Its all sew pants - cigarette pants, trews, ankle grazers..............

Trousers are something I find easier to buy off the rack, I find making trousers a pain and fitting issues too fiddly so buying off the rack and taking the waist in often seems easier (my waist is two sizes smaller than hip).  Making tops, skirts, dresses and coats are what I prefer, and yet I wear jeans more than skirts on average due to practicality.  

Part of my sewing mission has become to make a handmade wardrobe and now I needed to make some trousers!  I started a pair last month, and based it on a butterick pattern I had done a toile for last year.  I cut the trousers from a linen pair, but the weave was tighter, and the fit was awful.  In part its a vanity issue, as I was in part relying on the ease allowed in a pattern rather than just using my brain and a full set of exact current measurements (seriously, there are times when I have worked from an old set of measurements thinking that these measurements still apply.....dream on......).

So I figured I would take a break from them, and in the meantime, I found these jeans (stretch fabric and a size too big) in the charity shop and also in the colour I needed, so I figured I would do this one from scratch.

I drafted a Jeans block with current exact measurements, and laid it over the Butterick 2704  to combine the two.   (I love the high waisted fit from waist to high hip fit in the Butterick) I used the jeans block for the leg however, when I laid it over the trousers fabric, it just about  fitted  and the leg line of the jeans were in a different direction (coincidentally the same as the Butterick).  So I adapted the leg, and started on a muslin. The fit for the most was great, except now there was too much fabric under the back seat, and I was relying on partner J for critique, and a make-up mirror as a rear view on the full length mirror.    I tried a 'fish eye' dart, but it didn't improve anything, and even Allyne Bane (sewing guru go-to book) no insights, so I went with taking the excess fabric out in a dart going straight up the middle and it fixed it a lot so I undid the muslin leaving dart in place, and retraced the pattern, then I went ahead with pattern and cut.  

I had to chance a few things when cutting the trousers from the jeans, I left the front pockets of the jeans intact, but sewed them shut as they would be too high up.  The front zip was removed but the stitch marks are still there but not hugely noticable and are in the correct place for a ''zip'' (the real zip is to the side which I prefer), so actually look fine, and I removed the back jeans pockets and I later replaced them after sewing the trousers.   The stretch fabric gave a generous fit so I took the side seams in about 1cm more and got a smoother fit again, the photo below is before the trousers were taken in. The fit before (mirror photo) is a nicer trouser fit (the left leg is the unaltered, the right leg is half taken in...), but the fit after taking them in, seemed to suit a jeans fit more 

 I am so very happy and the trousers were worn straight away (which is always a good sign) and I finally have a proper trouser block sorted now - which is just as well as I have a pair of wool trousers to re-cut this Autumn!  The simplicity top still needs to have the tucks adjusted at the waist by taking them up one inch which I knew needed to be done, but really know now after seeing the photos! (the outfit got its first 'outing' in these photos, and after a 90 minute drive and 5 hours of watching irish dancing, the photos were taken .............. ) 

While this was going on,   I have repaired my favourite jeans with sashiko mending (thanks to seeing it done by Karen, at RUDE) and its brilliant, I love the integrity of these repairs, its not trying to hide it, but makes the repair a thing in itself.  I normally darn on the machine using a zig zag type stitch, but ultimately it doesn't work that well with the stretch denim, I think it stresses the fabric more, so this time, I ironed black woven vilene (all I had) on the inside, stretching the jeans a little as I pressed, so the vilene had a wrinkle (deliberate) to accommodate the stretch.   I then did some running stitch with button thread, but then started a type of cross stitch.  What I did was a bit crude, but I love it.  I really like the honesty of the hand stitch and its also a lot more sympathetic to the denim than the machine darn (I think) and  its stronger as it moves with the fabric it a more sympathetic way.  There are some gorgeous examples on pinterest, very inspiring! 

fly by...dress - denim jeans to denim dress

I am slowly building up a collection of old denim jeans as I hope in the future to make cushion covers for a sofa (have to make the sofa) for a room (which also has to be 'made') in the house (all on this pinterest board).  In the meantime, I thought a summer dress would be good too.

I had fully intended to make a denim dress using this butterick pattern, and in my head it was going to take no time as I had the pattern and lots of denim .....what could possibly go wrong?

Well, it turns out, not all my denims are the same, and whatever about shade, the fabric weights would have to be the same for this dress, and enough to get the skirt width and moreover, I wanted to make it in the traditional heavy dark denim - so I would need two pairs of jeans to make the dress, and I didn't find any matching dark denims.  So plan b was called for..... which was just to run up a fun summer dress

Everyone has their own sewing history, and when I was about 15 I started really sewing for myself and it was the total opposite to the sewing I did in school.  My own sewing, was fast fly-by-seat-of-your-pants sewing, a dresses made from old bedsheets and taking in jeans (the original jeggings) - too tight at times and that the seam ripper was used to take them off.   It was also when I started trying my hand making my own patterns (which was a mixture of maths, and freehand cutting).   I remember at the time a relation of mine commenting  that if I wanted to go to fashion college I should learn to sew in matching thread, and while she may have been correct, she was mistaken.  The non-change of thread was my lazy choice and the pattern and trousers were totally made by me and worn by me and I liked them  - they were uniquely mine.  

I do still think that  there is no right way or wrong way to sew anything.  Sewing is just fastening bits together.  There are ways in which the skills of sewing and drafting can be learned in order to execute the concept nearer the vision, but really its just sewing and sewing is creating your own authentic. 

As I have been doing this blog, I have been enjoying sewing a lot more, and the idea of creating my own handmade wardrobe reminds me of how much I used sew at 16, so that's why I thought I should try to sew a quick dress for fun, a fly-by-the-seat-of-the-pants  type sewing, as I think sometimes trying to find the right pattern for the fabric is a bit slow and slightly tedious.  Obviously, I am more cautious about wasting fabric now and I tend to match thread now but I still figured I should try a freehand type cut....so I marked out some measures - and used a sharpie - just to give it the edge!

I marked a bust dart and had narrowest part of dress just below (as in an empire line) and made the hem as long as I could.  I misjudged the armhole (dreadfully), and ended up patching that later.    The back was cut to match the front - except the back skirt was wider as the back legs of jeans were, and the back did not go out as wide on the bodice.  and  I did put some shaping on the centre front seam,(when I put the dress on inside out, pinned at waist and angled out to centre front seam.   (Truth be told, it would have been more efficient to use a block, but I trying to recreate my measure and mark approach from back when - so in effect the photo above is how not to.)

I have not put straps on yet, or made pockets but I do see this as either a sundress, or a jumper dress for winter.   The waistband could also make an interesting detail, or the top of the dress and potential pocket could be trimmed with ric-rac, but it may look odd in winter so will defer for a while on that.  There is enough fabric for both!

It also took about an hour and a half, and I am sure my 16 year old self would have taken far less time (I didn't do fell seams then).   


and just one more thing

as I said in the post earlier, the more this blog is going on the more I am enjoying sewing.  When I started the blog, I figured that I should just do it rather than overly worry on name and layout and concentrate on content and the rest could settle later.   It is now later!!! As I have to even explain the name rudai deata to friends that can speak irish I have decided on a name change so that should happen in the next few weeks.................