I'm in love!

I LOVE these jeans, and don’t understand why it took me sooooooo long to sew them up.  I bought the fabric about three years ago. 

There was never any doubt as to what I was going to use it for.  This fabric said “Jeans” to me in the shop, and I immediately agreed.   

I was going to sew them up before I went to Aussie at the end of 2012, but my first attempt at jeans was less than perfect, and I didn’t want to muck up this fabric, so it languished in my stash. 

When I chose a sewlution for 2013 I had this fabric in mind.  I had to get jeans nailed so I could do justice to the fabric.  

When I set myself 52 projects for 2013, this was Project number 50 

When I finally got Gimp sussed and started visualising fabrics and patterns, this fabric was visualised as jeans, and I was reminded how great they looked.

When I finally got jeans sussed three months ago I still didn’t sew these jeans up.

When February Smarty Pants came up on the Monthly Stitch I used a cheap, dyed fabric to make ordinary jeans, and still didn’t sew this fabric up.

Finally, browsing the pants on here I came across Juliet’s amazing patterned jeans, and was again reminded of my fantasy jeans in this flowered print.  I said as much in the comments, and Juliet identified fabric choice as the biggest stumbling block.  So what was my excuse?  I have the perfect fabric! I’ve had the perfect fabric for years.  (Looking back at my Gimp post, I notice that Juliet actually commented on the jeans-fabric combination, so maybe she knew I was procrastinating?)  

Yesterday I got up determined to finally make this fantasy a reality. 

I am soooo glad I did.  I love them, I want to marry them and have their children!  They feel so FUN, and the perfect jeans for when ordinary jeans seem so… well… ordinary.

I am so happy that I finally took the plunge and made them up.

This morning I realised that they needed something a little special to go with for their first outing so I pulled some left over silk out of the stash and made up another sorbetto.  I had to be a little creative and add a centre back seam as I had a very limited amount of the fabric, but it’s silk, and I really enjoy wearing silk next to my skin.

Smarty pants

Having not yet suceeded at meeting the Monthly Stitch's January challenge of a new skill, I figured I needed to get these jeans finished before the end of February, as the challenge was a pair of pants.

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I pre-washed a pile of fabrics that I’d bought cheaply off Trade-me.  One of them was this rather uninspiring sort of yellowy oatmeal colour with a checked texture and really stiff feel.

 

Before

Before I wrote it off for muslins I cut off a couple of metres and tried dying it black.  I used the washing machine ‘cos that seems to agitate it better than I can, and it ended up rather large to fit in a pan on the stove top.  My burn test had suggested it was a natural fibre, and it certainly took the colour.  

The final result wasn’t black, more a sort of dark greyish blue colour, and while the colour covered all the fabric, there were definite blotchy bits.

After

Since my plan was a pair of jeans, neither of these problems deterred me; it was a very acceptable jeans colour, and I figured a few blotchy bits would be OK on jeans.

I did hit a small road block when it came to choosing an embroidery design for the rear pockets, so thanks to everyone who helped me out of that one; the gecko was a clear favourite, so geckos it was.

Since I spent about 37½ cents on this fabric (plus $4 for the zip) I didn’t need to have great expectations for this garment.  Despite that, I actually like these jeans.  They are snug, but feel surprisingly comfortable and the blotchy dye job actually works.  I’ve been working on jeans for a while, so I didn’t have to do any fitting and I’ve already made all the required adjustments to McCalls 5892; my basic jeans pattern.

In this photo I’m also wearing a Colette Sorbetto made from another trade-me purchase and left over from a black blouse that I made for a recent funeral – a double take already!  The Sorbetto is a great pattern for small amounts of fabric and an easy top for the warmer weather, and it’s FREE.  Other than my usual FBA and adding a little length I didn’t have to make any alterations to this pattern and the result is really easy to wear – more indie love!

2013 Sewlution - done!

Is it possible to get both victory and defeat from the same garment?

