Just my Luck jeans by Forest & Thread, who may also be called Izzie

 I managed to get a light wash denim with my denim haul a year or so ago. This is a rare find, at least in New Zealand. 

I've been working my way through it.  These jeans have been on my radar probably for about a year, with increasing urgency.  I really want some leopard print jeans, specifically the ones from Free People, but I had fabric coming from Blackbird Fabrics and wanted to make some pants before deciding to buy any in a similar shape.  The Blackbird order got delayed by MONTHS because I wrote my address wrong (oops) but a time crunch brought these to the top of the list anyway -- I had to put away my sewing room to have some repairs done, and I really wanted these done before that!  Builders are not reliable and I didn't know how many months I would be unable to sew for.  Also jeans are just SO SATISFYING. 

I bought the pattern after night shifts and was grumpy and stumped - I wanted to buy a pattern from Forest & Thread, but it sent me to etsy to buy the pattern from Izzie Co.  It was the same pattern and graphics, so I forged ahead.  Then I got google drive download folders (which is an annoying way to get a pattern) and they were by inseam.  There is no file ahead of time to help you choose your inseam before you download the pattern pieces, so this was really frustrating. I have been trying on a lot of jeans lately with this shape, and so I checked on the measurements of one of those I've been stalking online, and went with the 27" inseam. 

Got them printed and ready to go. B block, size 4 

Usual adjustments: shortened rise 1" and left legs alone. 

I followed the instructions, for the most part, mainly because I had to.  You are forced to flat fell the front and back rise, and in theory also the yoke (but I did not do that because I think it's stupid.)  The only reason I did the rise is because it's built into the zip instructions and there was no way to not do that.  I did not like the instructions, they were messy and wordy.  I did not like the fly instructions, but I don't recall exactly why.  I survived all these things and got my jeans put together in a flurry.  

 

I put them on and I am so very happy, they are perfect.  I cemented our relationship by taking them on my Europe trip and wearing them nearly every day with my new Kila top.  (The weather was freezing and these were actually the warmest pants I had.)   Not only did I love these but everyone in my knit group loves them, and one other knitter who sews has made herself a pair too!

I did notice that after about the third wash they have shrunk up a bit shorter than I actually really wanted, but it's not too bad.  They will definitely never drag on the ground.  Also it's visible in the photos - that annoying hump at the top of the zip.  I think this is about putting the waistband on straight.  It is suddenly hugely annoying me, mainly because this zip does start to slide down when I'm wearing these and I want to wear them forever and have them be perfect, and that gets in the way of perfection.  So I am going to focus on the top of the zip/waistband sewing on my next pair of jeans and see if I can get it better.  God forbid I have to make another pair of these before the trend fades out.  If I still had any of that linen denim I probably would actually.  But I decided they are too much on their own to use my animal print for. 

My feeling about this pattern company is that they need to decide what their name is, it's weird for one designer to have two brand names, and the nice website for Forest and Thread leading to another seller on etsy makes me feel less trusting of them.  I still want to make the cool two colour jacket but I don't think I would be following this company for updates in general.  

Helen's Closet and the Falconer pants of my jean dreams

 Ok so I had made a pair of Helene jeans and they were great.  Right?  Great?!  I was somehow sad and not satisfied and had to re-evaluate what I really want in a pair of jeans right now.  And I realised that my brain has been snapping up trendy ideas without telling me, and what I really want is some oversized sort of banana shaped jeans like a very expensive pair of L'Agence jeans I tried on not long before.  (They are the Cody Rodeo crop, currently $729 in NZD, how is that for ridiculous?)

 

What to do about this?  Obviously I need to find a new and very different sort of pattern.  I put the idea to my friend Tessa who had just made the Falconer pants, about the day after they came out.  I chewed on the idea.  And I realised with some pocket modifications, and possibly the addition of knee darts, I could largely copy the cool bits of those L'Agence jeans, although I do not have access to pale or heavily stonewashed denim, I could make do.  

