I'm Back.....and with more Jeans too! (I know you're shocked)

Do you ever get so far behind with blogging that you want to just forget you even have a blog, and pretend like nothing ever happened? You can't be behind on a blog you don't even have, right? I mean, I only document via Instagram, everyone knows that right? If I go long enough, people will forget I had a blog, right? Right? Right? LOL. Ugh! I really want to be someone who regularly updates their blog, but sometimes I would just rather sew, or knit, or watch Fargo (have your watched it yet, the series is awesome and the first season is filmed all around Calgary!!) or reorganize the pantry, or snuggle the pugs, you know how it is, don't you?

Anyway, I'm sorry for the unintended break (I'm also super behind in my blog reading, so if you haven't noticed me in the comments, don't worry, I'm getting there. LOL). We are now back in Calgary, enjoying the snow (and by enjoying I mean staying inside as much as possible but looking at it through the window), our cabin is closed up for the winter and we even had a trip to Iceland in there too. So lots of stuff has happened in the last month, but not a lot of it was sewing related.

I have however done a whole ton of Christmas sewing over the last 2 weeks, and I really want to share it with you, but as it's all gifts you'll have to wait until after Christmas day. So in the meantime I'll entertain you with some old photos (we took them back in October, I think) of more jeans and a linden. An outfit that was unapologetically copied from Katie (imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right?). When she first posted her fall Linden and jeans, I knew I wanted an outfit just like it!

So this is yet another Linden sweatshirt; I have a whole closet full of tops made from this pattern. It's so quick and easy and can be made in a variety of knit fabrics. I've even seen a few woven ones pop up on the internets too, but I haven't tried that yet. In the interest of copying Katie and for something a little different, I went with the split hem variation, and I really like it. 

The fabric I used for this sweatshirt is a french terry that came from Girl Charlee many moons ago (I'm not exactly sure what I bought it for, but it's been in my stash for a while). It's really warm, and soft, but the stripes were terribly off grain, so I did the best I could. It does look slightly off when you look closely. The ribbing came from my local Fabricland.

The jeans are another pair of Angel-Ginger Hybrids, exactly like this pair, and this pair. This time they are made from a lovely charcoal "black" Cone Mill's denim. This denim is definitely not a true black, it's more of a grey, especially after a few washes, but I really like the colour. It goes with pretty much everything in my closet, and it's a little more casual than true black which suits me just fine.

So even though these and my other Angel-Ginger Hybrids, fit really well, and they are mid-rise just like I intended them to be, I'm finding that they still aren't perfect. I really thought I was happy with a "mid-rise" but I've noticed that during and after sitting the waistband tends to roll. So I'm starting to think that I either need to go back to a "low-rise" or try a full "high-rise" jean. I've only ever made the high-rise version of the Ginger jeans once, and I don't think I gave them a fair chance. At the time, I wasn't really used to a higher rise, and I didn't make the now standard adjustments I usually make to jeans. I'm much more experienced at jeans now. 

I've also recently purchased Lauren's new Birkin jeans pattern, so I'm excited to try that out too. I'm not 100% convinced that it's going to be perfect on me, but I am excited to try it out (especially after seeing Meg's smokin' pair). I'm also really looking forward to the skinny version Lauren intends to release soon too. So expect to see some more jeans sewing from me in 2016! Woo hoo! I've also forayed into sewing jeans for John as well, so I'll do a post about those one of these days as well.

Anyway, I'm glad to be back on the blogging wagon, and I'm hoping you are all doing well too. Are you doing any Christmas sewing? Gifts or maybe fancy Christmas outfits? I wore the same Anna I made last year to John's company shin dig. No one noticed and I got lots of compliments! Lazy seamstress for the win!

More Jeans & Other Makes too!

Hola peeps! How are you all doing on this fine Friday the 13th? Things were going pretty well for me until I had almost completely finished this blog post and Safari crashed and I lost it all. UGH!! (It actually happened twice, so I switched over to Google Chrome and that seems to be better.) And I don't remember everything that I wrote! I guess it's a sign to start over. Anyway, I'm back with surprise, surprise: another pair of jeans, but not to worry, there are some other new me-mades in this post too. Woo hoo!

So this ensemble consists of another pair of Ginger-Angel Hybrid jeans (Angers? Gangels? Ginangels?), a sleeveless Granville, and a Hemlock Tee. All worn shamelessly with my slippers! What can I say, I love my fuzzy slippers!

