Another month, another make dear readers! And this time I’m tackling our recent pattern of the month: Flint! Full disclosure: I had my heart set on making Flint pants for our Beginner Sews Series even before we announced it as our pattern of the month in Feb. There’s a gorgeous sample in the studio in a beautiful dusty pink shade that I’ve coveted since I started working here. Trying that sample on just confirmed what I already knew: I needed a pair of Flints, and I needed them now! Pants are one of those things that can be so tricky to get right. They’re obviously a staple, but if you’re long in the torso (like me) with wide hips (also like me), finding a pair of pants that are well-made, stylish and comfortable is near impossible. So even though I learned my lesson with Sudley to take things slowly and not get myself in over my head (you can read all about that experience here), I was determined to have my own Flint pants. Needless to say, I am grateful I didn’t let myself get psyched out, because I now have not one, but TWO Flints in my me-made wardrobe!
Flint sewalong schedule!
Great news my dears, the Flint sewalong starts this week! Here are the posts we will be sharing over the next few weeks to help you through making an awesome pair of pants or shorts!
- 5 ways to transfer pattern markings to fabric
- How to remove release tucks and convert to a flat front
- How to lengthen or shorten the pattern
- Inspiration, fabric ideas and optional ideas for customising your pattern
- Release tucks and darts
- Pockets
- Sewing seams
- Sewing the tie waistband V2 & V4
- Sewing the button up waistband V1 & V3
- Hemming
If you haven’t bought the pattern yet, never fear! You can get it in store here or through one of our lovely stockists.
And don’t forget to check out the #MNflint tag on Instagram to see what everyone else is making! And follow the Flint Pinterest board to get lots of ideas for your own makes!
My favourite Flint pants
Blogging when you are a business owner can be so weird sometimes. I really really hate keeping quiet about things i’m working on, especially when i wear them allll the time. You’ve probably noticed I’ve been a bit quiet in the blogging-things-i’ve-made department for a few months, and that’s because the things i’ve been wearing most were Flint and Rowan and I couldn’t share them with you yet.
This is probably my favourite pair of Flint pants. They’re made from a lightweight denim that i bought for a steal from Spotlight. And when i say a steal, i really mean it. I got an entire bolt of this gorgeous denim for $5. Yes you read that right. I was looking for a lightweight denim to use for testing Flint, and this entire bolt was marked with a big note saying that it was covered in little holes and as such was discounted to $10 for the bolt. Given i just wanted the fabric for test runs, i couldn’t have cared less about tiny holes, so i decided this fabric was perfect. I had a broken toe at the time, and this was my first trip out the house, so i literally hobbled and dragged the bolt to the checkout until i bumped into total sweetheart Deepti who offered to be my hero and carry it for me hehehe. Anyway, the checkout girl had so much trouble entering the bolt into the system at the discounted price, that the manager came over and discounted it again, to $5. The whole time i just felt like i had won the lottery, and in my mind i was like, “be cool Meg, do not freak out” LOL.
And do you want to know the best part? I’m 2/3 of the way through the bolt and i haven’t found a single hole. Not one hole. I even did a little fabric swap with Deepti and hers didn’t have any holes in either. Honestly, winning!
I can’t even express how in love with these Flint pants i am! I wore them summer through winter and summer again. They are thoroughly worn in, and I have loved how the denim has changed colour and melowed over time. Shockingly Chris loves these pants too, and i am kind of floored by that, because i would have thought these pants were A-grade-manrepeller quality hehe.
Also worth noting as i usually do for you all, I am 5’5″ and usually measure at a S waist and M hips, for this pair i cut a straight size S and made no adjustments to the pattern. As you can see the hemline hits a bit lower on me that it does on Ash my fit model (5’9″), so that should give you a good idea of what they look like on a shorter person. Also though they are a little snuggish at the hip/rear area, it’s not a tragedy, the pants definitely have enough ease for if you’re lazy like me and don’t feel like grading sizes. I feel it makes them look a little different to have them fit closer in the rear/hip, but i like that it makes them a little different to my other Flints.
Pretty sure I’ll keep wearing these until the denim really does get holes in!
Flint pants & shorts pattern tester roundup!
Thank you so much for the amazing response to the Flint pants and shorts sewing pattern! I’m so thrilled to know that you all love the new patterns as much as i loved making them for you!
I’m so happy to be able to share with you some our lovely tester makes today! Without our amazing testers who give up their time to help us perfect our patterns and give us super valuable feedback, we wouldn’t be able to continue producing amazing high quality patterns – so a big huge massive thank you and shout out to our amazing testers! A few of our testers have been kind enough to let us share their makes with you, and I really hope you enjoy checking out what these ladies have created, as well as their blogs and IG etc.
Please note that a few changes were made to the pattern after testing, so tester makes may look a little different than the final pattern.
a little peek at my new updated packaging!
As I promised yesterday – I’m here today to share with you a little peek at my brand new packaging! SQUEEEEE! I could not be happier with our new patterns! I have absolutely loved illustrating all of my pattern covers for the last few years (sketching is a real passion of mine) but I’ve been feeling for a while that I would like to show our beautiful product images on my pattern covers, so that you can really see what the patterns will look like sewn up. It was time for a change!
I swear it has been such a busy time behind the scenes! Along with developing 3 new patterns for our latest release, we’ve been working super hard on the new packaging design and details for months. You would not believe how many hours my amazing graphic designer Yvette (YB Creative) and I spent on these. They have been a labour of love – and worth all the effort!
With each cover i wanted to show you a little of my moodboard, of my inspirations for the patterns. I have had so much fun creating these with Yvette, and playing with ink and paint. I feel like each cover is a little piece of art in itself, and i love having them displayed on my shelves!
Our new pattern envelopes are sturdier and roomier, and a lot more colourful. Can you tell i super duper love them?! Inside you will still find our high quality thicker than standard tissue patterns. These are sturdy enough to last well and not tear, whilst still being easy to manage and a joy to sew with. All the benefits of tissue with none of the pain! When it comes to instructions, after a lot of thought we are moving back to booklets. My patterns began with booklets, and in recent years moved to fold out guides. I think both work well for teaching you how to sew a pattern, but personally, i just missed the booklets. Can’t help it, i just love booklets!
All my current patterns have also gotten a little facelift, and now include fancy new packaging too. Though all patterns prior to 2017 will still include instruction guides instead of booklets, while we continue chipping away at updating everything.
I really hope you love the new pattern packaging, and that you enjoy them in your stash! If you have any questions at all about the new packaging, or what you get inside your envelope when you purchase a Megan Nielsen pattern, please let me know in the comments. And don’t forget, you can get all the beautiful new printed patterns in store now.