I got to work, prepped a size 6, shortened the rise 1" and the length 1" to account for being a short human. 

Increased the size of the pockets quite a bit (I don't now recall just how much) and split them in half for a vertical seam, a la Design Feature.  The pocket is still sewn into the back seam as per the pattern, but the front overlaps the front seam to create something closer to my Vision. 

Got scared off the idea of adding knee darts.  Too much was already happening.  A new pattern, jeans topstitching, the Pockets...in retrospect I do wish for them to break up the expanse of denim, but there's always a next time.  

As I was sewing I applied my pockets in the recommended location to start - about 1" from the waistband.  I wasn't quite sure where I wanted them, other than knowing they would overlap the front seam.  But once I had done one side, including so much beautiful topstitching, I realised that was way too high.  Some deep sighs were made and the seam ripper engaged.  I ended up placing them lower, hoping that's a good spot for me to reach and put lots of things into. 

I have to also specifically comment on the instructions in this pattern.  They were pristine.  This is one of the best created patterns I have used in a long time.  The fit is perfect - exactly as anticipated by the pattern measurements.  I have not used heaps of Helen's Closet patterns, just the Blackwood cardigan, which is great but very narrow in the arms, and the Orchard dress which did in fact fit really stunningly well despite being simple - in those easy patterns I haven't really paid much attention to the greatness of her pattern detailing before.  I might keep a closer eye on her other patterns - I know the Winslow culottes have gotten heaps of love, so something to consider as we get closer to summer.  I am also just now noticing the Ukee shorts might fit all my pattern desires for a pair of Patagonia-like summer shorts...something to think about. 

Anyway here we are: 

 

I had told my Thursday knitting club all about my desire to make these pants, including the L'Agence photos etc.  The ladies in Thursday knit group are older (it meets at 10 am) and we had gotten into an argument about whether one could make jeans that look as good as store bought.  They are a demographic who are largely pretty familiar with their sewing machines even if they no longer sew much.  I had already worn in my new Helene jeans to win this argument, and I followed the discussions by wearing in my new Falconer jeans the following week.  

Not only have I won, but a lady is totally converted and has dusted off her sewing machine and made multiple pairs of her own Helene jeans and Falconer pants since then.  What a great win!! 

I love these pants.  I like the super high waist, the loose fit, the length. The pockets are massive and fit everything.  I don't love my stiff denim and we will see, maybe I'll pumice it up a bit to see if I can get it to soften.  Otherwise I am happy in all ways, for once.  (Except now I want a pair that is full length, and in some pale blue denim....)

The Stretch Dawn Jeans

I had spent quite a bit of time perfecting the Dawn pattern, and it seemed a shame not to capitalise on that. The pattern as is doesn't fit me well in the upper thighs and butt, but I did only give my first pair of Dawn jeans (here!) away to a friend recently, so they have stayed around.  My second pair in yellow was too tight, my third pair in green is amazing but nonstretch denim is just...not always my first choice.  So how about doing them with stretch?  

I used the longer leg pattern pieces and added the crotch and upper thigh adjustments from the Persephone pants that I had used on my yellow and green versions.  Sewing was uneventful and the result was...hm...actually surprisingly roomy.  

Ends up that I do like these, but the ankle length sort of scoots up, catching on my calves as I walk around and they are rather oversized around the butt and thighs, and a bit sloppy looking.  I guess the lesson here is that you need to size down when using a non-stretch pattern to make stretch jeans.  I had long since forgotten that I added room in the calves in the original pair of these, too.  The loose fit hasn't stopped me from wearing these jeans since at the moment they are my only simple me-made ones, but I don't feel like a fashion maven in them, so clearly I need to keep making more jeans until I find the fit that suits me right now.

I don't know where my flat lay photos went!  

These have already gone on to a friend (it's been a busy time for jeans in the past few months) so you will have to do without.

Dreamy starry Helene and a Blomma hack

 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!  

