2024 Jeans Sew Along

[Ouryve]

I have some glorious purple cord that will be my first attempt in wearable fabric, @Ros. I may taper the leg a bit. You’re right, they would look nice in a lighter fabric and I do have some rather lightweight denim but it’s too dark for me to work with, at te moment.

[Lemon Syllabub]

Just found this Closet Core Blog on where to adjust the paper pattern for various jean fitting issues.
 

[Lemon Syllabub]

OOOps. Forgot to add if you sign up for the Closet Core newsletter then you can download an e-book which gives more information on fitting jeans.

Jeans are definitely more complicated than the pj bottoms I'm used to making! 

[Celia]

If I do join in it might be a bit of a cheat as this is the pattern  I will probably use, https://www.stylearc.com/shop/sewing-patterns/georgie-stretch-woven-jean/

 style arc pants are usually the best fit for me

I have some lovely heavy dark brown moleskin but I might not use that for the first pair

[Ouryve]

If I do join in it might be a bit of a cheat as this is the pattern  I will probably use, https://www.stylearc.com/shop/sewing-patterns/georgie-stretch-woven-jean/

 style arc pants are usually the best fit for me

I have some lovely heavy dark brown moleskin but I might not use that for the first pair

That is quite similar to the Itch To Stitch pattern that Ruthie and Realale like. It still needs fitting, so not so much of a cheat, after all.

[Ouryve]

After lunch, I finally got around to trying on the preliminary toile that I put together in the holidays. As I half expected, I couldn't get the centre fronts anywhere near each other, over my belly and the waist band needs to be about an inch higher on me. The waistband measures 33" CF to CF but the bit if me where it currently lands is 35". An inch up from that is 33.5" so an inch longer and a size up in the waist it is. I suspect I might still need to add a bit of a belly adjustment to that. My particular fit issue is that I have a significant tyre or apron of deflated belly which makes my upper hip area greater in circumference then my true hip and while, since menopause, I've regained a bit of waist definition, it's all the way up under my ribcage.


BUT - as is often the case, there is a lot of spare fabric from the hip curve which sits at the top of my outer thigh SO, just because I can, I have marked the crotch curve on this current toile an inch lower than where it is and i shall unpick and re-stitch in the morning to see what effect that has before I make a final decision about what to do next, whether to size up just around the waist or everywhere.

[Flobear]

I'm currently making a toile but it's of my youngest sister's teddy bear 

[Ploshkin]

@Flobear shout if you want a fitting session if / when you've done a jeans toile.  Happy to assist.

I might join in the sewalong, I have some nice, red denim.  I have a top cut out to make first though.

[SewRuthieSews]

To everyone using a new pattern for the first time, please use some cheaper fabric of a similar stretch (or not stretch if that's what you are doing) to knock up a test pair. I had a bit of work to do on mine, and the third pair are the ones I wear all the time

[kowgiirl.up]

This caught my eye this morning. I might jump in here  if I have the right weight fabric in my treasure chest and I finish buttoning up the sewing machine repairs & cleaning and hemming a top from last year that was supposed to be part of my SWAP but I bailed on it  .

[smurf44]

Love this @SewRuthieSews  thank you

[smurf44]

I’ve got denim in the house for trousers i was going to make tho it’s just 6oz, but i have ordered a couple of patterns…. This has inspired me a bit

[The Shrinking Sewist]

I’m definitely going to have a go at this, given that searching for ‘jeans sewalong’ was how I found you all! I do have another three stone to lose, so might wait a while. I’d rather spend the time fitting once I’m nearer to where I want to be, weight wise.

That said, I rather like the look of Chalk and Notch ‘Isle’, and they have the pattern on special offer for the next couple of days. The fitting instructions do seem quite comprehensive in terms of measuring crotch depth etc.

[SewRuthieSews]

Wow @The Shrinking Sewist. I love how detailed their measurements are. Hopefully that'll give people a chance to avoid all kinds of problems I've had over the years with sewing trousers/pants.
I once made some Burda jeans which were fitted through the thighs and then flared from the knee. I couldn't get into them as my thighs above the knees were too large. Obviously I know to measure these things now but its heart breaking at the time.

[Ouryve]

Well, I'm ready to cut out my denim prototype (when the power is back on so I can iron my fabric!)


I tried on and marked up my bigger size toile on Tuesday and used that to alter the toile pattern pieces - as expected I needed to grade back down to the size I had originally tried for my true hip but, by using my biggest size measurement as the starting point, was able to do that where needed, mostly on the outseam. I've also straightened up the fly a fraction to make a little more room for my belly. I've adjusted all the pocket pieces and the front waistband to match and, of course, lopped a load off the leg length which always saves a ton of fabric