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Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Jamie: My New Jeans

Hey, I finished my jeans yesterday!  They're not 100% perfect, but I'm very happy with them.  They certainly fit me better than my best-fitting RTW jeans, so I'm on the right track.

I took gazillions of pictures of my fitting changes, in-progress sewing shots, and finished inside and outside shots of the jeans.  But I know you guys - I know that what you really want to see is how they look on a body (mine).  So for once, I won't tease you, and will show you the good stuff first.

Get ready for LOTS of pictures - I wore two outfits, and tried to show the jeans from as many angles as possible.  I will say that I used very dark denim, so some of the details aren't easy to see, but I think these will give you a good idea of the fit.  I'll address my fitting changes in a separate post, but the basic info is that I used a size 42 pattern to fit my low hip/high thigh, and refined from there.  My fabric is a 10.5 oz. "heavyweight" denim of 98% cotton and 2% lycra.

Here I'm trying to replicate an inspiration outfit I re-pinned from Ami.  Sadly, I can't get to the original pin.  But it's slim jeans, lace top, red pointy flats and leopard clutch - mine is a Stitch Parade Original :-)


Now on to fit:  here we are from the front:


From the side:


From the other side:


And from the back:


Those wrinkles on the back of the leg seem normal to me.  Should I worry about them and try to get rid of them?  They don't actually bother me - all my other jeans do the same.  Nor do the remaining tiny whiskers at C-level (which I'm exaggerating here):


I tried them rolled up too.  I'm not sure I love that look though, because of the seam in the center of the leg.


That top was pretty long, so I switched it out for my new Continental - a length of top I'm likely to wear more often with these jeans.  One of the things I really like about the Jamies is that they are "low rise" but not super low.  I was worried they'd be much lower, but they hit in a spot I really like - not too high up toward the waist, nor too low on the hip.


Also, I'm wearing the new shoes I bought myself for my birthday :-)  And please to excuse the hair - I'm getting it cut THIS AFTERNOON!


I can easily bend over to unroll my pant legs:


And when I stand back up, I don't have to yank up my pants, which is a very welcome change.


I haven't worn these yet except for these pictures, since today is a housework (and haircut) day, but so far they seem to be very comfortable.  The feeling of having a seam down the front of the leg takes a bit of getting used to, but it's not bothersome.  I'll be interested to see how these loosen up with wear.  Also, I'm not sure you can tell, but I didn't make the lower part of the leg super skinny.  I'd added on width per a couple of comments and reviews saying the calf was snug, with the thought I would skinny it down during fitting.  But I really liked the look of the less skinny calf on me - I think it helps balance out my leg, since my thighs are so much bigger than my calves.  I look a little less like a clothes pin, and more like a curvy lady :-)

I'm definitely going to be making more of these, however, I'm going to follow the suggestion of a couple other bloggers and wear them around for a while before deciding if I need any further fit fixes.

So that's two out of my three February goals done.  Next up:  the Lola dress!

76 comments:

  1. Great job!!! These came out fantastic. I may just have to go buy this pattern now. Where did you get your fabric?

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    1. Thank you! Darn good for a 'muslin' eh? This is fabric I ordered from Fabric.com. I really like it - would recommend it. Cheap too!

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  2. Good for you, making your own jeans! All of my RTW jeans have those wrinkles back and front, so probably that's how jeans are supposed to fit :) I like both outfits, but the first picture is my favourite - you look very stylish with the lace top and the red flats.

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    1. Thank you! I like that outfit too, although the top is too small for me in the hip. I really should fix it. Maybe it's time to hang it on my dresser where it will be in my way :-)

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  3. Wow, they look great :D well done! I'll enjoy your detail posts too :) you always make fabulous things!

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    1. Thanks, Jo! You know I'm going to be getting at least 2 more posts out of this, LOL!

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  4. Awesome jeans, Gail! I particularly like them with the Continental blouse.
    Looking forward to seeing your Lola—as you know! (;
    I, on the other hand, should really knuckle down and make the Jedediahs I promised my boyfriend. I’ve vowed not to make any trousers for myself before I’ve made his in order to trick myself into finally making his—which, so far, has only meant that we’re both not getting any jeans. Not the best trick after all?

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    1. Thank you!

      I hear you, LOL! The first thing Hubby said when I tried these on was, "Wow! Jeans! You could make jeans for ME!" hahahaha! I have the Jedediah too, and am hoping to get to them soon. He deserves some nice stuff too :-)

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  5. These look fabulous! I'm so impressed. And if they fit better than RTW jeans then you have totally hit the jackpot. Sometimes I get upset about things being wrong with something I made and then I realize: wait a minute, these fit me better than anything I've ever bought... e.g. I can actually breathe in my coat. Enjoy wearing them!