So let's start with the jeans. I don't really have anything new to say about the pattern, as this pair is pretty much exactly the same as my last pair.  What does make this pair special is that they are made from a gorgeous 9oz Cone Mill's Denim from Threadbare Fabrics. There is just nothing like a good quality denim. It's so much nicer to work with, it presses nicely, and the best part, it's recovery is amazing. I can wear these baby's for days and they totally maintain their shape. (And by days I mean, I can comfortably wear them four or five times before I need to wash them, unless I spill something on them, ahem coffee,  which is pretty common for me 😝). The 9oz denim might actually be a little light for a regular pair of jeans, but I just couldn't resist the colour. It's a slightly lighter shade than the regular indigo you usually see in denim. It's not showing up very well in these photos, but it really is a bit lighter. While the weight of this denim might be a little lighter than what I'm used to, it makes these jeans extremely comfortable, and stretchy (they almost feel like leggings)! I do miss the (ahem) support that a slightly heavier denim would provide though. Plus because I used a quilting cotton for the pockets, you can sort of see the pocket outline through the denim, but that is mostly my fault as I should have went with some lighter scraps, but who can resist surfin' cats?

When I got my hands on this denim, I debated making something else out of it due to it's lighter weight. I thought it might make a lovely Chardon or Brumby skirt, a shirtdress or a jean jacket, or even quilted with flannel for a cool Tamarack jacket, but in the end I decided a pair of jeans would probably get the most wear. I almost tried out this pull on version (which I think would be perfect in this weight), but I was too lazy to try a new pattern this time, and I really wanted to make another pair of Ginger-Angels as I wear my first pair a ton!

For something a little different I decided to go with some red topstitching. I remembered Amy's pair and I loved how the red looked against the dark blue. I'm not sure my red pops quite as well as it did on her pair, but I still really like it. I think one of the really cool parts of making your own jeans (and your own clothes for that matter) is that you can change up those little details. I'm also planning to add rivets, but I haven't decided on the colour yet. Any thoughts? (I have brass, gunmetal, silver and copper.)

Anyway, enough about the jeans, let's talk about the tops. The lovely striped number is a Grainline Hemlock.  I made a Hemlock months ago, and decided that the boxy, one-size fits all pattern just wasn't for me. It seemed too shapeless and long for me, but then I kept seeing cool ones pop up in my Instagram feed, so I decided to give it another go. I mean, the pattern's free, so why not? This time I decided to forgo colour-blocking, shortened the body by 2.5", and made it out of a stripey fabric. I mean you can't go wrong with stripes, right? I am so happy that I gave it another shot. I have been wearing the two that I made pretty much non-stop. It's amazing how something changes when you get the length right. The other one I made is striped too, but I haven't blogged about it. I think this fabric came from my February Knitfix pack from Girl Charlee. It's a french terry, but it is on the thin side; you can easily see the pockets of my Granville coming right though it, so it might not be the best for layering over tops.

All summer, I really wanted to make a pale pink Granville top. I even found the perfect fabric at Blackbird Fabrics (it's a beautiful Italian Linen just like this one), but for some reason, I never got around to making one . So in my recent fit of cutting out 5 Granvilles, I decided to include the pink linen. It's a little seasonally inappropriate, but I figured it would work well under sweaters, and worst case scenario: it just hangs in my closet for a few months and then I know it will get a ton of wear when it warms up in the Spring and Summer. I had planned to use some cute little buttons, but when I spotted these cool marble snaps in my stash, I knew it was meant to be. I know they came from Snap Source because they were still in the package, but I couldn't find them on their website.

It still looks a little stiff, as I have't washed it since I made it and I starched it like crazy so it would be easier to work with. Linen always seems to stretch out and go wonky on me, and I found that spray starch really helped. 

Anyway, I hope that you all are having a lovely night, and please hug your loved ones tight and wish or say a prayer (or whatever you do/believe) for peace and the people in Paris. I don't really "pray" myself, but after crying while watching the news, I am trying hard to hold a space of love instead of fear (which I know is really hard), because a big point of these attacks is to evoke fear.

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The Quest for the Perfect Jeans: Angel Bootcut Jeans Part 2

And we're back.....

