A couple of Christmases ago, my lovely sister-in-law gave me a voucher for Tessuti Fabrics. I had just ventured into sewing and didn’t dare sew with “good fabric” yet. I was so excited to be able to choose this beautiful chambray fabric. I bought two metres and then lost the nerve to cut into it! So now with a bit more sewing experience under my belt, I knew it would be a good match for the Flint Pants pattern from Megan Nielsen Patterns. The flint pants are a wide leg cropped pants. This wide leg cropped pants with the hidden pocket opening can be called a classic in the sewing community. I decided to make View B of the pattern which has the cute tie closure on one side.
The chambray is buttery soft and has beautiful drape. I prepared it by putting it through the cold cycle in the washing machine and then air-drying it. I then ironed it once dry. Chambray might look like denim but it’s a plain weave cotton unlike the twill weave of denim so it’s great for floaty breezy relaxed items and a lot easier to wear in hot weather. I used a universal sewing needle and matching thread. The pattern called for 2.5 metres of fabric but I could comfortably cut the pattern pieces from the 2 metres of 150cm width of chambray that I had.
My sizing for Megan Nielsen patterns sits between a size 12 and a size 14. My measurements are 33-inch waist and 39-inch hips. I decided to use the size 14 waist and graded to a size 12 in the hips. I could have also just sewn the size 14 straight, but I wanted the nice taper from the waist to hip before it flares out to the legs. I also shortened the rise by 5/8 inch. I’m finding it easier to adjust the fit with more experience which is making sewing my me-made wardrobe so rewarding. Another small change I made was to sew the button to the inside of the waistband. I wanted to put two buttonholes to the inside to make the fit more flexible. I’m sure I’m not unique in my weight fluctuating between sizes.
As usual, the instructions for the construction were easy to follow. I have always recommended Megan Nielsen Patterns to anyone starting out. I sometimes joke that Megan Nielsen taught me how to sew. It was one of those patterns that I couldn’t put down once I started sewing so I completed the pattern between binge watching The Crown on Netflix in one day.
A sign of a good pattern is one that you want to sew again straight after you’ve finished! Also, I wore it out straight away to the Spring Festival at King’s Park. We’ve been having some glorious weather and the wildflowers are in full bloom.
Thanks for reading and happy sewing!
X Em
Em Sew Happy Blog 
The sign of a good pattern! I like that. My last two tops were definitely not like that! But I did more repeats on my fave pants!
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Thanks Suzanne! I haven’t tried any vintage pattern sewing yet. I thought your blouse had an interesting silhouette with the shoulders. It’s been a bit hit and miss for me with pants but these are top of the list for me at the moment!
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Your pants turned out very well! The fit and drape is just as you want it. As you gain more and more experience sewing for yourself, you’ll automatically know which adjustments to make. You’re lucky – your grading is between adjacent sizes – my differences are off the chart (literally – as I described in my blog.). Keep sewing. One bit of advice – if you treat each new garment as a “muslin/toile” realizing you may not get the garment perfect and it’s OK to just toss the project you’ll take away any anxiety about starting in!
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Thanks so much for the kind encouragement! You’re so right about starting to know which adjustments to make.
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