brown cords, hour 14

Just 3 steps to go (belt loops, button/buttonhole, and hem) and I'll be done with my first ever pair of corduroy jeans! Woot!

I hemmed and hawed over what design to use for the back pockets--here's what I came up with and really like it. It's the start of the curve from the jeans pocket, and then it veers off.   I used my jeans twin needle to stitch.  What does it look like to you?

This time I embroidered my first name and the date on the interior waistband.  Next time I make brown cords, I'm going to do all the topstitching in gold jeans thread--wouldn't that be awesome??

Here's the front:

Here I'm showing how I used chalk to mark 3/8 so I would know where to stop stitching on the pockets. (I had already wonder taped the pockets down and edgestitched with my edgestitching foot.)





So then it looked like this:


And here's what it looked like going through the machine while I topstitched the waistband, this is to show how most of thejeans are shoved in that little space while the lower part of the waistband is edgestitched:

And here's what it looks like on me:

I don't think I will have to wear a belt with these! I sewed them up with a larger seam allowance at the top to get them to fit better.  And like I said last post, I sewed with 1/4" seam allowance in the thighs so I have an inch more room--MUCH better when sitting down.

So I will finish these off next weekend.
Be well!

Brown corduroy jeans in progress, hour 7.5.

I thought that making jeans the second time would go faster than the first, but so far I'm just about on track as far as hours logged.   The pattern is the J Stern Designs jeans pattern.

Here are my jeans, this time in brown corduroy, at hour 7.5.

The fabric is some glorious stash "uncut" corduroy fabric from Joann's almost 4 years ago, when I had this crazy idea I was going to start making a ton of corduroy jackets.  Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.  (The "uncut" part means the wales of the corduroy are not cut).

I'm using dark brown "heavy" thread for the topstitching. Not as impressive as gold jeans thread on denim, but the detail is there even if it's hard to see.

The inside pockets are made from a Robert Kaufman floral cotton I bought 4.5 years ago at J and O Fabrics in Pennsauken, NJ--on my way to my college reunion meetup--this is how I remember....

I used an 11" trouser zipper that I shortened to 5". Do men's pants really use 11" zippers? Hrm.
I dove head first into make the flat felled yoke seams, and what a mistake that was!  It is hard to do that on a fabric with thick nap.  So I then go look at a sampling of my RTW cords and velveteen pants to find out that every single pair has a mock flat felled back yoke seam.   Knowledge for next time.

So now I need to decide what to do about the back pockets and what design to use. Hrm.
Also, I was really worried about the nap of this fabric and if it would be easily crushed.   When I hammered thick seams, I only hammered the seam allowance.  I did not want to permanently damage the nap of the fabric (and the nap does feel really good!)

 The good news is the nap has good recovery after sewing, and I sat in them during dinner tonight and they didn't make little moons where I sat down (my main fear!). So YAY for that. (All pix above were taken before wearing).

I plan on undoing the side seams so I can topstitch the inseam, then redo the side seams.  I am mighty fast at undoing things I sew lately, and not as frustrated when I have to redo them.  And I want to sew them tighter up around the very top.

Oh and I sewed the seams 1/4 inch in the thigh area inner and outer seam, to gain a whole inch there, and that is MUCH better for sitting down.  Yay!


I have this crazy idea to finish these pants by the end of next weekend but I think that's rather unlikely given the time of year...but I have a huge drive to finish them so let's see...

I also cooked tonight but sadly do not have pix (sorry Gwen!)
Be well!!

Topstitching jeans & jeans details

Thank you for all your sweet comments about my first pair of jeans!
I wore them 3 days in a row then washed them in the washing machine and line dried.
They held up and didn't fall apart, yay!

I wore them to work yesterday (I never wear jeans to work) and my coworkers were saying things like "they look like you bought them in a store."   Ahhhh....delightful words to any home sewist's ears! 

(Does anyone else remember The Cosby Show episode where Denise Huxtable made a yellow polo shirt for her brother and it didn't turn out so well??)

I thought I'd share with you how I did the topstitching.
The "secret" is in the edgestitching foot, which I had never used before except briefly at a workshop at the ASE.

I bought a variety pack of feet for my machine off ebay this summer and it happened to include the edgestitching foot. Otherwise I think it would have been a lot more work to get nice looking topstitching so close to the edge.


The edgestitching foot

The edgestitching foot has a flange that is your guide. Place your fabric edge right against the flange,  move your needle over so it doesn't hit the metal of the foot, and enjoy perfect topstitching!


Dramatic re-enactment of how to topstitch with the edgestitching foot.  Of course I was using jeans topstitching thread when I sewed this for real...

Also I thought I'd share how I decided what design details to include. I piled up all of my RTW jeans on my bed.

Then I would "flip through" my jeans collection to compare/contrast how different manufacturers sewed the various details on the jeans, which then helped me decide what elements I wanted to include. I went back to the pile at every step!

For example, my Old Navy jeans use two topstitching thread colors....I decided NOT to do that.
Also, some jeans had flat felled seaming on the inseam and others did not.
Plus the coin pocket was an area of interest on some jeans and not others.  Some manufacturers sew a little label into the seam of the coin pocket, or extend the topstitching of the coin pocket all the way up to the waistband.

Usually out of my jean pile, most would be done one way and then 1 or 2 pairs of jeans would have a different technique or style.  Very interesting to see.

This is my favorite pair of jeans as far as detailing goes.  It has embroidery all down the leg.  But these jeans are too big on me.


Eddie Bauer jeans circa 2005
I am looking to get another sewing machine in the new year....maybe I should get one that does sewing and embroidery so I can recreate this detail???

I have already cut out my next pair of jeans from this pattern--using "uncut corduroy" (i.e. corduroy without the wales).

I'm a little worried about the brown color being too light and the nap being easily crushed, but let's see what happens. It all starts with me rethreading my serger in brown...lol.

Be well!