Designed my own jeans

I've been thinking about making these jean capris since I started sewing for myself a few years ago, but I didn't know enough about pattern alterations, drafting and fitting to make them possible.  After several years of practice I finally felt ready to give them a go. 

I knew I liked the way my RTW jeans fit, but I was having a hard time finding a similar jean pattern, so I did the next best thing.  I took apart a pair of my RTW and created a pattern from there.

My jeans were a little to tight, so I had to add a little room in the waist and hips and just a smidge to the crotch points, other than that I didn't have to do to much fitting.

I cut the pattern about 4" below the knee and drew the cuffs.  They are folded under and both raw edges of the cuff sewn to the bottom of the denim.  I did the same with the back pockets, where I cut off 2" and added the accent fabric.  I also used the accent fabric in the front pocket bags and inside waistband.

My ultimate goal was to create a pair of pants that looked like RTW, not something made in my basement.  So I used real top stitching thread and my new sewing machine came with an edge stitch foot which helped keep the top stitching nice and even.  This was the first time I've added belt loops and rivets.  With a hammer and nail adding the rivets wasn't that hard.

The only thing I would change next time would be to use a smaller zipper.  I've always used 7" nylon zippers and have always shortened them, but this time wanting to be authentic I went with a metal zipper which can't be shortened without a pliers.

Can't wait for the weather to warm up so I can wear them.

Yes, a hammer is a sewing tool

Looking through my sewing cabinet, I have some non-traditional tools that I use in my sewing.

Sharpie Markers:  I use them in drafting patterns and marking my muslins.  When I'm drafting a pattern I usually use a pencil or a colored pencil to mark my stitching lines.  I use the sharpies to mark the grain line, pocket placement, and cutting lines.  If I need to make changes to the pattern after it's been drafted, I make sure to use a different color to mark my new cutting lines.

Tagboard:  When I get a pattern to the TNT (tried 'n true) point and I know I want to use it design other items I transfer my paper pattern to tagboard.  I do this by taping the paper pattern to the tagboard and cut the pattern pieces (with my paper scissors), so when I want to do a redesign I can just trace around the tagboard pattern and there's no need to reinvent the wheel.

Scalpel:  Works great for cutting open button holes, especially in waistbands.

Hammer & Nail:  I make a lot of pants and I like to use tack buttons on them.  They're stronger than regular sewn on buttons, but sometimes trying to poke the tack through 2-4 layers of fabric in the waistband can be kind of tough.  I use the nail to make a small hole where I want the button to go, and then the hammer to pound the tack and button together.  The hammer also comes in handy when adding grommets.

What kind of non-traditional tools do you have in your sewing arsenal?

Why I chose to fit good enough instead of perfectly

I finished my jeans.  And yes they don't fit perfectly; there's still some fit issues that I could work on, but you know what?  They're good enough.  I have the same fit issues in RTW and never noticed, so why should I let it bug me in what I make?  I've spent a lot of time looking at other people's backsides and noticed a lot of fit issues and nobody seems to notice.  Have you ever heard anybody (besides a seamstress/tailor) say "Look how those trousers don't fall from the hip correctly."  Or "You know...You have have smiles under the bum."  I never have.  Unless it's something really poorly fitted, who's going to care?

It's taken me 3 years to get here and I finally feel like I accomplished something.  I want to make myself some capris for summer and if I obsess over a few wrinkles; it's never going to happen.  I'm not saying I won't ever try to correct these issues, but right now I have a pattern that's wearable and I'm happy.

 

Side note:  I know I need to add a little extra room in waist and hips, and work on a contoured waistband and then they should be good

Fit vs How you feel wearing your clothes

Maybe I'm totally off base here, but how can you say something fits if you don't feel good wearing it?   This is something I've come to terms with over the last couple years while trying to make a decent pair of pants for myself.  I've talked a lot about this process over the years as I shared my trials & errors, disappointments & semi-accomplishments, but it always came back to one thing, even if I was happy with the finished product at the time, I never wore it in public.  They "fit" (according to all fit rules) but they didn't make me feel good.  In fact they made me feel like I was wearing a tent.  I'm a big gal, so I don't go for skin tight, but I also don't want clothes that I feel like I'm drowning in.

