So how about an epic win?
After my first pair of Helene jeans, I wore them around, and reflected on the vision I had for this fabric. It's been stashed for awhile, being a special designer fabric and etc etc, but I felt pretty confident that I could match my inspiration. I sized up to a 6, used the straight leg pattern, removed 2" from the rise, and the 30" inseam (interestingly - this was LONGER than the 32" inseam of the other pair.) My vision was of a pair of fitting to slightly oversized jeans with a straight leg and about an ankle length which I planned to not hem. I had considered different lengths for the front and back hem - a nice addition I've seen on some RTW, but it would have required planning ahead and cutting the different lengths and felt like too much at the time, so I skipped it.
The denim is probably 10 oz and has no stretch. I made sure to use a zipper that wasn't too short this time, and I was really surprised that these jeans came together in one day with no hitches at all, in fact, they felt very meditative. Have I finally got the handle on denim?? I used gutermann topstitching thread and it didn't thread nest on the back.
And then I went to put in the button...
And for the first time in my life, the button ripped almost through the fabric. It was literally the final step, as I had already done the rivets. I was in horrified shock. This immediately led me to try to find solutions which were, at this moment, unnecessary - because the button hasn't pulled all the way through I'll have to wear the jeans as they are until it does, and then orchestrate a fix. But anyway I sewed on a scrap of leather behind the button, and clearly that will be my fix - I'll put little pieces of leather front and back of the hole after interfacing them, and then apply a new button. I might topstitch that area of the WB in a spiral to strengthen it for all this.
Aside from that catastrophic denouement, the jeans are perfect. I did, however, stop there and I did not put on a little leather patch on the back. Maybe I'll do that when I replace the button...
I'm wearing them here with my new Blomma top. I realised at the beginning of summer that I needed a cropped linen tank top. I got 2m of linen knit from The Fabric Box, used the Blomma, widened the back by an inch or so, cropped it, and used the armhole binding technique from the Briar tee. It has been the perfect addition to my summer wardrobe as waistbands creep up!