I made jeans! > with my hands

Making my own jeans has been in my plans for a long while. There is always the terrible moment when you realize you have to get a new pair of jeans and go to the store only finding out that nothing fits well.

I decided to try the custom-fit sewing pattern I found on Bootstrapfashion.com. I logged in my measurements and got a print-at-home pattern. The first pattern had a bug in it and the pattern was huge. Luckily the guys at Bootstrapfashion quicly fixed the issue and sent me a replacement. There was also a small mistake on my part which made the inseam length too small, but that was easily remedied by adding some extra length in the pattern.

I did not really follow much of the instructions that came with the pattern. Instead a took an old pair of jeans and figured out the sewing order by looking at how they were constructed. This time my top-stitching skills had improved a bit. I used a bigger top-stitching needle and a normal tread in the bobbin and did not use a double needle at all. There are some longer stitches but not that many anymore. The final touch came with real rivets that I hammered in!

I am really happy with the fit and the stretchy denim makes these the most comfortable pair of jeans I have ever owned. The only thing that I would change is to put interfacing in the waistband. I thought that the fabric was sturdy enough but the stretchiness makes the waistband a bit too loose and I am afraid of the button to come loose. However, with a belt this little problem disappears and I have already got a lot of use of this pair of jeans.

I made the jacket of some tweed fabric using Burda pattern called Steffi. I was in a tinkering mood and cut out the left-overs of the beautiful Atelier Brunette cotton to bias strips and finished all the visible seams with Hong Kong finish. To my eye, the jacket now looks nicer from the inside than from the outside. It fits well and is comfortable since the fabric has some stretch to it but I haven’t still figured out how to wear it without feeling like I came from the Victorian era.