Many of the pants I made, in order to get them as wrinkle free as possible, I had to lengthen the crotch which made the crotch sit about 3 inches lower than where I wanted it.  I had to add width to the hips and thighs making the legs very wide; which also added inches to the waist.  To fit them to my waist I had to put in multiple darts, which looked like pleats, which emphasized my stomach making me look much bigger than I already was.

I kept going back to my RTW jeans, and wondering why what I was making was so far from my RTW jeans.  And then I realized it was because I wasn't makeing jeans; I was making slacks and there's a big difference.  I don't wear slacks and even though they "fit" I wasn't comfortable in them.

So this year I decided to change direction and instead of trying to turn a slacks pattern in to a jeans pattern, I took apart a pair of RTW jeans and created a pattern from them.   There's still a little bit of work to do, but this is as close as I've gotten to what I was hoping to accomplish in the first place and I feel good in them.  If I feel good in them, I'm going to wear them; even if they may not "fit" perfectly.

 Excuse the mess in the pics.  It's my daughter's room.

The mysteries of pant fitting - I'm starting to get it

It's taken me about a year of trial and error, multiple muslins, and several drafts and re-drafts, but I finally have a pattern I'm happy with.  I came close last winter, I had a pattern that fit, but I wasn't completely happy with.  The biggest issue with that pattern was the double darts I had to put in the waist.  My ultimate goal is to make jeans, and since I can't find a jean pattern in my size that I like, I have to start from scratch.  I know how to turn a standard trouser pattern to a jean pattern, but I wasn't sure it could be done with the double dart pattern without completely messing it up.

This winter, I've been working with a couple different patterns, trying to narrow the waist, while still leaving room for my hips with not so great results.  Then I pulled out my Surefit kit again and decided to follow the drafting directions exactly, unlike last winter when I tried taking some of the ease out, and found out very quickly I need to add it back in and had to make so many other changes, that it wasn't the same pattern in the end.

The result from this newest re-draft?  Close, I liked the fit in the waist and didn't think the legs were to wide, but they still needed some work.  The problem, drag lines in the back and the hem pulling up on the inseam. 

 

I tried adding to the inseam, like I did last year.  Didn't work.  I tried taking a wedge out of the side seam, as directed to do in the Surefit instruction book.  Didn't make a difference.  I was at a loss as to what to do next, so I turned to my friends at Pattern Review. Right away it was suggested that they were hanging off grain.  But I had already double checked the pattern and the pants, and in both cases the grain line was straight.  So what was causing them to hang on my body off grain? 

 I needed more room in the hip.  More hip room meant a bigger waistline, so I was very reluctant to make this change because I thought I was going to end up with the dreaded double darts again.  But then it was explained to me that it wouldn't necessarily change the waist, because what I added to the hip, I'd take out of the center.  

What I needed to do was similar to a knock knee adjustment, but higher in the torso.  I needed to cut the pattern from side seam to center, shift the upper portion toward the side seam, redraw the grain line and true up the seams.  This maintained the original portions of the pattern, but added more room in the hip and subtracted from the center.  To figure out how much I needed to shift, I had my husband hold a yard stick straight up & down from my knee and measure how much the grain line on the pants veered off at the low hip.  He measured the front to be off by 1/2" and the back, well some where between 2 & 3 inches.  It was different on each leg.  This left me scratching my head.  I didn't think I could shift one leg more than the other, so I decided to start with an inch.

It didn't work, or at least I thought so.  What it actually ended up doing was throwing the grain off all the more.  It was suggested on Pattern Review that I lay this pattern over last winter's pattern with the gain lines matched and to see what's going wrong.

Right away it was almost apparent.  I still needed more room in the hip.  Using last winter's pattern I added a little extra to my current pattern.

This straightened out the back, but the front was still a little off and a little tight in the tummy. So I added the 1/2" to the center front that I took out when I shifted them.  It turned out to be a little to much.  The waist was a little to big and I had a little to much fabric in the tummy.  I started to remove from the center front in small increments. Just a 1/4" did the trick.

I'm beginning to realize that when I need to add or remove width from a pattern, it's the center seam I should be adjusting.  All this time I've been trying to take room out of the side seams, and throwing the hip lines off.  If I have time before I go back to work this spring, I'll revisit the Connie Crawford pattern I tried earlier and try adjusting the center and front princess seams to get a decent fit.

