I’m not sure if I have ever made as many versions of a pattern in quick succession as I have the Flint pants/shorts deisgn by Megan Nielsen. I made them up the first time shortly after the pattern had been released and had arrived in my mailbox (I already had my pretty cotton silk from The Fabric Store washed and waiting), and I wrote about them here. The pattern was a huge success- the fit was spot on with very minor adjustments (I think I took about 3/8 inch of fabric out of the waistline and graded down to nothing at my high hip), the wide leg was comfortable and didn’t make me feel like I was swimming in fabric, and I loved the unique closure of the design- although the left side pocket is essentially not very useful since it remains open on the inside of the pants, it means that the design doesn’t need a zipper. Instead, the pants close with either a tie or a couple of buttons. I’ve seen this design element in vintage clothing before and I love that Megan Nielsen updated the silhouette a bit while keeping the interest of the side closure as is.
For my second pair I was hoping to recreate the look of the design on the pattern envelope- the pants are made from a bleached looking denim that looks very soft and flowy. I chose a denim from The Fabric Store that had a similar color but ignored the stiffer hand it had- I figured that the denim was lightweight enough that I could wash it and it would look floaty just like in the photos. I was totally wrong, and annoyed with myself for not knowing better. When I completed the pants and tried them on, the fabric was stiff and barely moved, and it made me look like I had put on cardboard pants. Obviously not the look I was going for. But all was not lost! In a last minute attempt to save the garment, I chopped the legs off mid thigh at the cutting line on the pattern that separates the shorts from the pants, and now they look fantastic.
The stiff denim works really well for shorts, I think- it helps them maintain their silhouette, they don’t wrinkle quite as much as a softer, drapier fabric would, and they look a bit like sailor pants- which is why I decided to mirror the buttons on the right side of the shorts. I am pretty sure that Megan Nielsen shared this button look on her instagram account which is what gave me the idea. I had cute red buttons that looked really nice with the light colored denim but I didn’t want to take the sailor analogy TOO literally (I’ve never really been a fan of red/white/blue combos in my clothing), so I opted for these vintage pale peach ones I found at an antique store last year. I am in love with the soft, beachy look they lend to the shorts- it makes me think of seashells on the seashore.
Aside from using the button closure on this version of the design, I also eliminated the release tucks at the front of the pants to give a smoother line from waistband to thigh. Megan Nielsen posted an easy-t0-follow tutorial on her blog about how to create darts out of those tucks although I somehow managed to make mine very long? Despite, I swear, following the instructions to a T?? Whatever, I totally don’t mind the length of the darts as they are barely noticeable and actually make the shorts look like they are made of panels, which is pretty cute.
Ok, so YAY, shorts! Good save with a chop off of the pants legs, and I absolutely love how cute and fun they are- I get so many compliments when I wear them! But wait, what about the dream pants version that I still have yet to make out of a flowy, looser kind of fabric that drapes over my frame and mirrors the pants from the pattern front? What about those guys??
Well I made those guys, too! This time out of a coffee colored cotton linen from…where else? Your favorite place and mine, THE FABRIC STORE! They have an incredible selection of linen in their store pretty much year round in Los Angeles because it’s basically always linen weather here, and this bolt stood out to me because of it’s a neutral but with a visually interesting textured weave, and it’s super light weight. Of course, when I finished the garment and hung them in my closet, I discovered that the fabric is incredibly similar to the cotton linen I used for my Burda Wide Legged pants, blogged here. Coincidence? Probably not. I tend to keep neutral or darker colors on my bottom half when they are pants and in a shape I am not completely familiar with. It would be nice to step out of that habit, but I love how both pairs of pants came out, so if it ain’t broke…! Anyways, I figured these would be a nice fabric to make Flint in, especially for an LA summer (I hate wearing pants in the summer cause I get so hot but I also hate my legs burning in the sun and sticking to leather and plastic seats all the time, so I am hoping that this version finds a nice balance in the midst of the worst parts of 90 degree weather).
I released the tuck pleats again in exchange for the darts, kept them at the full pants length with a couple inches taken out of the thigh area to accommodate my shortness, and went back to the tie at the side waist. I made these, from start to finish, in one afternoon in my sewing room; easy breezy!
These have that coveted rumpled-but-still-put-together look I see certain people pull off all the time, those people that look like they have the busiest lives ever but still seem to manage to keep it all together. My life isn’t nearly that busy, but I do like throwing on an outfit that looks (and is) effortless. It just gives me more time to do what I got to do and then get back home and sew! When I first made this version of the Flint, I styled them all wrong. I tried to dress them up a little for my first wearing and I wore my lace-up espadrilles and a cap sleeved Burda top in pink, and it was just ALL WRONG. It looked too….mature, I guess is the best word. It probably doesn’t help that I wore this outfit to the mall on Mother’s Day, so I was surrounded by lots of other ladies in “mature” outfits, but it just wasn’t looking hip enough. I realized that I needed to keep these pants casual and pair them with other dressed down things. My current favorite top is this shark tank top in musician Jenny Owens Young’s online merch shop, you can find it and other cute tees, hats and tanks here!
Now I swear I’m done with the Flint! I have made every version I could possibly need for my closet at this point- a fancy pant, a casual pant, plus a dress-up-or-down-short, and I am very happy with them! According to instagram, Megan Nielsen has a new pattern to release in the next month or so and I am super excited to see what it is- will it become a wardrobe staple for me the way the Flint has?? How many “staples” can one have in their wardrobe before it becomes excessive, anyways? I. AM. TOEING. THE. LINE. But who cares; at least I will look good doing it 😉
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