MERI TUNIC & PANT 7086 DIGITAL

Zeer mooi

I love this pant pattern! I made it out of a heavier weight linen and they are super cute! They are somewhat short which is perfect for my height of 5' 4". Plan on making the top shortly! So cute I plan on making a few more for variety!

I love the Meri tunic/dress, will wear for the first time today. I have not made the pants yet. The top was fairly easy to sew, but, it did take me a while to realize that the pattern was of the front side, AND the back side, the seams are down the front and back, not the sides in a normal pattern. But we all know, a Tina Givens pattern is not normal, and that is why we love them. I used a medium weight linen, and when I ordered the linen, I didn't know what I would make with it, so it was a bit shy of the right amount. I sewed on scraps to make the rest of the shoulder/arm part and when I wash, will embellish somehow. I think I could have also just shortened so it would be a shorter tunic, but I wanted a dress. I also used the French seam in the front of the dress, and used a zipper foot to sew it together, with the needle set to the left, and it went together smoothly, the presser foot had a sure footing, and the needle didn't have to reach through thin air to get to the fabric. I also discovered the hem looks better if I hem the long part first, then the shorter sides. I like the pattern, and I am sure I will be making more. (I have made three of Isabelle!)

I have not made this yet. Downloaded the patter mn and need to tape up together. It looks like a style is will love.

I have not made this yet. Downloaded the patter mn and need to tape up together. It looks like a style is will love.

I have not made this yet. Downloaded the patter mn and need to tape up together. It looks like a style is will love.

I have not made this yet. Downloaded the patter mn and need to tape up together. It looks like a style is will love.

First of all- I´m no native english speaker - so you are welcome to keep all the grammar and spelling mistakes you find :D Now the review: I am not too fond of the dress, but I can´t really tell you why. It is quite tight for a Tina Givens pattern (which ususally are very roomy). Maybe it would hang better had I made it in M instead of S. Still somehow it looks a bit like a sack on me (which may be due to the color of the fabric - actually a very nice olive-brown linen - but also the shape of the dress) and I really need to put on some accessories to "pimp" it and make it work. But I do love the pants and wear them quite often. The arm- and neckholes of the dress were a bit strange and VERY big, so I needed zu change them. The original dart given in the pattern for me was in a wrong position, so I needed to change that, too. The pant legs are basically extremely flared but the flared part is pleated vertically. When on my first attempt I pleated the pant legs as given in the pattern, the legs were too tight to get my foot through it! Jeez... so I had to undo all the seams and make smaller pleats. I guess it´s always good advice with Tina Givens patterns to first baste all the seams, try on the piece and if all is fine, sew it. As always: The instructions are a bit vague and sometimes quite cryptic - I would love Ms Givens to improve on her pattern-making abilities and to give clearer instructions, because I do adore her designs and hate to struggle needlessly with the patterns. I guess the instructions appear all clear and fine to her (well, she made them), but sonetimes it´s hard to get into her head and understand what she means.

Several mistakes in the pattern. On rows 5 and 6 the numbers were incorrectly printed. When the side seams were matched on the larger top piece the hem did not match. The length of the front and back seams were not equal when the pieces were joined. Someone needs to actually try out the pattern before it is sent out as a download.