Let me start out by saying, “These are the most comfortable pair of jeans I own!” That would be because they fit!! I took Jennifer Stern’s Blue Print to Blue Jeans class over at Pattern Review and I actually made a muslin. In doing so, I discovered the reason my jeans always pull down in the back is not because I needed a longer crotch length, but instead, I needed to carve out just a little (5/8”) in the crotch depth. Ahh, no more sliding down my rear when I bend over!!! These jeans still looked good and fit great after wearing them for an entire day. That makes me happy.
View A has a low rise (2-3 inches below the navel) and View B has a regular rise (at the navel). I chose view B, regular rise, and they fall just slightly below my navel. I added 1 ½”to the length so I could wear my jeans with a slight heal.
I did not follow the pattern instructions as written because I was following along with the blue jeans class. I did however skim over the pattern instructions and I must admit, they seem to be a bit difficult to follow – logistically that is. They are printed on the very large pattern sheets along with the pattern pieces, which makes for an awkwardly large instruction sheet. Jennifer’s class on the other hand, was very easy to follow along.
I used indigo stretch denim from Hancock Fabrics that was 96% Cotton/4% Spandex. It is a bit lightweight, but will be nice for three seasons out of the year.
The pattern called for an 8” zipper, but I used a 6” zipper because that’s what my local store had. It was perfect. I think an 8” would have been too long for my taste. As for the rest of the closure, I used a jeans button and a rounded-end buttonhole. But a word of wisdom – when sewing the button hole, be certain to put it almost completeley against to topstitching along the vertical edge. As you can see, I was not paying attention to that little detail, and my button is too far to the left. I will have to add a hook and eye to that end to keep it flat.
The pattern pieces include three separate pieces for the fly construction (piece R-fly interfacing cut twice, and piece T-fly shield, cut once). I used Jennifer Stern’s method for fly construction which was much more straightforward and used only two pieces. I added ½” to the long straight edge of piece R and cut only one piece instead of two and I also used piece T-fly shield. The fly closure looks great and assembly was very easy to understand. Here’s an insider view of the fly:
For my first foray into jeans construction, I have to say it was a pleasant experience. I can’t vouch for the pattern instructions included with this pattern, but the pattern itself is terrific and the fit was just about spot on. It only required a few minor adjustments. I plan to make at least two more pair of these some time this year. One pair in a trendy color and another one in indigo, but a slightly heavier weight denim.
A Notion to Sew 