Megan Nielsen Dawn Jeans

This pattern has been on my radar for a long time, but since I'd made the Ginger jeans I didn't really need any more. However, after much use, my current jeans are starting to look a bit worse for wear, faded and threadbare - yes I'm still wearing them! But I really wanted a 'good' pair, rather than a 'do the housework' pair.

I chose this pattern as it has a lot of options. There's wide leg, straight, tapered and shorts views. They also come in different length options. I decided to embrace my inner 70's child and go for the full-length wide leg this time.

I had heard mixed reviews about the fitting of these so I did make a toile to check the fit and was pleasantly surprised to find I didn't need many alterations. Due to my pear shape, I cut an 8 at the waist grading to 12 at the hip. I still ended up taking a bit in at the waist. I didn't go too mad as I wanted to make sure that these had enough ease for me to move and sit in.

I absolutely love them and they have had several outings and look good even after a couple of days of wear - yes you get wrinkles as they soften, but you get that with all jeans.

My blog post has all the details about my fabric choice and the alterations that I made.https://ragbagsandgladrags.blogspot.com/2021/10/megan-nielsen-dawn-jeans-review.html

I highly recommend this pattern and can't wait to make the other views too - Next up will be shorts.

If you're looking for a classic high-waisted jeans pattern then this is it!

There are 4 different cuts available in this pattern so great value for money! I chose to make the straight-leg version in white denim as I was missing a pair of white jeans and thought they would go perfectly with all my summer tops and sandals. Just don't wear these when eating Spag Bol!

Denim is Lady McElroy stretch white denim from Minerva, it's the perfect weight and not see-through which is the biggest fear for white jeans!

The pattern is really easy to follow, very thorough! It even warns you to look out for changing threads between topstitching and regular. There are also different options for the fly closure, I chose zip because otherwise, I would probably wet myself trying to undo all those buttons!!

Fit is great although - note to self - check where the waist sits and measure the waist measurement here rather than just assuming my waist in the same place as the pattern thinks it is ha! My waist is quite high so once made up the waist was a little small so next time I either need to increase the rise or size up at the waist.

To see more photos you can see the full review here: https://girlcansew.blogspot.com/2021/06/megan-nielsen-dawn-jeans.html

To see more of my makes you can also follow me on Instagram: @girlcansew

Considering the options you get (three leg widths plus three fly closures), and taking into account that it can be made up in so many different fabrics for a completely different look (I’d love to make them in linen for summer), I think this versatile pattern is great value.

I made View C, the wide legged version, in the Tall length, in a cotton twill with a bit of stretch. The first time I made this pattern it was with a lightweight non-stretch denim, but while there was some give in the fabric the jeans weren’t as comfortable as I would have liked, especially once I put on a few kilos. So this time I wanted something with a small amount of “comfort stretch” that would be a bit more forgiving. Since the twill didn’t have a huge amount of stretch (you couldn’t use it for skinny jeans, for example) I still went by the pattern measurements when choosing a size, but be aware that there is not much ease in the waist and hips, so you may want to size up or give yourself a little extra seam allowance. Since there is little ease, I measured myself sitting, rather than standing, as that’s how I’ll be spending most of my time in these, and it can really make a difference to your measurements. I was just below a 10 at the waist and 14 at the hip, but ended up taking in 2cm overall at the top of the waist, making for a more curved waistband. These changes are easy to make as you go, but I recommend making a toile/muslin to discover what other amendments may be required.

The easy-to-follow instructions are well thought out and helpful. Sewing a zipper fly can seem really intimidating, but the instructions walk you through it (as well as button fly options), with a supporting sew-along if you want to see photos instead.

The actual sewing of the jeans is not the tricky part, especially with comprehensive directions like these; as with most garment sewing, the real challenge is fit.

As comprehensive as the actual instructions (and sew-along/tutorials) are, I haven’t come across any fitting advice from Megan Nielsen Patterns to supplement this pattern; this would be so helpful, so there is definitely room for development there. A lot of fitting information floating about the internet is about either stretch jeans or more traditional trousers, so it would be great to see some advice specific to these designs.

For me, the cute “cheeky” look of the butt as drafted would result in a nice looking bum but also a permanent and painful wedgie, so to avoid this I scooped the back crotch quite a bit. I had already added 2.5cm to the rise to make sure they would fit at my natural waist (I’m 176cm and add to the rise of most trouser patterns). I also took a sway back horizontal wedge out of the yoke, but a little more is needed.

I made some changes to the pattern and to the construction to make them easier to adjust while sewing, and easier to alter in the future (see my Instagram grid for details). Lockdown weight fluctuation is a way of life now, so it’s best to plan for it to get the most wear of our lovingly (or frustratedly) made garments.

The fit still isn’t perfect but they are perfectly wearable – I’ve even worn them instead of jogger bottoms to work from home to mix things up a bit. If that’s not a glowing lockdown endorsement of using a fabric with a tiny bit of stretch for this pattern, I don’t know what is!

I finally made myself some jeans! I've been waiting for my RTW pairs to fall apart before I attempted this... and they did.

After much deliberation I chose to try the Dawn jeans pattern for my first pair.

I enjoyed making them and the instructions were clear. I liked that you were prompted to change your thread at various stages throughout the process.

I did use the sew along on the website alongside the instructions for the fly construction as it was more detailed with photographs.

I have to work on the fit a little bit, but I am super happy with them and they are getting a lot of wear.

For more images and details on the size I made etc check out my post here

https://cottonreelstudio.co.uk/2020/11/15/me-made-jeans/

[embed]https://cottonreelstudio.co.uk/2020/11/15/me-made-jeans/[/embed]

Runs small with a very high way so I highly recommend making a muslin. Great instructions and perfect drafting. The only adjustment I made is to lower the rise by 5 cm (I am 5'3'').

Watch my full review on jeans patterns here : https://youtu.be/e1bu5PYkEpM