Me and Flint / Ja i Flint – pants pattern by Megan Nielsen

Today I will talk a little bit about my big love for the Flint pants pattern from Megan Nielsen. I fell in love with it when I first saw it, and I bought the pattern on the release date.

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Danas ću malo pisati o velikoj ljubavi prema kroju hlača Flint od  Megan Nielsen. Čim je kroj objavljen zaljubila sam se u njegove linije i detalje i kupila ga na dan objave.

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I made two cropped versions so far and I want to make more shorts for summer. The pattern is really easy to assemble. At first you might need some imagination regarding construction of the crossover closure, but when you make the first pair everything makes perfect sense. We are talking about pants with no zippers after all! The two closure options are either two buttons or a combination of a button and waist tie. A waist tie! I just love this details and as much as I believe in clean lines and minimalism on one hand I do not see myself making a pair without the bow. It is just too dang beautiful and different to skip.

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Do sada sam napravila dvije duže verzije, ali i nekoliko kratkih hlača za ljeto je na listi želja. Kroj je vrlo jednostavan za izradu. Na prvu treba nešto mašte da bi shvatili kako se hlače zatvaraju u struku, ali kada izradite prvi par sve bude savršeno jasno. Ipak pričamo o hlačama bez ciferšlusa! Dvije opcije za zatvaranje hlača su dva gumba ili kombinacija gumba i mašne. Mašna! Toliko volim ovaj detalj i koliko god vjerovala u ljepotu jednostavnog dizajna i linija mislim da neću moći izraditi ovaj kroj bez mašne. Ipak je taj detalj nekako poseban. 

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Their first outing at a wedding / njihov prvi izlazak na vjenčanju

 

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Backstage view / pogled odostraga

 

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Rust crepe version that does not look so rust in the pictures unfortunately / Hrđavo narančasta verzija koja nažalost ne izgleda toliko hrđavo narančasta na slikama

I made both versions is a crepe fabric and I love both colours. First pair I made was in a deep green medium weight crepe and the fabric is perfect for it. It has just the right weight to fall nicely and keep shape but also light enough to dance around you feet while moving. I love wearing them and how comfortable they feel.
The second pair is made in a lightweight rust coloured crepe. The colour s just beautiful and I was into it during fall when I was looking at copper like leaves all around. But the weight of the fabric means they swish around way more (like a no. 1 disco hit) and they do not hold the shape as good, specially around the hem. I have to admit that I do ship hand sewing finishes when I can use my machine, but it might have been a smarter move to do it the right way for this pair. The machine finish makes them look a bit like a home-made garment and not hand-made, which we all know is not the way to go. I might go back to that and revise it to make them a bit more presentable. But I still wear them and the bow looks spectacular in this fabric. Just saying.

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Obje verzije sam napravila u krep tkanini i ne mogu se odlučiti koja boja mi je draža. prvi par sam napravila u tamno zelenoj krep tkanini srednje težine i to je odličan izbor za ovaj kroj. Tkanina ima točno pravu dozu težine tako da lijepo pada i pritom drži formu, ali u pokretu ipak pleše oko nogu. Volim ih nositi i toliko su ugodne.
Drugi par sam izradila iz laganog krepa u boji hrđe. To je bilo na jesen kada sam stalno bila okružena otpalim lišćem i ta boja mi nije izlazila iz glave. Kako je ova tkanina lakša hlače puno više plešu (kao najbolji disko hit) i zbog toga ne drže najbolje formu, pogotovo kod ruba. Moram priznati da kada postoji mogućnost završiti rub mašinom uvijek biram tu opciju ispred ručnog šivanja. Ali mislim da bi za ovaj par ručno šivanje bila sretnija opcija pa je to nešto čemu ću se možda ponovo vratiti i popraviti. To je razlog zbog kojeg ova verzija ispada više kao da je kućne izrade, a ne ručne izrade (što nije baš preporučeni recept za dobar stil). Ali svejedno ih nosim a mašna jednostavno izgleda spektakularno u ovoj tkanini. Samo kažem.

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These were the first pants I ever made and I did not have to do any changes to the pattern. I think they are a great option for the first time pant makers out there since they are not overly fitted in the behind area. They are somewhat fitted in the waist with darts in the front and back and you can play with these to get them just right. They skim your hips like silk dreams and fall down. I think this is a very flattering look and great to learn the basic construction of pants before continuing with other more fitted patterns.

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Ovo su prve hlače koje sam napravila i kroj nisam trebala dodatno prilagođavati. Mislim da je ovo odličan izbor za sve djevice po pitanju izrade hlača jer kroj nije uzak u stražnjem dijelu. Hlače su uske u području struka gdje ih lako možete oblikovati po svom tijelu, a lijepo padaju preko kukova. Ovo je odličan kroj za upoznavanje sa izradom i konstrukcijom hlača. 

