Monday, 2 July 2012

The real Jalie 2908 jeans

Yes! I've done it! I've sewed jeans AND THEY WORKED. That last part is the most important bit, obviously.

No hair and makeup on weekends for me, thanks
Warning: this is a bit Oscar-speechy. Basically, I couldn't have sewed these jeans without the awesome bloggers who also sew. Not only do they have tips for this particular pattern, but they are such supportive people. I have *never* seen anyone get shot down on a sewing forum.

Also, my non-sewing friends who are my cheerleaders! You guys are great too. My new workmate spent quite a bit of time staring at my crotch and my butt to make sure my not-jeans were an appropriate template for the real jeans! (she volunteered to do that, I didn't ask her to. That would have been awkward)

Now, to the actual pants.

I ordered Rock and Republic denim from Lura's Fabric Shop. Each pair of jeans took about 1.75 yards. This is a heavier weight of stretch denim than I have been able to find in NZ. It's similar in weight to my sturdier Levis. While the shipping cost more than the fabric, I estimate that each pair of jeans uses about NZ$25 of denim, INCLUDING the shipping. Can't even get crappy jeans from The Warehouse for that price!

I made a couple of very minor changes to the pattern. I folded the leg pieces in a straight line from the knee down. The first pair were *very* bootlegged - I don't mind that, but I wanted this particular version to have straight legs. The ankle circumference is close to 4" less. It worked exactly as I wanted it to!


I'm not this foreshortened in real life. Chris is very tall.
I had only read bad things about cutting the waistband on the bias. In fact, my two favourite pair of RTW jeans feature this - and the waistband rolls down and looks funky. So I just cut it on the crossgrain. I figured this might also help to hold my gut in, seeing as these will sit at my waist. Again, this worked well. Not sure how it would go for hipsters, as some people might need a bit more stretch there to avoid muffin-top.

Sooooo much topstitching
Finally, I made the waistband with regular cotton as the facing. I'd seen a few thoughts about this online, and decided my sewing machine might have issues sewing too many layers of denim, especially around the buttonhole. The only reason for using the denim facing would be so that you could cut it as one piece, but this was no big deal. I'm thrilled with the cute facing inside the waistband.

Spotty!
These are a *smidge* too tight. But they'll loosen up. The only change I would make next time would be to use a bit of bias tape on some of the seams. I think it would neaten the back yoke and the fly facing. If I'm feeling really enthusiastic, maybe even the leg seams. Seeing as I don't have a serger, there is an awful lot of zig-zagging inside of my pants!

Actually, I hope that sentence leads to Google searches for my blog. "Zig-zagging inside of my pants". I like it.

Sorry about the shadow of Chris's head. I'm getting a tripod soon.

at 18:17
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25 comments:

  1. The more times the phrase "zig-zagging inside of my pants" appears in your blog, the higher up the Google search it will appear when sorted by relevance. In fact, I might just go Google it now and click through, just to help move the entry up :)

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  2. PS - fun fact - it's already the #1 entry for that phrase, and I didn't have to click through to put it there :)

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    1. Hahahahaha! So THIS is what success feels like :-D

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  3. The pattern on the lining fabric is adorable!

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    1. Isn't it!! Even though I'm the only one to see it, I really like having the cute pockets and waistband. Also, it's a nice way to use up tiny scraps of pretty things.

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  4. They look great :-)

    And I'm about to google 'zig-zagging inside of my pants' just so you get the search hit :-)

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    1. Thanks! Lol you and Ness are making my Google dreams come true... this is totally going on my CV :-)

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    3. Thanks so much, Meegs :-)

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  5. Great job, they look fantastic! I've made these jeans three times, a bit different every time and in different fabrics. Such a great pattern, I'll certainly be making more.

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    1. Thank you! Yes, I can see this pattern might be addictive...

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  6. They look great!! I really like the turquoise thread - so much more fun than the usual yellowy-beige.

    And hurrah to awesome Google search terms!

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    1. I like the turquoise too. I figured, if I'm making my own jeans they can be whatever colour I want. Within reason. I don't want to look like a clown ;-)

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  7. Fabulous!! I love the bright topstitching thread you used. I laughed out loud when I read "zigzagging in my pants". Too funny!

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    1. Glad I could give you a giggle!

      One of the reasons I sew is so that things can be a little more 'of my choosing' than what is in the shops... bright topstitching definitely meets my requirements :-)

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  8. These are sweeeeet!! Also, I learned why my Forever New jeans muffin-top to the max- stupid bias-cut.

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    1. Yes! I'm glad you've worked out the problem. I don't know why they seem to do that at the moment - my guess is that they think it will stretch and thus AVOID muffin top. Doesn't work though.

      Also highly recommend giving higher-waisted jeans a go, and seeing if that helps reduce muffin top.

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  9. Just admiring (and envying) your sharp looking pair of jeans!

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  10. Very cool jeans and thanks for posting the details which I will refer to one day, when I finally get around to trying making some for me.

    PS gotta go jean shopping this week. Argh. Maybe that day will come sooner than later.

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    1. I know the feeling about jeans shopping!

      If there is any other info I can give you (when you sew your own), you only need to ask :-)

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  11. Wow, you did an excellent job .I bought this pattern for almost 2 years now and I have not gotten to it, i guess I should move it up the pile. Great job

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  12. Oh, I love the turquoise top-stitching! What a fabulous job you've done on these jeans.

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  13. I've been putting off sewing jeans even though I bought the online class with craftsy.com Does this pattern have good information about putting in the zipper and waist band? (thought being from Wgtn, I should be getting my summer shorts ready instead...

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    1. Well, this is the first pants pattern I've ever sewed - no lessons, no help from family/friends... and I didn't have to unpick a single stitch!

      Each line of the very detailed instructions has a corresponding illustration. I followed the steps exactly, and it worked perfectly for me. I'm sure you can do it!

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