View B of the Ginger Jeans by Closet Case patterns.
This is my first time making a pair of jeans: so I did this as a wearable toile - sort of. The pattern requires denim with 2% or more lycra, and the cheapest denim I could find was £12.99 a metre, and came with 3% lycra. That’s more than I pay for fabric normally. So I was definitely hoping these would come out wearable. I wanted to do view B, as these are a high-waisted version, and I think that style suits me better.
As it happens out I'm really pleased with how the jeans turned out. But as has become usual for me, this was after a lot of unpicking and doing again!
I’ve mentioned in previous blog posts that I love kits: so for this I made my own kit! I used the guide on the Closet Case website to get most of the stuff from Minerva Crafts
The other bits and pieces, such as interfacing, pocket lining and normal thread I already have.
Once everything came, the first step was to wash the denim. And after that piecing together the paper pattern, and cutting out the pieces. I used yellow thread to place tailors tacks, and red chalk to mark pattern notches. When cutting out I measured my legs and compared to the leg measurements of the pattern. That worked out to taking 4 inches off. I couldn’t bring myself to take that much off on the trial run, so I did two inches. But I had to trim afterward - and it worked out to another two inches off the ankles before hemming. That’s left me with slightly wider ankles than would be ideal, but that’s only by comparison to the pictures of the pattern!
The easy first stage was ironing interfacing and seams on some of the smaller pieces. And then it was on to the sewing! This actually came together incredibly well. I found the top stitching hard work though. I have only one flat machine, so every time I had to switch thread was a chore! And darn the top stitch thread was hard to thread into the needle - even though it was a denim needle. I ended up with just a few inches of top stitch thread left after a lot of unpicking too.
The trickiest bit for me was the belt loops. I did have a hard time sewing through that much thickness. Many patterns and blogs have recommended hammering the loops flat, and I suspect I'll try that next time. I had quite a smooth time with the button and rivets. They go in the same way as the fasteners I used in the Kelly anorak, so I feel like I have a way that works for me now. Which is, poking the hole with an awl, then using the kit supplied to line each of the pieces up. And finally hitting that kit with a big hammer!
This was definitely a case of going slowly, unpicking a lot, and trying again. I got there, and I think the jeans were worth the effort. I ended up doing a small dart on the back yokes - clearly I have bad posture! But now these are the best fitting jeans I’ve owned!
This is my first time making a pair of jeans: so I did this as a wearable toile - sort of. The pattern requires denim with 2% or more lycra, and the cheapest denim I could find was £12.99 a metre, and came with 3% lycra. That’s more than I pay for fabric normally. So I was definitely hoping these would come out wearable. I wanted to do view B, as these are a high-waisted version, and I think that style suits me better.
As it happens out I'm really pleased with how the jeans turned out. But as has become usual for me, this was after a lot of unpicking and doing again!
I’ve mentioned in previous blog posts that I love kits: so for this I made my own kit! I used the guide on the Closet Case website to get most of the stuff from Minerva Crafts
- Stretch denim with 3% lycra: 3 metres ( I didn’t check the width of the fabric, and just ordered the nearest whole metre, but I could have definitely ordered less)
- Prym Jeans button (and kit)
- Prym Denim rivets (and kit)
- Trouser zip, in 7 inches. I have this in dark grey, rather than a matching colour, as the shop’s stock was very low. But it works perfectly.*
- Top stitching thread.
- Denim needles
The other bits and pieces, such as interfacing, pocket lining and normal thread I already have.
Once everything came, the first step was to wash the denim. And after that piecing together the paper pattern, and cutting out the pieces. I used yellow thread to place tailors tacks, and red chalk to mark pattern notches. When cutting out I measured my legs and compared to the leg measurements of the pattern. That worked out to taking 4 inches off. I couldn’t bring myself to take that much off on the trial run, so I did two inches. But I had to trim afterward - and it worked out to another two inches off the ankles before hemming. That’s left me with slightly wider ankles than would be ideal, but that’s only by comparison to the pictures of the pattern!
The easy first stage was ironing interfacing and seams on some of the smaller pieces. And then it was on to the sewing! This actually came together incredibly well. I found the top stitching hard work though. I have only one flat machine, so every time I had to switch thread was a chore! And darn the top stitch thread was hard to thread into the needle - even though it was a denim needle. I ended up with just a few inches of top stitch thread left after a lot of unpicking too.
The trickiest bit for me was the belt loops. I did have a hard time sewing through that much thickness. Many patterns and blogs have recommended hammering the loops flat, and I suspect I'll try that next time. I had quite a smooth time with the button and rivets. They go in the same way as the fasteners I used in the Kelly anorak, so I feel like I have a way that works for me now. Which is, poking the hole with an awl, then using the kit supplied to line each of the pieces up. And finally hitting that kit with a big hammer!
This was definitely a case of going slowly, unpicking a lot, and trying again. I got there, and I think the jeans were worth the effort. I ended up doing a small dart on the back yokes - clearly I have bad posture! But now these are the best fitting jeans I’ve owned!
| Summary | |||
| Pattern: | Closet Case's Ginger Jeans | ||
| Fabric: | Denim with some stretch | ||
| Lesson learned: | Fitting to myself, and hammering belt loops in the future. | ||
| Audio book: | The Last Emperox - John Scalzi 👍 | ||
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