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They even make garages smile! / Čak izmamljuju osmijeh i na garažama!

I do get compliments when I wear them and funnily enough I was told that these pants are becoming my signature style. The truth is that all compliment go fast forward to Megan. So thank you Megan for jazzing up my style, it is much appreciated!

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Dobila sam komplimente za ove hlače i čak mi je rečeno da su one postale moj potpis. Ali svo komplimenti idu ravno Megan za odličan kroj. Hvala Megan što si digla moj stil na viši nivo!

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I will be making more shorts as well for the summer. The pattern can be made in one day, but me being not that fast when it comes to sewing I tend to do them in two or three afternoons. But shorts could be my do-it-in-one-day pattern. We shall see, I will report back.

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Sašit ću i par kratkih hlača za ljeto. Hlače se mogu sašiti u jednom danu ali kako ja nisam najbrža po pitanju šivanja obično ih izradim u dva ili tri popodneva. Ali kratke hlače bi mogle biti brže i moj novi jednodnevni projekt. Izvještaj slijedi.

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Thank you for stopping by!

Hvala na čitanju!

 

Ana

Sew Over It Chloe coat – my very first coat!

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I ended 2017 by cutting out the Chloe coat pattern by Sew Over It. By this point I am sewing for 6ish years but I never made an outer garment before. I always thought I couldn’t get there by just trying, but I would need to first get a certain skill, attend a class or get a hold of a magic wand. But with time and with following other fellow sewists online I discovered you don’t need any of that, but you do need some experience and do what we all do best – try.

Entering 2018 I had my coat cut out, partially assembled, iron on stand by and one week into the new year I finished my first coat.

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Me being awkward in front of the camera in my Chole coat

This pattern comes as part of the online class Intro to Sewing Coats: Chloe Coat. I wanted to make a coat for some time now but always struggled with the idea of doing it on my own with all the head scratching as part of the package. I also could not make it to local classes so online was the only way to go. And I love it! I bought the class, sat on it for few months (because that is what I do best) and at the end of December got around to it. It was time.

I like the ease of an online class because you can ‘attend’ it when ever you want and you can be in your pajamas if you like. So I first went through all classes in one go and then started doing it step by step replaying each video if necessary.

The fabric I used is some sort of wool blend I had in my stash for years, so do not really know the content. I am sure it has some percentage of poly in it, but since it did press well I still think it was not too much. All in all, perfect for a first coat project. The lining was a similar colored one since I thought that was about right for the first try and it was very affordable to get it from a local store (but as I do not have a picture of it you will just have to believe me).

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A bad hair day and good coat day go so well together, don’t you think?

The online class was very helpful and Lisa takes you through all the stages. There are few camera angles for you to get the best look at what she is doing in each video. I read some reviews of the class before making the coat and some mentioned they could not see some of the steps Lisa was doing as her hands got in the way. There is some of that, but I did not have a problem with it and I clearly understood what I need to do. That might be one negative about the online class, but I did not have a problem with it so cannot really say it bothered me.

The assembly of a coat is straightforward and manageable for all sewists with some experience. It is meant to be a class and a pattern for first time coat sewers and if you made few things before you will be fine with making this coat. The tricky part came when I needed to some final stitches since I had a big wool coat at that point and it took some time getting the seam under the needle with the space a sewing machine can offer.

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Sewing traffic jam

I used Ice wool for the shoulders, bagged out the lining and these were a first timers for me (I do not know if that is a word but I think it fits so well). Getting your heard around bagging out the lining is a process but you do get to the end and with few extra finishing touches you have a coat! And that is exactly why I wanted to do the class because I tend to be impatient when I need to do things all on my own and having someone to hold your hand takes some of the stress away.

The coat has two options for closure – zip and poppers. At first I decided to go with press studs but when I got to having a coat but still having to do all the hand sewing I changed my mind (and how great is that for us sewists!). I decided to leave any closures out and use just the brown leather belt I already had. I will go with the zip next time, but for now I am really enjoying it this way. And if I ever change my mind I can always add the press studs later.

I am maybe done with coat making for this season, but you never know what February can bring. I do have some hacks in mind for this pattern though so when the time comes for a second coat I have all the hack ideas and fabrics ready and steady to go.

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Crispness of a back center seam

 

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Side view without the belt

 

Did you make a coat yet and if yes, what was your first pattern to use?

Thanks for stopping by,

Ana

Welcome to my blog

This is my very first post. Yikes.

Well, I better get started then. I got the first idea to blog about a year ago. It took me only a year to start and now I am terrified what to do. But it does not seem to kill you so I might as well try.

I am in love with sewing and traveling and if you ask me that is the best way to spend my free time. So let’s see how I will be at writing about it in a foreign language.

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My old cat with my old sewing machine