Jean Week: Black Straight Leg

Jean Week Part 2: 

My First Pair of Jeans I've Sewn

Simple Black Five-Pocket Relaxed Straight Leg

I am slowly developing better sewing skills and confidence.

There is a list of items of clothing I'm building up to that I have purchased fabric for and just haven't had the guts to attempt.

Jeans were on the list and I finally decided it would never happen on my own, so I got help.

My mom makes all my brothers' jeans and so this summer we were visiting and I brought my denim and she helped me through the process.  

Just having a mentor to guide me gave me courage to try something that seems so intimidating as jeans.

The challenge of sewing jeans was a big motivator, as well as saving money (as usual).  I bought my denim from fabric.com.  It's so comfortable!  It's Italian stretch denim, but I just searched and apparently they are out or don't carry it anymore.  It's really smooth feeling, soft, and was easy to work with.

My mom told me to bring a favorite, good fitting pair of jeans to use as a pattern. 

 I told her I don't have any.

I had a baby in March, and was still in the post baby stage, and that's why I was making jeans because I didn't have any I liked.

So I went and bought some nicer, expensive, $100+ jeans.

Used them to make a pattern out of wrapping paper, and returned them.

This denim was 60" wide, so this pair of jeans for a taller, bigger girl required 1.5 yards, making the pair of jeans $15.00.

I prefer my jeans to sit just below my natural waist.  I should probably wear a lower rise because I have a midget torso, but I can't stand the feeling of my butt hanging out the back and the fear of crackage.  So these may seem a little "mom jean-ish" with the higher rise in the back, but it's about comfort and being able to get things done without babysitting my crackage at this stage in my life. 

We adjusted a few things, probably my favorite was adding elastic in the back waistband.

Just like little kids jeans, but not adjustable and not really noticeable if I'm wearing them.

I feel like my butt is just a weird shape, and now your going to zoom in on my butt to see if you agree, but it's just nice to have a little more snug fitting waistband on the back of the bubble-butt for me.   

Which is the beauty of making something yourself--you get it how you want it. 

Here's a detail of the back pockets.

So I made these actually back in the summer in August, but have taken forever to post them.

The steps inserting the zipper were probably the most confusing, and where I asked my mom the most questions.  Maybe if you took a pair apart, it would make more sense before you try to put a pair together, to understand how it will end up prior to being in the middle wondering how it's all going to work together.

Anyway,

I still just can't believe I made something that from a distance resemble real jeans! 

Thanks for the help mom!