First thing's first; I really, truly LOVE them! I am very proud of myself for taking the leap.
top is Burda 6990
I was pretty excited to see SA offer their patterns on Etsy, even though I do not like pdf's very much. I'd been wanting to try them but was held back by 1) single sizing and 2) shipping costs. Well, the Etsy shop purchase gets you 3 sizes (so I got 14, 16, 18) and obviously, no shipping. The trade off is taping.
Pattern Sizing:
Were the instructions easy to follow?
NO. NO. NO.
But I've sewn Burda and Lekala and if you can get through those, you can get through anything! LOL!
I read through them before I ever put the pattern together and after about 3 seconds was in lalaland. I read a few different jean sew-alongs on blogs and realized the actual construction isn't much different from any other pant.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
One thing I noticed right away when reading reviews, nearly everyone had their coin pocket on the left. But all of my rtw jeans has it on the right. The SA tech drawing has it on the right! But it's drafted for the left side. Obviously changing this isn't a big deal, but it was wrong.
The yoke is too wide. I have about 12 pair of RTW jeans and the yokes are not this wide on any of them. When I put them on, I want to pinch out fabric there. I will make a change for next time.
1cm seam allowances. BUT, I was all ready to whine about it until I noticed my machine has 5, 10, 15 and 20 mm marks. So I could actually sew a 1 cm seam allowance and not go to 3/8"! :)
LOVE everything else.
Fabric/Notions Used:
Thick non-stretch denim from SR Harris.
Cotton shirting scraps for the pocket bags.
Blue zipper (not a jeans zipper this time)
Tack button (bought from Hancock during 40% off sale!)
C&C gold topstitching thread
Gutermann thread (in various colors)
White serger thread
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
Shortened them several inches (hahaha!), removed excess fabric from sides and back of leg, added to the back rise and crotch extension, shortened the front crotch length, tapered in a bit more from knee to hem, darted out excess fabric from yoke and waistband.
I also angled the fly shield. I know, a tiny change, but I felt it really made them look more RTW.
I did NOT use interfacing in the waistband. I read the pros and cons and checked out the innards of the RTW jeans that I was using as a guide. Those had no waistband interfacing.
I have had those jeans for about 9 years and they've been my main go-to for work. Sadly the curse of thighs that touch took those to the jeans graveyard.
Changes for next time:
Shorten yoke, shorten front rise just a smidgen, move the pockets just slightly, Make the coin pocket a tiny bit smaller.
Small changes. Small changes...
Oh, and I'll use a jeans zipper and maybe experiment with back pocket designs.
Front view: They really feel great on!
Right side: Some way, some how, my right side is off grain. WOE! I think I know why though.
When I traced the pattern I was out of paper and used freezer paper. No problem. I cut everything single layer but admittedly had a hard time seeing the grain line on the other side of the freezer paper.
And my favorite; the guts!
I am in love with the contrast top-stitching <3
Do not look closely at my buttonhole!
That tack button was easy peasy!!!
Here you can kind of see how close the coin pocket is to the side seam.
Love, love, love the pocket stays.
That is a good looking pair of jeans :-p
As I said in my last post, I am awaiting rivets and will probably show them off when I finish the final item of my mini-wardrobe (black Vogue pants) and get photos done of all the outfits.
You thought there would be NO sneak peeks?!?
This outfit is so ME. Totally feel like a stylish 35 year old mom in this!
Pattern Review