I don’t normally allow myself to be bullied by fabric.  I try and negotiate with my stash, aiming for a win-win scenario.  If I have an idea for a fabric I usually go for it.  Quite often the fabric speaks to me before buy it, so we’re in agreement before I even get to my purse out.  Unfortunately buying pre-loved (but not pre-used) fabric on line is a bit like a blind date.  I’ve seen a photo but we don’t get to discuss destiny until I’ve committed.

Thisfabric was like that.  I had an idea, and even after I had collected her I intended her to be a dress.  Her vision for her future was different.  I ended up putting her in the washing machine to shut her up.  I put her in the washing machine three times (after all, she’s denim) before I attempted to add her to the stash.  Next morning she was somehow on the floor, spread out with HER choice of pattern pieces!  I’m not quite sure how that happened, but it did, and I devoted a whole day to the project.  She wanted to be jeans, and I needed to get jeans licked before the end of 2013 to complete my Sewlution.

For some bizarre reason she was determined to be worn the same evening to my daughter’s birthday dinner.  Sewing like a mad thing I got the jeans finished and overall I have to admit she was right – she makes a lovely pair of slightly dressier jeans. 

I stuck with the same pattern (McCalls 5894) that I had used for my two previous attempts at jeans.  Ready to wear jeans always gap at the back, so I put a tuck into the back yoke pattern piece…

…and it seemed to work.

It looks as though they are creasing a little over the butt in this picture, but they actually fit well.  

I opted not to seam the fly facing onto the front of the jeans, just to avoid bulk over my tummy, that has all the bulk it needs on it’s own.

Unlike the ready to wear printed jeans, these are not skinny jeans, as skinnies do no favours to my rather chunky calves.  In hindsight I could have made them a little skinnier, but I’m happy with these, and will definitely wear them – Even my little girl (no longer a teenager) approved.

I shouldn't let fabric bully me like this, so it feels as though I was defeated by a fabric with attitutude.  However, there is a victory in these jeans too;   I can, at last, tick off my 2013 Sewlution - Jeans sorted!  

The trouble with cheap fabric

I didn’t mean to do it really.  I was just browsing on Trade me.   

The trouble is, I can’t resist cheap fabric, and five metres of soft white shirting with a self coloured stripe for only six bucks? I love a white shirt.   

True, I had to drive over to the North Shore to get it, which added a couple of bucks to the cost.  Since I was making the trip I couldn’t turn down this printed denim.   

I could see a cool BBQ dress out of it – quick easy make for the party season.

Of course, the trouble with buying stuff off trade me is that you don’t know it’s background, and this fabric has ISSUES.

From the moment I got it in the house it was determined to take over and get to the top of the queue.  It also wasn’t going to be fobbed off with a quick dress.

“Come on girl.  I’m jeans, you know it and I know it.  You’re short of jeans and your sewlution was jeans.  You’ve only done two pairs and they were both wearable (or not so wearable) muslins.”

“I know,” I said calmly.  After all, she was new in the house and probably didn’t understand the system.  I went to put her on the shelf with the rest of the stash. “…but I had a dress in mind for you.” 

“Rubbish, I’d make amazing jeans.  Those cool printed ones are all over the shops at the moment “

“I have work clothes and party clothes ahead of jeans in the queue” I tried to leave the room 

”You’re unemployed so you’re wearing more casual clothes than anything else” That was below the belt; Time to get personal with her.

“Look, the high fashion ones are bright and floral, which you are not”

“And the models are twenty-two, which you are not” She is evil!

“There’s a system here.  You have to wait your turn.  Look at this print.  I bought her three years ago, and she only got her pattern pieces last week.  I will pluck up courage to cut onto her any day now.   

You can’t just come in here, tell me what you want to be and jump the queue”

“I understand that you become attached to expensive fabric, but let’s face it.  I only cost four bucks, you have nothing to lose on me.  At least pop me in the washing machine.  I quick pre-wash wouldn’t actually commit you, but once you see me on the washing line, you’ll agree with me”

By now I just wanted to get out of this argument with her (I was in danger of losing) and figured she couldn’t talk to be from the washing machine.

Do other people have bossy fabric, or it just a consequence of re-homing cheap fabric from Trade me?