Anna Allen Helene Jeans pattern review

I think I had this pattern from the print shop last August, and the fabric was a splurge from Blackbird Fabrics last year...this is a clear example of the things I wanted to sew Right Now when I fell down the work and travel rabbit hole from October to June!  And oh, they are amazing.  Utterly fantastic.  All the jeans will be Helene jeans from now on.  Except for one more pair of Gingers, because my only pair are starting to fall apart and despite the terrible fit, I have worn them quite a bit with long shirts to hide the waist.

(On which topic, find the high rise Ginger pattern that has gone awol in mine or Tessa's stashes??  Or find a way to add some length to the top of the rise of the midrise pattern?  Also, will I finally suss out how to get rid of the extra fabric in the thighs?  And finally, why do people like those idiot tummy-stay pockets?)

Back on task. 

Made size 4, matches me on the size chart and is what I have usually made with Anna Allen patterns. 

This recycled denim is beautiful to look at but it has an oddly sticky feel at times while sewing.  Not when wearing - it's just fantastic feeling on.

32" inseam, slim straight version - I wanted to do the straight version but for some reason I didn't find the pattern pieces first and had already adjusted this one. 

Shortened rise a mere 1/2" because I compared it to the Persephone pants and the rise is like 2" lower in the front, so I didn't go crazy. 

I did, however, do a different crazy thing when cutting these out.  For some reason I decided I was Done With Leg Twist.  On the Cone Mills website they have a cutting layout to avoid leg twist and I used it.  I don't think that it uses more fabric to do things that way, although it does mean you can't use the selvedge. On which topic - how can you BOTH use the selvedge AND avoid leg twist?? 

(To find this link: Look up Cone Mills prevention of Leg twist and it will download the pdf with a diagram, also via Fashion incubator.)

Topstitching thread is Mara 70.  It's great on many things, but I think I can use heavier topstitching thread when I really want a nice topstitched effect. My Bernina can handle it, and this sort of vanishes into the fabric in places.  Rivets are KATM but I had to order them so they aren't in the pictures. 

The zippers in my stash were Riri "trouser" zips which I do think I bought specifically for this...back in October, in Switzerland, and the zip was a little too short. I made a tactical error of leaving a gap at the top of the zip.  Don't do this!!  The trouser zip is a bit hard to grab and bitey on my fingers, which I will survive, but the 1 cm gap at the top of the pants below the waistband is right where there is a heavy lateral pull anyway, and it worsens drag lines, pocket pulling, and pulls the front belly open.  All bad things. I will have to hand sew a little snap or hook in there.  

 Sorry these photos are rather poor.  I definitely don't think they display that these jeans are amazing.

Putting these together was relatively drama free. The zip fly instructions are not the best.  The Persephone add-on zip fly instructions are much better.  Overall, the Dawn Jeans instructions still win as the best jeans instructions EVER but these are still very good. 

And of course the final exciting shocker: these have the best butt and thigh fit I have ever gotten in any pants.  I read on a review that some people have been sad by how loose their Helenes are compared to the designer's photos.  I did not find this to be true at all.  I know there's all sorts of panty line in my photos, but these are not tight.  The butt and the thighs are supremely comfortable.  I have full range of motion in these, my butt feels lifted and supported, my thighs are cuddled, there's no excess fabric anywhere....it's shocking. 

I still need to do some work on the rise though, I think it's too high and as is always the problem with AA patterns, I can't get my hands into the pockets very easily. I will need to lower, maybe another 1" and then widen the top back up a bit.  It's not as easy as with Philippa pants, where I literally just cut off the top inch of the pattern.

I have dreamy designer fabric and for once I'm enthused to go straight in.  However, I've had thoughts.  I'm doing a different leg version - the straight leg I was more keen on.  And I'll actually size up to 6 but shorten 1.5" from the rise.  Thinking it will be a 30" inseam and I plan to leave the hems raw.  Unfortunately I already cut out all the pattern pieces as a size 4 so I've been a bit slowed by this!