PatsyPoo Makes

Eeeeeesh! Have I got a pretty dress to show you today! It's the  Megan Nielsen Matilda  and it is gorgeous! I had a big chunk of time to sew a couple of weekends ago and this is what I chose to work on. I bought the pattern and fabric about 3 years ago and had the PDF printed for 2 whole years, so it was about time this got made.  The dress has a utilitarian look which I really like. It features drop shoulders, sizeable patch pockets and pretty little pleated breast pockets with a flap. So many great details and the perfect pattern to have fun with topstitching. I think the buttons complement the utility look and I'm really happy with the whole thing. I graded mine from XS at the bust to M from the waist down and the fit is spot on. As it happens, the pattern has only just been updated to include more sizes - it goes from 0 to 20 now. I think my version is equivalent to a 4 up top to a 10 at the waist. The instructions were great: comprehensive but easy and clear to follo...

 Today I'm sharing one of my recent favourites: the Opal trousers by Megan Nielsen. I really love this pattern! I'm very happy with the end result. The trousers are loose-fitting and feature an elastic waist so they're extremely comfortable. There are also options for 2 short lengths as well as trousers, patch or side seam pockets and a regular elastic waistband as well as the paper bag one I made.  I made a straight size 10 but I cut the tall leg length as I've been burned with Megan Nielsen's regular inseams in the past. I ended up taking some back off again but I can't remember if it was 1 or 2 inches. For the record, I'm not tall, I'm 5'6" but for some reason, MN's trousers have ended up too short for me in the past. Construction was really simple and quick and the instructions were great. One thing to note is that they call for 32mm or 25mm elastic. I only had 25mm so that's what I went with but that was *very* snug in the channel....

Coming at you today with an underrated little gem: the  Kelly skirt  from Megan Nielsen.  I've had the pattern printed and ready to go for a really long time but for some reason, I hadn't got around to making it yet. Then, a couple of weeks ago, I ordered this cotton linen from Sew Me Sunshine for a shirt. When it arrived, however, I decided it'd be too heavy for a shirt  - serves me right for not paying attention to the description - so I had to put on my thinking cap on. Don't get me wrong, it's really lovely fabric. I've used it before in fact, for a Southport dress , but I only had 1.5m this time so I had my work cut out for me. When I happened to have it laying side by side with this viscose from the shirt I'm wearing here, a lightbulb went off in my head. I needed an outfit that would put both of these together! That's when I landed on the Kelly and the 1.5m of fabric I had was enough for the size I was making - a Medium. It was easy and quick to ...

Remember the  Pona jacket I made last week? As I mentioned in that post, I ended up with around 1.25m of the fabric left. I wondered if I'd be able to squeeze some jeans out of that. I've had the  Megan Nielsen Dawn jeans  on my list to make for a while so I decided to give them a whirl. I won't be talking about the fabric again today. You can check the jacket post for that if you're interested. The jeans were an absolute joy to make. It took me about 3 afternoons to finish and everything went exactly as it should. Isn't it funny how we evolve though? Two years ago, before I made my first pair , jeans seemed like an insurmountable task. Fast forward to now: I decided last week I wanted to make jeans, cut them out at the weekend and they were ready on Thursday, like it was no big deal. 🤷‍♀️ That's because it really isn't a big deal. I don't think they're difficult, it's just a lot of steps. The instructions were amazing. Just like the A...

The name Ash very nearly foreshadowed the ultimate fate of these jeans, I must admit. 😂 I made these with  Mel  over one weekend, as another of our buddy sewing sessions. I will say that day 1 did not go well for me. The first of half of day 1 anyway. I am overall pleased with them though so let's dive in and I'll share my thoughts. First things first, sizing. I went with a size 29. My waist fluctuates between 28.5 and 29.5 so I knew it'd be snug on my waist but it would be fine on my hips, according to the measurements. The waistband isn't interfaced though, so that gives you extra wiggle room and I decided to chance it. The gamble paid off: the fit is really good on my waist and hips and it's comfortable. The pattern offers 4 different leg choices which is incredible value for money. I was between the slim and the skinny leg but after doing some maths and comparing that with my fabric, I decided to go for the skinny version. They ended up being a bit too ...