Breaking the fitting rules

If I sew something for myself and I'm happy with the way it looks and the way it fits, who cares about the rules?  I'm talking about wrinkles and drag lines that come from a not so perfect fit, especially on pants.  The general goal in the sewing world is to have a garment with no wrinkles or drag lines.   Pants are always going to have some wrinkles from the way you're standing, sitting, or moving, and really who stands with their legs apart and butt sticking out, as has been suggested to get rid of the inner thigh wrinkles.  I have full thighs, that's just how I'm built, when I walk I'm going to get some wrinkles in that area.

I also have wide hips, and another rule I'm having trouble following is that pants must hang smoothly from the widest part of the body.  If I followed this rule I'd have very wide legs.  While I don't mind a wide leg jean, I do want some tapering to the ankle.  I'm not talking skinny jean shaping, but I also don't want a 40" opening at the ankle either.  While I was looking through one of my fitting books, I noticed a woman with a body shape similar to mine, who took a pattern that fit her everywhere else but the hips.  She adjusted the pattern to fit her hips, while still maintaining the rest of the pattern.  In her case, the pants come out from the waist to cover her hips and then come back in under the hip to fit the rest of her leg, and it looks ok.

Since I started this fitting journey last winter, I've been looking at pants on other people.  I'm assuming most people are wearing ready to wear, and I have never run into anybody commenting about the wrinkles under the butt, or the drag lines from the hip, or how the pant leg doesn't fall smoothy from the widest part of the body.  Most people don't notice unless it's very poor fitting. 

Looking at ready to wear on other people, made me realize, as long as I like the way it looks when I put it on it's good enough, and I'm the only one who I need to please.  If I follow all the rules, and end up with a garment that I'm not happy with; then what was the point of sewing it?

Edited:  You can't throw all the fitting rules out the window, as evidenced by the last pair of pants I made.  They're not bad, but they're not great either. 

Meet Minion Dave

My 16 year old daughter hasn't out grown Disney movies.  She loves Despicable Me, and she really loves the minions, so when I saw this pattern I knew I had to make one for her.

This was a fun little project and a nice break from the garment sewing I've been doing.  From start to finish only took a few hours.

The pattern called for felt scraps for the pieces, but since I don't work in felt I didn't have any.  I didn't want to spend to much so I thought Walmart would be my best bet.  Unfortunately Walmart only had felt in black and brown.  I could of bought a pack of felt squares, but in order to get the colors I needed, I'd have buy two different packages and then what was I going to do with the rest it?  I chose to substitute fleece instead, and bought 1/4 of a yard of black, blue, grey, & white.  There's still enough there to make 3 or 4 minions.  While the fleece worked, I'm not so sure I'd buy fleece from Walmart again, it's very thin and I'm worried about it stretching out of shape.  For the stuffing I cut open 2 pillows that I had made her years ago that she was done with and reused the stuffing.  He's a little lumpy, but she doesn't care, she loves her minion and named him Dave.  Since I have fabric left over she wants me to make another one who she plans on naming Phil.

When my son saw this he put in a request for a pillow in his Minecraft character's likeness.

Butterrick B5504 A wearable muslin

 They don't look to bad.  Actually they fit better than anything I've sewn for myself, however there are a few problems.  They feel 1 size to big.  Looking at the finished measurements I almost think I could go down another size. They feel a little fluffy right around the tummy and while I'm glad that they hide my tummy, I don't think I need quite that much fabric in front.

One common complaint about Connie Crawford patterns is they're very boxy, and this one is no different.  I don't know of anybody, no matter what size, who's waist is as wide as their hips.  I know on drawstring or elastic waists, it needs to be wide to be able to pull the pants up over the hips but still I don't need 8 inches of ease in the waist.   I tried to take out some of that excessive room by doing some hip shaping, but didn't consider how that was going to affect the drawstring casing.  I have some puckering in the casing on the side seams where it didn't want to fold over nicely, but once I have the drawstring tied, it's not so noticeable because the drawstring puckers everything.

Still a little to much room in the waist.  At least 6 inches.

