Menta vs Maggie's - Bootie Pattern Review

I'm going to get right to the point here - since the release of the Menta bootie pattern the inevitable "which is better?" question has been asked. The simple answer - neither one is 'better' than the other, because like any other pattern, they are different. I'll start by saying I have always loved the idea of making and selling baby booties, but as many patterns as I have tried (more than I will admit), I have never found one I loved (including many international patterns). So when the Menta bootie started testing I had to try just one.more.bootie pattern.

So let's get to it.

Maggie's stay on bootie (Beautiful Pie Shop) has been around for a long time - it has quite possibly been the most well-known and popular booties pattern for a number of years.

Menta booties pattern is new as a purchasable pattern (Menta Booties Pattern), but the designer (Mariela Paz) has made and sold booties made from her bootie pattern for many years, and so it is not new at the same time.

One of the biggest differences is that the Menta booties pattern has animal add-ons. Although I was pretty intimidated by these, I tried the unicorn add on, and with Mariela's amazing ability to make tutorials, I found it surprisingly easy!

Size Range:

Maggies - sold in size 'bundles' ranging from baby sizes (3.5" finished sole) to adult. Bundles are 'baby', 'big kid' and 'tween-adult'. There is also an option to make the bootie into a soft-soled baby shoe (it seems to be a purchasable add-on via etsy, but free via Craftsy?).

Menta - Currently offered in size packs and bundles. For booties and shoes you can get baby (6 sizes ranging from 3.5" - 6"), young child (6 sizes ranging from 6.25" - 8.25"), and adult (7 sizes ranging from 8.5" to 11.5").

Fabric:

Maggie's - designed for cotton woven fabrics. Menta - designed for knits but I've made plenty in woven and they work so well too!

*While you can make each bootie in either fabric type, naturally they work best for the fabric type they are designed for.

Cuffs:

Maggie's has one cuff height, 2 snaps, and the cuff is open where it meets the toe. This is a big difference from Menta booties since the toe is attached to the cuff and everything is closed. Also, Menta booties has a low and high top option (which I LOVE).

My personal preference here is definitely with the Menta bootie cuff. I was always trying to modify the Maggie's cuffs because they never reached around properly for me (you can see in the batman bootie that the snaps sit just at the left side, but I would prefer if they wrapped around further). It always bothered me that they were open at the toe - although some people like to make a detachable or interchangeable cuff option which is possible with Maggie's and not with Menta.

Elastic:

Elastic is another big difference between these two patterns.

With Maggie's booties (and shoes) the elastic is threaded through a casing piece, and through slits that you have to cut in the lining of the toe piece, and then it is knotted. The benefit here is that you can resize the elastic to fit tighter or looser, the downside is the elastic sits on the skin when stretched.

With the Menta booties the elastic is sewn right into the lining. For the shoes it's slightly different (placed in a casing) but nothing is exposed. The con is that there isn't a way for people to modify how tight or loose the elastic is after it is constructed.

In the photos below you can see the difference in construction of the shoes and where the elastic is placed (Menta on the left, Beautiful Pie on the right).

Construction and Pieces:

You do have all same same pieces essentially with both bootie patterns, but with Maggie's, because the elastic goes into a casing, this is an additional piece. While I don't mind the way the elastic is done here, I do find it causes some extra bulk when sewing the soles to the bootie.

Another difference between the two is that with the Menta booties you don't have a 'right' and 'left' foot to worry about when you sew. Maggie's you have to keep track of which foot goes with which pieces or you will attach things wrong. Maybe not a big deal for some but for me it decreases my overall sewing time to not worry about keeping track.

Another thing worth mentioning is that the Menta patterns all come with SO many extras. There's tons and tons of applique options, toe reinforcement pieces, and even a free hair bow pattern! This leads to some really fun experimenting!

If you join the Facebook group there are some great hacks that Mariela puts so much time and effort into offering alongside her patterns - my favorite is the slouchy hack - or maybe the dino!

Tutorial:

Menta definitely comes out on top here. The tutorial is thorough, and absolutely amazing. Mariela listened to her testers well and refined this tutorial so it left zero questions during the sewing process. I am thoroughly impressed at how awesome her tutorial is. You also get all sorts of extra tips and tricks with the Menta pattern. Including applique templates and instructions, and how to add lace (one of my new favorite additions to booties). What this really does is allow you to make something different than everyone else. You can truly customize these booties to be your own! Mariela even includes templates for making your own hang tags - this really is a 'if you can dream it, you can make it' pattern with nothing to left to be desired.

While the Maggie's tutorial isn't horrible (I have definitely seen worse *not mentioning names here*), every single time I make them I feel like there's some things missing, and that always takes me time to sort out. I have a whole page of notes on 'things to remember' for next time I make them. That would make this less beginner friendly.

Since these patterns both have their pros and cons, you can see how very different they are. I definitely prefer to make Menta booties. I like the sewing process and the finished product quite a bit more. I have never been frustrated making them, and have already made more than 20 pairs! Maybe now it can be understood how different these patterns are and that a direct 'which is better' comparison is very difficult to make. That would be similar to comparing a hooded sweater pattern with pockets and inset sleeves, to a raglan t-shirt pattern from a different designer. There are some personal preferences to consider here also. So I say buy both and #sewallthebooties.

Thank you to SItka Fabrics for sponsoring so many of these amazing photos.