allowed for the affordable and creative possibilities offered by home dressmaking, with different effects of contrasting or matching collars and cuffs, and using plain or patterned fabrics.

Fans of Mary Quant's designs were able to make this design at home for a fraction of the retail price of an off-the-peg version, as Joyce Gander's example illustrates. Joyce used 3 1/4 yards of floral print viscose and lining fabric from her local department store, Sopers of Harrow, owned by Debenhams at the time, which cost her a total of £2, 5 shillings, 3 1/2 pence, roughly £40 today.