Success with my Ginger Jeans!!

Yes! I made jeans!

This feels like a huge milestone and a great start to working on the ‘bottom’ half of my wardrobe.

I thought I’d pop outside for these photos. Hopefully by my next blog post my husband will have progressed with his fence stain, to this end of the garden!

So these are my new jeans. The Ginger Jeans by Closet Case Patterns. My husband was confused by me wanting to make jeans and couldn’t get his head around why I wouldn’t just buy a new pair.

As many of us know, especially as we get older, and our shape changes ( in my case my waist thickening in relation to my disappearing bum) those well fitting jeans become harder to find, even if we wanted to (or could) trek around the shops.

I’d had enough of uncomfortable tight waistbands or a baggy bum.

But what I didn’t realise is that by making these I have in fact produced the most comfortable pair of jeans I have owned in years. I’ve heard this said before from other bloggers/vloggers who had made up these jeans but I had never quite believed it.

I put these through their paces yesterday. After the posing in the garden I spent the day weeding, bagging up the ever growing garden waste pile, driving to thankfully obtaining some plain flour newly delivered to our local farm shop, doing my 3 mile walking circuit, cutting out my next pattern on the floor, cooking (and eating) diner and collapsing on the settee for a couple of hours. All without a belt and the need to change into something more comfy!!!!!

Of course you’ll need to see the bum shot.

I’d put off these jeans for so long but temporary unemployment from the construction industry was a now or never moment.

The Ginger Jeans instructions were superb. I followed the guidance for basting for fitting at the beginning and followed the instructions for adjustments. As the seem allowance was a generous 16mm, I went straight in with my chosen fabric, a 11oz stretch (3%) denim in indigo from Gutherie and Ghani. I didn’t want to make up a toile in fabric that wouldn’t react in exactly the same way.

It appears to be out of stock but was £12.99/m. I ordered 2.1m. I bought my button, Prym Jeans needles (90) and topstitching thread from there too.

In brief, my adjustments. I made the high rise skinny View B version.

Shortened pattern at the shorten line at the knee by 2 inches after noting I was 3 inches shorter than the drafted model.

Cut out an 8 on the hips grading to a size 12 at the waist, basted together (using a bright coloured thread)

Felt like a was wearing a huge nappy, so unpicked, and re cut to a size 8, grading to a size 10 at the waist.

Basted again. Much better but gaping at the small of my back. Unpicked waist band and yoke, recut yoke taking out a dart shaped wedge from both sides 2 inches from the centre.

Basted again. Again, much better. Took in 5mm each side from below the waistband to my hip.

Then made up with no further adjustments apart from another 2inches off the length although I now wish I had only taken off 1 inch!!

The top stitching thread was such a contrast to the indigo, I had to get it perfect. There were few lines I didn’t stitch twice and so used up 2 whole spools of topstitch thread.

My mid range Pfaff Passport machine handled the denim beautifully. I was pleasantly surprised.

There were a few tools I benefited from and I would heartily recommend these.

White, heat disappearing ink

Roller for pressing small seams, reducing the trips to the iron.

Pfaff adjustable edge stitching foot

A hump jumper

I made no adjustments to the crotch curve. I don’t think I could have improved on it. The stretch in the denim took care of most things!!

So there you have it. I’m on a roll. I need a paler denim pair next.

Then the Hey June Cargo pants, Closet Case Sasha trousers ( for when I finally get back to work), True Bias Lander pants………

Stay safe everyone!

Love, Lucie xx