Jeans Making 101

My big sewing goal for the year was to learn how to make jeans, both for myself and for my husband, A. He is a tall, slim guy with a small butt, and RTW jeans have a tendency to slide down at the top and still be too short at the ankles. I found this free pattern for men's jeans via Katharina of Froebelina. The pattern, 101 Le Droit, is from a French company, 1083, and is available on their website for download (scroll down to the bottom under "Kit Zero Kilometers").

The pattern: I printed this on letter paper, glued it together (this was a bit tricky--the margins didn't come out properly, maybe since I used letter paper, and it was a puzzle to figure out which piece went where), and initially traced a size 30 W/34 L based on the provided measurements, making sure to add a seam allowance before cutting. The front piece is provided twice as a mirror image; I only traced one copy. It took me a while to figure out what each piece was. 

Instructions: There are some brief instructions written in French on the pattern, but (1) I do not read French, and (2) I needed a lot more hand holding for my first pair of jeans, so I relied on Closet Case Patterns/Heather Lou's Sewing Your Own Jeans ebook. The 101 jeans have a button fly front, which isn't covered in the ebook, so I used Heather Lou's online tutorial, "How to Install a Button Fly." These sources were both excellent!

Fitting: The first muslin ended up being much too large, so I retraced a size 26 W/34 L instead and recut the muslin. The fit was better in the waist, but much too baggy in the butt. I made a small butt adjustment and a thin thigh adjustment, taking out more from the back legs than from the front and transferring these changes to my paper pattern as well. I tried not to overfit, based on A's preference for more ease.

Sewing: I used a 14 (?) oz non-stretch dark wash denim from a going out of business sale a few months ago. (I honestly can't remember which site, but they had very nice quality fabric. Of course I just discovered them when they were going out of business!) I used a denim needle, switching out the upper thread for topstitching thread when needed and keeping the same standard polyester thread in the bobbin. The inside seams were finished with navy overlocking. The pocket bags were made from fabric rescued from a cotton button-up shirt that A never wore.

Final thoughts: A is pleased. So am I. I have enough of the same denim to make him another pair in the fall. I still think the butt needs more work in future versions, but he finds them comfortable to wear, they don't fall down (even without a belt), and they are long enough, so a lot of wins compared to RTW!

Outtake!

Why is he looking up? No one knows.

Mid-Year's Resolutions

The year keeps racing by! I've been busy at work, at home, in the yard, and in the sewing room, but not so busy on the blog. I'm having the usual mid-year crisis--the days are getting shorter and winter is coming. How will I have time to make all the things, let along blog about them?

Clearly the answer is not to make all the things, at least not all at once. I keep on pursuing balance, in work and in life in general. To me this implies some kind of contentment with each area of responsibility or enjoyment--I may not be the best, but I can be good enough to satisfy myself (usually easier said than done).

Acknowledging the need to set reasonable expectations given the limitations on my time, should I continue to blog? I'm not the only person in sewing blog-land to ask this question. I think the answer depends on why I'm blogging. To impress others? To be part of the sewing community? To document my work as a sewist?

If my goal is impressing others, I certainly need to work on widening my readership--I'm not impressing very many folks based on my Blogger statistics. 😉 I'm not here to compete or one-up other sewists. There will always be more accomplished and/or more prolific bloggers, most with way better pictures. As far as being part of the sewing community, that's part of it, though Instagram is probably a more realistic way to accomplish this goal. Photographic documentation of my sewing and a chance to reflect on what I've learned is the main reason I started this blog.

So, here's what I've sewn so far this year (for me unless otherwise noted). I will try to write a quick blog post about each item (or group of items) and add a hyperlink when it's completed.

• Black floral polyester crepe tiered midi skirt (Simplicity 8305)
• Black floral polyester crepe bias cut sleeveless top (Simplicity 2614)
• Burgundy faux suede waistcoat (BurdaStyle 02/2017 #101)
• Gray and red floral silk blouse (Itch to Stitch Zamora)
• Burgundy crepe de chine long-sleeved top (BurdaStyle 10/2017 #116)
• Navy floral pleated skirt (self-drafted)
• Navy floral button-up shirt (McCall's 4992 heavily modified)
• Tie-dye T shirts for my boys (Burda 9439)
• Boot cut jeans for my husband (1083 101 Le Droit)
• Boho Style knit polyester crepe skirt (Sewaholic Hollyburn)
• Boho Style knit polyester crepe tank top (Itch to Stitch Lago)
• Navy rib knit long sleeve pullover (Seamwork Astoria)
• Coral rib knit 3/4 sleeve pullover (Seamwork Astoria)
• Coral rib knit sleeveless dress (Itch to Stitch Lago hack)
• Black wool suiting cigarette pants (BurdaStyle 10/2017 #113)
• Taupe wide-leg cropped pants (Butterick 6183)
• Navy and white striped Breton top (Tessuti Mandy Boat Tee)
• Navy and white striped Breton top for my mom (Tessuti Mandy Boat Tee)
• Blue/teal/coral printed cotton gauze sundress (Sew Sew Def Jessica)

Along the lines of goal-setting for the year, here's my #2018makenine (chosen in January; documented now for the first time):

1. 1083 101 Le Droit men's bootleg jeans
2. BurdaStyle 10/2017 #113 cigarette pants
3. Butterick 6183 wide-leg pants
4. Closet Case Ginger Jeans
5. True Bias Lander Pants
6. Butterick 5526 button-up shirt
7. Itch to Stitch Lago Tank
8. Seamwork Astoria Pullover
9. Tessuti Mandy Boat Tee

I'm using these 9 patterns as a core group to solidify my me-make wardrobe. As you can see, there are no skirts or dresses in the line-up. I'm trying to add pants and versatile, neutral-ish tops to my closet. This choice was vindicated during MeMadeMay, when I participated (unofficially) by wearing only me-mades on the bottom half for work. At the beginning of the month, I had only 1 pair of pants, and often needed to pair my fun me-made skirts with RTW shirts, many of which are getting worn out. I'm hoping to slowly phase RTW out of my wardrobe (after I get all the use I can out of each item of clothing--I don't want to throw out/donate pieces that are working perfectly well for me). 6/9 patterns are done already, and the year is just half over, so I am well on track!

What about you? Are you someone who enjoys making sewing plans, or do you find a list of goals too overwhelming or too constraining?