Hey Everybody! What's chippin' your potato? How's the week going so far? I guess it's only Tuesday so it might be too soon to tell. As promised I am back with yet another jeans post. I mentioned in my first Angel Jeans post, I felt like I couldn't really give the pattern a proper review as I had done all this crazy slimming down to the legs, and I messed up my lengthening only the front rise. So I decided I would make it up again, but this time make it as close to the original as possible no messing with the leg width or the rise, or anything like that (I did make a few changes to make them fit me better, but that's about it). Alright, grab your coffee or tea, and let's get down to business

After wearing my first pair a few times, I decided that not only did the denim bag out quite a bit, they were just too big. I had chosen my size based on the size chart, but after contemplating it for a bit, I decided that this pattern must not be drafted with negative ease. It calls for stretch denim, but I think I must like my jeans much snugger than what Angela Wolf has drafted for. So I consulted my trusty Ginger Jeans pattern, and used the finished garment measurements to help me figure out what size to make. I ended up going down to a size 6. A size 6, can you believe it? I went down 3 sizes. Whoa!

The denim I used for this pair is an Italian stretch denim I picked up at Ditto Fabrics in the UK (and by picked up, I mean I bought it online).  It's actually really quite stretchy, so if I were to make these again in a stiffer denim, I might need to go up a size.  I have been on the hunt for the perfect denim for quite some time, and this was one of the many denims I have acquired (for research purposes of course). Anyway, I was bummed to find that it is no longer listed on their website because it's really quite nice. It's stretchy and comfy and the recovery is quite good. These pictures were taken on my second day of wear. They get pretty stretched out and need a good wash after a full second day though. And looking at these photos now, I think the fit looks better when they first come out of the wash. 

When I first tried these on, I was like, "I can't go back to wearing a flared/bootcut jean!", but after wearing them a couple times, the style has really grown on me. I think they are going to look really good with some little wedge booties I have in the back of my closet (I still don't want to admit that it's boot weather). They make me feel reminiscent to when I was about 17-18 years old and this was the style. I had traded in my beloved men's Levi's 501s, for a flared Silver Jeans pair. It was a radical change for me at the time, but I I remember feeling very ahead of the trend. 

I will get into the fit details at the end, but I have to say I'm pretty tickled with how these turned out. I think the fit is pretty close to perfect, and the only thing that I really want to change is to move the back pockets closer together. They are a little farther apart than I would like them, but not enough that I feel compelled to unpick and reposition them. And looking at these photos, I might need to scoop out the back crotch curve just a little more too. It's difficult to fit the back on your own. I usually get John to take a few iPhone photos when I'm in the process, but it's hard to see fit issues in dark denim in photos.

I used two buttons this time for my wide waistband, and unfortunately, I think I put the buttons a little too close together which seems to  cause the top of the fly to gape open a little. It's not really that big of a deal as most of my shirts cover it (speaking of which do you like my new longsleeve tee? It the Grail tee by Vesta Patterns), and really it's not that bad.

It's a bit hard to see it in the photos, but this time around I used a yellow variegated topstitching thread. It's a subtle change from the gold, but I really like it. And I'm happy to say that I get a little bit better at topstitching every time I do it. Hurrah!

Okay so here are the changes I made this time:

  • started with a size 6 (my last pair was a size 12)
  • lengthened the front crotch curve by 1" and the back by 2" using this tutorial again
  • shortened the legs at the lengthen/shorten line by 4 inches, but cut another inch off the hem at the end too
  • decided when I basted them together to check the fit that I might need a full or rounded thigh adjustment, so to compensate, I sewed the side seams from the bottom of the back yoke to the knee with a 1/2" seam allowance and the rest at 5/8" - next time I'll just add a little extra to the side seam when I cut them out
  • cut 1/2" of width off the belt loops piece to make the belt loops slightly narrower
  • did not interface the waistband, except for right at the button hole
  • sewed 1/4" elastic into the waistband (at the top) in the hopes that it would work as sort of a stretchy stay tape and help keep my jeans from falling down - I think it's helped a little but I may have needed to stretch the elastic more when I was sewing it in

I thought I would include a photo of my traced pattern pieces so you can see what the curve looks like. And check out the cute little spiral bound book for the instructions.

So there you have it. I'm really happy with this pair of jeans, and I have been wearing them way more than I thought I would. I have been a pretty die-hard skinny jeans girl for quite some time, so it's nice to add something different into the mix. I am hoping to make another pair just like this, but leave them a little longer to wear with heeled boots (and maybe fix the back pocket position too).