Alterations that worked:  Shortened the crotch depth 3/4 of an inch.  I liked that the pattern already took into account a tilted waist, so the center back was cut higher than the center front and I didn't have to fuss to much with trying to adjust where the waistband fell, but I do think I could take maybe another 1/4" off both front and back.  I shortened them to carpi length.  The original pattern, straight out of the envelop, was almost long enough to be regular pants.


Alterations that didn't work:  Hip shaping, although it helped take out some of the fullness in the waist; it left puckers in the waistband.  If I try going down 1 size I'll leave the hip shaping out because the smaller size will have a smaller waist.

Other alterations I'd like to make:  I really like to make this into a zipper fly with button closure, like jeans.  I might have a better chance doing that with a smaller size.

Bottom line:  I wouldn't be embarrassed to wear them in public, but I think there's still work to do.

The Elroy Route

I am very good at making the simple way more complicated than it needs to be.  I excel at over thinking to the point that I will add 3 or 4 extra steps that weren't needed.  I am a pro at taking the long way around and finishing a task that could've been done in a shorter time period.

In our house we call it, The Elroy Route.  Elroy is my uncle, and has been known for taking very strange routes to get from point A to point B, often getting lost in the process and is to stubborn to ask for help.  I just took The Elroy Route in sewing.

I'm am working on this pair of pants.  It has a drawstring waistband that's incorporated into the pattern piece as extra fabric above the actual waistline and you just fold it over and sew it shut.  Those who sew will know what I'm talking about.

When I made my test pair it was very clear that I needed to drop the waistline because it was to high.  I'm not making old man pants.  Taking what I learned last year about dropping the waistline, I put a piece of elastic around my waist, adjusted the pants where I wanted them to sit, traced around the bottom of the elastic and proceed to cut a new waistline on the pattern.  I was smart enough to factor in the extra fabric for the casing, however because I had just changed the shape of the waistline now I have a strange shaped casing.

I puzzled over what to do next for a while, and finally pulled out the directions to see if I was missing something.  Boy was I, and if I had bothered to read the directions first I would've saved myself a lot of time and trouble.

See that line that says crotch depth adjustment line?  That's there for a reason.  It wasn't the waistline I need to adjust, it was the crotch depth.  All I had to do was slash the pattern along that line and drop the top part down about 2 inches.  This would've kept the waist casing intact and kept the pattern notches in the same place for the matching pieces like the pockets and pocket facing.

So now to fix this I need to go back and retrace the original pattern with the original waistline and drop the crotch depth.  See 3-4 extra steps that weren't needed.  It's a good thing we learn from our mistakes, because this is one I don't want to make again.

B5504 Pants adjustments

Last night I got to thinking about this pair of pants and realized there were other issues that needed to be fixed along with the waistband issues.  I remembered I had these issues last year but couldn't remember what I did to fix them.  So for future reference, here's what needs to be fixed and how.

Here's what I need to do to remove some of the drag wrinkles. I need to do this first because it will affect where the waistband sits.  I had some problems with this last year because every time I adjusted the balance lines, it dropped the crotch.  So I might have to pick between the lesser of the two.  I'd rather have the crotch line where I want it with the drag lines, that no drag lines and a crotch that feels to low.

In this picture you can see what the drag wrinkles look like from the back.  Also as mentioned before I need to do a knock knee adjustment.  Here's what I'll be doing to fix wrinkles around the back of the knee.

I still haven't figured out what to do with the waist yet.  I'm thinking a wider waistband with some hip shaping, and see if I can use the front seams to hide a dart.  I want to remove some of the fullness around the waist before I figure out if it should be a drawstring or a zipper fly.

Connie Crawford B5504 Pattern Review

I've been looking at ready to wear styles similar to this.  I like the style but I was a little reluctant to
use a Connie Crawford pattern.  I tried a Connie Crawford before and didn't like anything about it.  The proportions were terrible.  Too big in the waist and hips, and sharply tapered down to the ankle.  It looked like she was trying to design skinny jeans for someone with very wide hips.  Not a good look.

Knowing this about the last pattern I thought I better make a muslin to see if it was worth it.  Actually they don't look to bad.  I can add a little length and make them into pants or I can shorten them for capris.

