We’re just an hour away from beggining the Flint Pants and Shorts #sewitwithindybindy! If you don’t have your pattern yet, pop over to this post to get your 20% discount code!
So here is some food for thought!
The Flint pants by Megan Nielsen are perfection as they are. So sew them up as is and they will become a true workhorse in your wardrobe. Of that, I am sure!
But if you are keen to add your own flair to these pants, the options are literally endless. Hacking a pattern is so much fun for this very reason. Below are some ideas to get your creative juices flowing.
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HACK IT!
FULL LENGTH
When I made up this pair and tried them on for fit before I hemmed them I fell in love with long lines in this drapey fabric. A full length pair is definitely in my future!!
Your choices for actually altering the pattern to go full length are to either lengthen at the hemline, or slashing and spreading the pattern in the middle.
Which you choose depends on the look you want. Lengthening them at the hemline will result in an even wider leg but adding the amount of length you want at the shorts cut line will ensure the original leg shape is maintained! So how wide do you want to go?!
In order to estimate how much length you will need, check the finished garment measurements on page 3 of the sewing instructions. Measure the inseam amount for your size against your body or a pair of trousers that you like the fit of and the difference will be the amount to lengthen the pattern by. Always try your pants on before you hem them to be sure you are happy with the final length though!
Lou made thesefloor sweeping beauties below.
CROP IT!
The Flint pants are cropped and sit just above the ankle. For a more summery look you may want to crop them to ¾ length.
Similar to above, to shorten the pants and keep the intended silhouette you would cut along the shorts line, overlap the pattern by the desired amount and tape back together. Finally true the seamline (which just means straightening the edges of the area you overlapped) and trim any overlapping paper.
Alternatively, you could shorten the pants at the hemline if you want to remove some of the volume, and have a straighter leg with less flare.
FLAT FRONT
Because I wanted to show this print off as much as possible, I followed Megan’s tutorial for removing the release tucks and having a flat front on the Flints. If you want tot reduce the volume at the front a little, this might be the way to go for you too.
BIBS BABY!
Megan has a free add on to the pattern to turn these pants into bibs!! Holly and Beth these two fab pairs below. You can find the tutorial for how to make them here.
Alternatively Lou used a bib pattern she already had (the Cleo from Tilly and the Buttons) to make her version below. She went a even further, made the bib removable, lengthened the pants to full length and added patch pockets to the back too!
JUMPSUIT MASHUP
If you have a tried and tested bodice pattern you love. You could combine it with the Flint pants to make the jumpsuit of your dreams. A wrap top is going to be the best way to achieve this. See the awesome jumpsuit by Beck below!
TIE UP SOME DRAMA
I lengthened the ties of this pair of flints for some added movement and drama. Ideally I would have made them even wider but this was all I could squeeze out of the fabric amount I had!
To do this, take the tie pattern piece and draft the shape you would like onto a new piece of paper, using the base of the tie as a starting point so it will still fit neatly into the notches at the waistband.
NAUTICAL NUANCES
I first came across the Flint pants when I was looking for a pattern to make my sailor pants dreams come true. All you have to do to add a nautical feel to these shorts or pants is sew up the button waistband (Version A or C) and add two decorative buttons to the other side of the waistband. Voila! Check out these fab sailor shorts by Jasika Nicole.
WHAT ELSE?
Some other ideas to explore:
- Gathering the waistline instead of sewing the release tucks
- Adding side vents to the bottom of the pants
- Colour blocking the legs
- Adding turn up cuffs
Are you going to hack the Flints? Do you have other ideas for transforming this pattern? Let me know!
Happy planning and I’ll be back in an hour to kick off this sew along with printing and cutting out your pattern!!