And as if this post isn't long enough already, I feel like I should include a few details about my t-shirt too. As mentioned, it's the Vesta Pattern's Grail tee. I just couldn't resist the cute drawings, and I really liked the idea of the different body shapes offered, plus it has two neckline options (a scoop and a crew), 3 sleeve lengths, and the option of making a tank top. You can buy the pattern in either the S Shape (for an hourglass shape), the E Shape (for a more straight body type) and the A Shape (for a more pair shape). I went with the S Shape, and made my first Grail tee a Large according to my full bust measurement. While the shape was really nice, it was really tight across the back, shoulders and boobs. [Super honest side note: Before I bought this pattern, I was humming and hawing between it and the Lark from Grainline, but the cute drawings and the idea of supporting someone brand new sucked me in! And hey, maybe it would be great! But after I made my first version, I was kicking myself, wishing I had bought the Lark. Lesson learned! (And who are we kidding, I'll probably end up buying the Lark anyway - I need that boatneck! I'm such a pattern junkie!)]

For this version in the photos, I made a straight XL (which is the biggest size) with the crew neck, and the fit is much, much better. I am happy with it, but beware that it runs small, and/or you may need an FBA if you have big boobs. This lovely long-sleeved number is made out of some amazing bamboo striped knit from Blackbird Fabrics, and it's soooooo soft and cozy! It's sold out now, but I'd keep an eye on Caroline's shop because I'm sure she'll restock it. She does have this glorious tie-dye bamboo that I bet is just as soft (well actually I know it is, because I have some of it too but in navy).

And with that, let's wrap this post up! If you've made it down to the bottom, thanks for hanging in there, and if you just looked at the photos and scrolled down, you missed all the details!! Go back!! Kidding! Kidding, I'm kidding.  I hope you guys are having a lovely Tuesday, or whatever day it is when you catch up with your blog feed! And not to worry, there are still more jeans posts to come!

Heather's Tips for Sewing Jeans

Hello my friends! I have been trying to write this post for quite awhile now, but I just haven't been feelin' it. I just can't seem to get into writing mode lately. My sewing mojo is alive and well, I have been sewing up a storm, but I just can't get my head into writing gear. Anyway, I have loads of projects to share with you, but I haven't really photographed any of them. The weather has been either way too sunshine-y for good photos or it's been raining. Plus I tried a new face cream and cleanser about a week ago, and I had a really bad reaction so I haven't feeling very photogenic especially not in front of my DSLR. Anyway,  my skin is finally starting to settle down, so I'll try to get some posts in this week. Note to self, change is bad. Anyway, that's what's up with me, now let's get down to business. I know that there are already a number of posts out there with tips for sewing jeans, but I felt like after making a number of pairs I should add my two cents. For myself, sometimes I can read the same tip written by a few different people, but it doesn't click until the writing makes sense to me, and I find that everyone has a different perspective, so I like having a few different articles out there to refer to. So here we go with mine:

  • Topstitching Thread - try different weights and colours, and don't be afraid to try different brands. I love the Gutterman denim topstitching thread that you can find at JoAnn's or Fabricland, but there aren't a ton of colours available. I ended up chatting with the lady who sold me my Pfaff about it, and she suggested a heavyweight cotton quilting thread (Sulky 12wt.). It comes it tons of different colours and my machine loves it. It sews really well and I don't struggle to make bar tacks or button holes with it, plus it comes in variegated rainbow so you gotta love that! I have also tried the Coats & Clark denim thread and had lots of luck with it too. I should also mention that I use navy thread in my bobbin, or sometimes I use the Gutterman denim thread that is a little bit lighter weight than the topstitching thread and it works really well too. Also, bear in mind that you may have to play with your machine's tension, so it's a good idea to have your machine's manual handy and try some test stitches before you start.
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  • Needles - I have found that a dedicated topstitching needle works the best. And I try to use a new one for each pair of jeans I make. I have tried sewing jeans with a denim needle, and a larger universal needle, but neither seem to work as well as a  proper topstitching needle. So if you are finding that you are having troubles, changing your needle is an easy thing to try.
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  • For beautiful looking topstitching, lengthen your stitch - at first I really didn't want to do that. I don't know why, but I just thought a 3.5-4mm stitch looked way too long. But after making a of couple pairs now, I know it's not. It might look weird at first when you are sewing, but once you have your jeans constructed, and you put those bad boys on, a longer stitch length looks better. Check out a pair of RTW jeans, and compare. Once you have your machine set to where you want it for topstitching and your stitches look the way you want them too, take a quick cellphone pic of your settings. It's an easy and quick way to refer back to your settings. When you are going back and forth with changing thread, or maybe you are sewing over a few days or weeks, you know exactly where everything was set. Maybe it's just me, but I've forgotten exactly what length I've set my machine to, and then I've had to waste time figuring it out. It's also nice to do for your bar tack stitch setting too.
  • Slow down - This is something I am constantly working on with pretty much everything I sew. Sometimes I just get into "must finish this right now" mode, and I put the pedal to the metal, and zoom away. With topstitching, you really need to take your time to be accurate and straight. My sewing machine has an option to slow the speed down, so when I'm making jeans, I always turn the speed down.
  • I think one of the trickiest parts of sewing jeans, is topstitching the fly front. I have found that if I mark my lines with chalk (or whatever removable marking tool you would normally use), and then start from the centre front at the bottom, things go more smoothly for me. I don't know if it's because I get the curve out of the way, right away, or if it allows me to see better. But starting from the bottom seems to garner the best result for me. Don't be afraid to play around with the direction of things and find what works best for you. Oh and really try to make sure you catch that fly facing underneath too, that helps things to stay in place better when you wear the jeans.
  • Bar Tacks - I am lucky enough to have a machine that actually has a bar tack stitch (although it doesn't always work as smoothly as I would like), but if you don't, a tight zig zag stitch is usually what's recommended. Recently I have discovered that a really narrow satin stitch works really well too. I really like how it looks and it's really strong. I used it for all the bar tacks on my last pair of jeans, and it worked really well.
  • Interfacing - do you really need it? There is a bit of a debate about whether or not you really need interfacing for denim. I have tried it both ways, and my finding: use it! I like to use a lightweight interfacing so things don't get too bulky, but you should probably judge it by the weight of your denim. For my Cone Mills denim pair I used a really lightweight interfacing, but for my Girl Charlee denim pair, I used a medium weight interfacing. It helps everything maintain structure and it keeps your waistband from stretching out too much.
  • I always sew my back legs together, do the middle lines of topstitching and then attach my pockets. This allows me to use the topstitching lines to place my pockets evenly and then things look a bit more centred. If you attach your pockets first, I find one always looks slightly off, or too close to the centre.
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  • I also use my tailor's ham to pin the pockets in place before I stitch them on. I find that because they will be against a curve when you wear the jeans, positioning them on a curve before you sew them helps them to lay better when the jeans are finished.
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  • And while we are on the subject of pockets, when I am pressing the edges in, I usually eyeball it (Gasp!), but I always line the two pockets up to make sure they are exactly the same. So I fold and press one pocket and then put it underneath the other one as a guide. Does that make sense? Here are some photos so you can see what I mean:
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  • Another thing I like to do is I lengthen the belt loops a little (about 1/2" to 3/4" each) and attach them before attaching the waistband. I feel like it just gives them a little more strength, especially if you are someone like me who habitually uses them to pull up her jeans. I'm not entirely sure if it really does add strength, but it makes me feel better so that's how I do it. Here's what it looks like:
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So you sew them to the pants, then you attach the waistband, and finish off the belt loops.

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If you find that your belt loops are too long, you can always trim them off at this point.

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  • And finally, one more thing: sometimes when you are topstitching especially at the corner of the waistband, your machine can kind of "eat" your fabric or the feed dogs don't quite feed it properly, and normally you might pull your threads to get things moving (like at the beginning of stitching a seam), but in this case you won't have those threads to pull. So what can you do? Take a separate needle and thread, and thread it through your fabric near the corner, and use that to pull things along. Then you can just remove it, when you are done. You can totally get away with this with denim, but I wouldn't try it with delicate fabrics. Here are some pictures that I hope make this a bit clearer for you - I'm just using a scrap of fabric with some test stitches on it, but I think you can see what I'm doing:
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Does that make sense? You are just using that thread to pull or guide the fabric so it doesn't get eaten by your machine.

So there you have it, my tips for sewing jeans. I hope you take away at least one thing that might be helpful to you. I really want my blog to be helpful, as well as a place for me to share my projects and communicate with all of you lovelies.  Anyway, if I come up with anything else that might be helpful when I make my next pair, I will be sure to let you know.

I hope your week is going well, and that you having lots of fun with the final days of Me Made May!

Have you made jeans yet? Do you have any tips to share? I would love to hear/read them if you do!