It looks like I need to do a knock knee adjustment and figure what to do with the waist.  As you can see I need to remove some of the extra fabric in the front waist and you can't really see it in the back, but there's some that needs to come off there too.  I haven't figured out how to do this and still keep the drawstring casing in tact, or if I should put some darts in put in a zipper fly.  I really want to try and avoid darts if I can.  So I'm kind of stuck at this point.

Sewing Work Pants

I work on a sod farm in the summer and so my work clothes are clothes that I don't mind getting grease, dirt, grass stains, etc. on  Last year I made a pair that got lots of wear and would still have them to wear this summer if they hadn't gotten caught in a piece of equipment and a giant hole ripped in them.  So I decided it was time to make another pair for this summer.  This is the same pattern as last year's but with a few tweeks. The ones I made last year worked really well, but there were somethings I wasn't totally happy with.

The above pics are last year's pants from a patten I drafted myself.  The crotch felt a little low, the legs were uneven (which wasn't noticeable when they were worn long, but when I rolled them up to capri length you could tell they slanted up on the inseam) and the tabs that held the rolled cuffs in place were to long and were constantly getting caught on the shift lever when I rode in the tractor, and I placed the pockets to low (they look to be around knee level).  

Those were the issues I wanted to correct in this pair.  To fix the crotch I took about a 1/2"  off the front waist.  I fixed the crooked inseam by slightly widening the leg and shifting the lower half of the leg toward the inseam by a 1/2".  Instead of buttons, I went with D-ring for the tabs and raised them to slightly above the knee so when I roll the cuffs into capris, the cuff will fall just below the knee and the tabs are just long enough to be pulled though the D-rings about an inch, and because I raised the tabs, I also raised the cargo pockets and used the pockets to secure the side seam tabs.   I'm happy with this pair, although I think they're kind of baggy in the butt (I think I've lost some weight in the hips and backside because I didn't change anything in those areas) and I think I'll go back to buttons for the tabs.  The D-rings are a little hard to fumble around with.

 

 

Next I'm working on this pattern. 

Organizing the sewing room

Sewing room mess

My sewing room is a mess.  To be honest it's a very small area with lots of sewing supplies shoved in there and very little to no storage space, so stuff gets piled wherever I can find room.  I've been wanting to organize it for a long time, but every effort I made just seemed to make things worse.

For some time, I've been perusing Pinterest; longing for a bigger sewing room, but that won't happen for a few more years, so I needed to look into craft room organization.  I ran across this great pin about storing fabrics on mini bolts. 

I started by cutting down some cardboard boxes, but decided it would be kind of pain to have to hunt down cardboard every time I bought more fabric. There are items out there made just for this purpose but they can be kind of pricy. After some research I found these acid free boards in packs of 100 for under $20 on Amazon. I bought the magazine size for cuts larger than 1 yard and the 6.75" x 10.5" for cuts under a yard. The smaller ones (I haven't received yet) I'll cut in half for minibolts and they'll be perfect for fat quarters.

Tagged and serged.  This fabric is ready to use

I also needed a way to identify the fabric content, since I buy fabric and might not use it for months or even years; it's imposable to remember if it was cotton, a cotton/poly blend or something else entirely and the percentages of blends. I solved this problem with those DIY business cards you can buy at any office supply store. Each bolt has an attached card that has the fiber content, yardage, and fabric width written on it. And since I can't remember if I pre-washed a fabric I have a system for that too. Before pre-washing, I serge the raw edges to keep them from raveling in the washing machine. So now when I look at my fabric stash, if I see the raw edges are serged, I know it's been washed and ready to use.

I'm still stuck in a tiny space, but once I get my fabrics organized it shouldn't feel so small. Next I need to work on finding a place to store full bolts. Hubby's working on some sort of system to hang them from the ceiling.

Fabric cabinet organized with lots of room to add more, and I still have fabric in bins that need to be organized

Sneek peak at what's coming to the shop

This week has been a busy one.  I spend all day Tues taking photos, and working on descriptions for new items coming to the shop.  I'm adding the listings a few at a time so I don't completely flood out the other sellers on Zibbet.