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    1. Thanks, Jenny! I totally agree with you - and I'm not sure there's such a thing as perfect anyway!

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  6. This is a super evaluation of how they fit. They look really good on you!!!! I love the color of the denim. I have been thinking and contemplating and considering for sometime how jeans of this style should fit on the back thigh... specifically that wrinklange in back. I would love to hear a concrete answer on that, too. There has to be some design ease in order for the legs to be too snug. But should we only expect a pair of tailored pants to have no wrinklage there? Do we have to accept the wrinkles when we wear this style of jeans? I know my RTW ones have this. I want some expert to tell me!! :)

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    1. Thank you, Kathy! I agree - I need somebody to tell me too!

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    2. I am SO not an expert, but my thought is that those wrinkles are because the fabric in the "c" is pulling from the front and that the back c-length could be a bit longer. That's just what I got from The Perfect Fit and Sewing Pants That Fit.

      HOWEVER, if these were mine (I wish!) I wouldn't bother to tweak them, as these look AWESOME and seeking jeans perfection could well lead to madness! ; ) Great job!

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    3. Hmmm, interesting. I'll try to keep that in mind for the next time. I didn't get too fancy here with altering the front and back differently.

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  7. These look amazing! And I don't think they need any major fitting tweaks (only changes that come up as you wear them and they relax). Am so jealous of all the jeans I am seeing... don't think I quite have the fitting chops for jeans quite yet...

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    1. Thank you! I think they might be good as they are, depending on how they wear. And you can do this! I happen to know you have a couple of expert helpers at your disposal!

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  8. These are fabulous! The fit is perfect and flattering. I am so envious. I want to try making pants but I'm too much of a wuss.

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    1. Thank you! But: you can totally do this! You've made things that are more difficult than this! I think fitting pants isn't as crazy hard as we all make out - you just need patience.

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  9. Those jeans look great. Totally RTW!

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  10. Heyyyy, these look fantastic! I don't think there is anything wrong with the 'lines' wrinkles on them. I think people try to 'fit' trousers/jeans so that they are a second skin and look like leggings/tights, but really they are not, they are pants. So, I like to see a little 'breadth' in them. My snakeskin trousers will be up on the blog this week! And, they also have some 'breadth' in them although I'm debating about the length. Your length seems perfect with no pooling. Mine currently bunch up at the bottom which I think is good for lightweight non stretch woven, but with the really tight stretch woven, I'm not as big a fan of the bunching, so think I will shorten them to your length. Great jeans!!

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    1. Thank you! Yeah, I'm just not really sure how they're supposed to fit! But this fit is fine with me :-) Can not wait to see those snakeskin pants!

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  11. Love! Really great work. The details are impeccable!

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    1. Thanks, Nakisha! Maybe not impeccable, but with matching rather than contrasting topstitching, no one will really know! Shar was super brave and did the gold topstitching, which looks awesome.

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  12. These are fantastic! They look great, and I love the top with it too.

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    1. Thanks, Debbie! I'm hoping this spring or summer to make an eyelet top that fits me better than this RTW one :-) 'Cause I don't think my hips are going to get any smaller!

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  13. These are so lovely on. The fit looks spot on. I hope you will give us a detailed post as well on the fitting and the innards :)

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    1. Thanks, Kirsty! I did take pictures of the insides! I have some very cute pocket bags :-)

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  14. These look great!! I wouldn't worry one bit about the wrinkles on the back because these jeans are perfection.

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  15. ahhhh!!! these look amazing!!! you did a great job, they look so high end! in all honesty, i didn't love this pattern at first, but i'm pretty much sold on it now. i look forward to reading your follow up posts, i need to know details!

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    1. Whoa! High praise from the Jeans Goddess! Thank you! I think the styling on these is so cute and unique, but I'm glad I bought the Jalie too, for a more classic looking jean.

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  16. They are freakin' awesome! But I'm the one who wants to see all the pictures of the pattern pieces that you altered. Show those next please!!!

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    1. Thank you! As for the next post, I will have to see where my writing whim takes me tomorrow, LOL! Or toss a coin!

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  17. Your jeans look killer! I love see in-progress pics, so I hope you share those.

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    1. Thanks, Mela! A lot of them you've probably already seen on IG!

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  18. Those look really great! And I love the way they look rolled up, I think the front seam is a nice detail.

