Pattern: Drafted based on existing jeans
Fabric: 1.5m dark blue stretch denim, 1.4 m
wide; a little white cotton for the inside pockets
Haberdasheries: A metal button, an 8 cm
metal zipper, 5 metal studs, normal yarn, topstitching yarn and serger yarn
Since my teens, I have only worn flared trousers, regardless of whether they’re
in fashion or not, because I like them and find them the most flattering for my
body. But the fact that they have been out of fashion for a while means that I
find it very hard to find trousers that I like, and I generally wear them out
before I’ve found a replacement. Two years ago I ran into a perfect pair of
jeans that was on sale, too, and bought a second pair of the same jeans for
when the first had become worn. I’m so glad I did, because that already
happened after a little over one and a half years. Meanwhile, skinny jeans are
still all I see in the shops (grumble… And most already look worn when you buy
them, too! No thanks), so I made a pattern from my newest pair of jeans, and
made my own!
It wasn’t always fun, and sometimes I definitely wished I could just buy
jeans instead, but it was very interesting to have a closer look at this
much-worn garment than I would have done otherwise, and to learn quite a bit
about its construction! I always wondered why the outside leg seam on jeans isn’t
topstitched, while the inside leg seam is usually an English seam. Well, that
is because the inside leg seam is stitched first, and then, once the outside
leg has been sewn closed as well, it is no longer possible to topstitch it
because there’s too little space for the sewing machine! Except for a small
distance at the top, which is English seamed to secure the pocket.
Besides this, I found that it is handy to sew the fabric into a cylinder
before washing it for pre-shrinking, because otherwise it can get lighter spots
from rubbing into the other laundry items. I always was jeans inside out to
prevent this, but you can’t turn a piece of cloth inside out – unless you’ve
sewn the sides together.