Here's a sneak peak.  Some of these are already in the shop.  Others will be listed soon.  Stop by and take a look and be sure to check out the other great shops at Zibbet while you're there..  zibbet.com/stitch1stitch2 

 

Getting ready for a craft show

Mittens by Stitch 1 Stitch 2

I'm getting ready to do my first craft show in a few weeks.  I started looking at my shop and noticed I didn't have very much winter stuff.  This is Minnesota after all, where winter lasts for 6 months (or so it seems).  So I got to thinking, what could I make for winter wear that I could make several of in a short time.  The answer, fleece mittens.  I attempted mittens a few years ago, but the pattern and instructions were so confusing and resulted in lots of tears, frustration and only 2 pairs that didn't turn out all that great.  This time I went looking for a much simpler pattern and I found it at FleeceFun.com.  She offers free downloadable patterns in different sizes and easy to follow instructions.


I made a test pair out of some old fleece I had and was a little disappointed that it didn't seem true to size, but that was my mistake because I forgot to change the scale to 100% instead of scaled to fit.  I went back and downloaded the pattern again, this time correctly, and I figure I can use the first pattern for kid's mittens.  I've been very busy the last week and a half cutting, pinning and sewing mittens.

Chicken wire frame from knack.org

Also as I'm getting ready for the craft show, I started reading about craft show tips.  One thing that stuck out for me was displaying things at eye level to draw people in.  I started to think about how I could do that.  I have a table to set thing out on, but how was I going to be able to hang things so people could seem them from a distance?  Then I started looking on pintrest for display ideas and really liked these chicken wire frames.  I started to think about how I could put something like that together.  First I thought about a couple large picture frames hinged together, but I didn't think that would be big enough.  Then I thought about building something out of lumber, but (a) I'm not very mechanically inclined and neither is Hubby and (b) I really didn't want to spend a lot of money on it.

Repurposed closet door

Then one morning as I brainstorming ideas, I remembered the bi-fold closet door that used to be in my daughters room.  The hardware that held it in place broke and the door sat in the basement hallway for years waiting to be thrown out, but the basic frame was still in pretty good shape.  I removed the shutter slats and sanded it down.  I was going to paint it but I liked the distressed look the sanding gave it.  My daughter helped staple the chicken wire to the back of the frame and now I have what I think is a pretty cool looking free standing display all for under $5.

If I ever get my own sewing room this will be a permanent fixture, because I can think of so many other uses for it.

I only think I want a new sewing maching

Every so often for the last couple years, mostly when I see ads for sewing machines, I think I oh it would be so nice to have an automatic button hole, or look at all those fancy stitches just think of the decorative top stitching I could do, or like the one I looked at last year that pretty much did everything for you but cut the fabric.  And then I think about my sewing machine, we have a history together.

My sewing machine was built in the mid-70's.  There's no bells and whistles on it.  It does a straight stitch, a few zig-zag stitches, and a back stitch.   It's the sewing machine my mom bought when I was 3 or 4.  It's sewed lots of clothes for my sister and me, quite a few patches to my dad work pants, a few Halloween costumes, a couple stuffed toys, at least 2 baby blankets, other decor items and clothes for my own children.  Never in all these years have I or my mom ever needed 22 decorative stitches.

It's a real workhorse machine.  Solid metal body and parts, there's no plastic in there anywhere.  It's heavy, so it doesn't get moved around much and it powers though everything I put under the needle.

So yes while it would be nice to have a newer machine with lots of features, I'm not sure if I'd use them.  I think I want a new sewing machine, but I'm kind of attached to the one I have.  It would be like trying to replace an old friend.

Jean Mulsin: Take 2.1

 I spend most of yesterday working on these.  I scooped out the back about a 1/2" and added to the back inseams which seem to help with the winkles some.  But now there's bagginess right under the butt and wrinkles in the front.  I'm going to rip them apart today and try adding to inseam again but this time extending it down to the knee.  I added mostly to the crotch point.  Also I'm thinking some of the winkles are coming from the sides being pulled up to far.  From the side view you can see the balance lines pulling up just a little, which is weird because it looks straight in the mirror.

I'm also thinking I might widen the pant leg a little, maybe give it more of boot cut.  I haven't made any changes to the leg width.  This is how how the pattern was designed.  Although I do like a tapered leg, I think this is a little much.