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    1. Thanks, Alicia! It did occur to me that I could do a more fun color on the serging, to make the turn-up look better!

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  19. They look lovely on you!! I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have to hike up my jeans when I stood up!

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    1. Thank you! Hehehe - it gives me an extra few seconds in my day, not having to hike them up. What shall I do with that time?!

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  20. Yay! They are beautiful! I am a big fan of the straight fit through the legs, too.

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    1. Thank you! Yes, I was kind of thinking of how yours fit through the legs while I was making these!

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  21. Gah! You did a ridiculously amazing job! You look beyond awesome. I can't wait to read your post about fitting. These look insanely good Gail and I can't see any further fitting probs (though not my forte). Just, wow.

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  22. Wow! They are so good! I love them. Great style.

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  23. I've been so curious about this pattern-not that I'm remotely close to sewing pants, lol. These look fantastic on you. I especially like the 2nd shirt paired with them, the length seems to work better I think :)

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    1. Thanks, Jill! I agree about the length of the top - this is one of the 2 items I ever bought at F21, and believe it or not, it was marked as a dress! It's much too long but I can't really shorten it because of the pockets, and I just love the fabric so!

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  24. They look perfect to me. Great fit and I liked them rolled up. ..... You have inspired me to take the jean plunge....

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    1. Thank you! It was a pretty fun experience overall, despite a few frustrating moments! Very rewarding!

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  25. Wow! Gail, these are fabulous. They look amazing on you. I love that you haven't made the legs too skinny, I think that makes for a much more flattering fit for most of us!

    I wouldn't worry about the wrinkles on the back of the legs if they were mine - all my RTW jeans do that, so it seems normal to me too.

    I'm definitely making these now.

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    1. Thanks, Sam! Cool - I'll look forward to seeing your version!

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  26. Tres impressive for a muslin! I think wear them for a day and see if the back wrinkles go with a bit of stretch and warm body. Did you sew twill tape into the waist band? Waist stretching is the most annoying think I find about any pants with stretch in them, including jeans. Love them with your second top, it's so chic, and of course the pard belt. C-level - you made me laugh out loud!

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    1. Thank you! Interesting - I never heard that about the twill tape in the waistband! I will watch out for waistband stretching and consider that for next time if necessary. Thanks!

      Also, I'm trying not to write "that word" - so I hope people knew what I meant!

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    2. The only time I've ever seen it in a pattern is the Colette Beignet waistline where you attach the skirt to the lining but I've often wondered if it would help with stretching out waistbands. I'm totally stealing your discreet C-line from now on! No more appearing on creepy keyword searches!

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  27. I think the fit looks perfect - these look fabulous on you! Yeah - now you'll be sewing all the jeans! I pulled the waistband off mine last night so my goal is to have them done by this weekend (fingers crossed).

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    1. Thank you, lady! Yes - ALL the jeans! I can't wait to see yours. Are you up for a round 2?

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    2. You bet I am! Just name the date and the pattern!

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  28. Winners all around! These look great, and you must bring them to TO so I can look at them in person, si? As for the lines, I wouldn't worry. I get those on all my jeans. These are not meant to be leggings after all. And lady, those silver shoes!!!

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    1. Thank you! I will certainly bring them with me :-) Maybe even version 2, which I hope to knock out in March. The shoes are pretty awesome, aren't they? I've been dreaming of a shoe like that for a while, so when I saw them, I jumped!

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  29. Soooo cute...you did an excellent job!

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    1. Thanks, Stacy! This one doesn't count for the diet though - it's technically a muslin! (See how I did that?)

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  30. They are perfect! The fit is amazing and I'm liking your style!

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    1. Thanks, Sabs! I've been having fun daydreaming of outfits :-)

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  31. I read somewhere that you need wrinkles in the back if you ever want to sit down or bend over. So I think you have perfection! Now I want a pair for myself!!

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    1. That's kind of what I thought. And you know my motto: keep moving, and nobody will notice the tiny flaws anyway!

      Go for it - I think this is a great pattern! Quite a unique style, IMO.

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  32. Wow, these look so great! I love the denim you used- it's the perfect wash! I'm so impressed!

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  33. they look stunning! you did a great job with the fitting, too

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  34. Excellent job fitting these! I've been reading the follow up posts and you put a lot of work into them. It paid off because these pants look great on you!
    I have the same wrinkles on the back legs of all my RTW jeans so I think it might be normal?

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    1. Thanks, Kristin! I did put a lot of work into them, but you know - it wasn't as much work as I'd thought it would be, so I feel like I came out ahead!

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