I have no idea why I’ve always been turned off by the idea of making jeans. I’ve always been game to try literally everything else at least once— leading to my discovery that lingerie elastic is my own personal demon. But I decided that 2019 would be the Year I Make Pants. Including jeans.
These are the Deer and Doe Safran pants, selected because her sizing block fits me very well and fitting pants can be a proverbial nightmare. I’m happy to say that the fit is actually a pretty spectacular! I love the pocket detail as well, although the welts create a tad more bulk. I’ve seen some folks have problems with the construction but I didn’t have much of an issue. Camille’s instructions are great and I’ve also made a lot of welt pockets of different kinds on jackets so it was pretty familiar. If you are not in that camp I think giving welts a go on denim might actually be a kindness to yourself since the fabric is less prone to fraying. (Although a heavier needle is highly recommended because there are a LOT of thick layers here, as with any jeans!)
The main change I made was doubling the height of the waistband to match my favorite pair of RTW jeans from Gap that are looooong discontinued. I think they were called the corset jean? I mainly like the rise on them because they are more of a vintage high-rise that nips in at the waist. My waist is fairly high on my torso so most modern “high-rise” jeans look more like a mid rise (especially in the back because butts.)
Honestly my favorite part of these jeans is the "you can't buy this" tag I put on the back from Kylie and the Machine as DIY denim branding. I like the idea of developing a signature style for my jeans with tags, top stitching etc. I dislike obviously contrasting denim top stitching so these are actually top stitched in an olive green which blends in but still makes kind of a neat detail. Definitely going to be making more jeans (I’ve actually got two cut out already.) The olive won't work for those projects I have in mind but the tag should go on all of them regardless!
I feel like this was one of the remaining construction challenges in my normal wardrobe I hadn’t at least attempted. Not sure where to go from here. Maybe a full suit? Corsetry? Ball gowns?!