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....)

Helene - back in the jeans game

 Third pair of Helene Jeans

Second with the exact same fabric - I had enough left to make a second pair in this really lovely recycled denim from Blackbird Fabrics that I bought last year.  Wasn't entirely happy with the zipper situation in the first pair, and the waistband was a bit tight.  So I passed them to a friend who fit them nicely. 

Learning from my second pair, which were done in a size 6.  They are roomy - but not oversized - and very cool.

I used the slim straight leg pattern, length 30" (not 32 as I had previously thought) base size 4, but went to size 6 for the yoke and waistband. Shortened 2" in the crotch height, and took a tiny wedge from the front crotch to see if that would remove the wrinkles that always collect there.

No dramas sewing these jeans!  And they fit great.  Initially I was uncertain. Seemed my modification at the front created a weird camel toe, but I think with wear they have settled and it is not too prominent.  However I have a perfect crotch on the modified Dawn jeans pattern I have perfected, so I might apply that front crotch to these jeans and see if I can actually get the Perfect Jeans. 

 

But, as I was trying them on I realised a thing, which is that classic clothes are great and necessary, and a style like this is pretty classic, but all of a sudden it's not *stylish* and I want something else.  So I have been sniffing out what it is that I Want Right Now so I can make that too.

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.

High waisted Ginger jeans, a review

So, I have gotten in to the habit of making "themes" with my jeans. These were to be the jungle jeans, with the cute animal print pockets and a matching colour scheme.  But I had some irritations along the way, and by the end I was not very enthusiastic about these.  Certainly didn't help that when I pulled them on sans waistband they were way too snug.

 But to start from the beginning 

I've made the low waisted Gingers a number of times. Always using really hyperstretchy fabrics, borderline jeggings style, and they have always opened up to a horrific gaping waist.  I expected this pattern to be the magic fix.  I compared the fit of the pattern pieces and they are the same.  I made size 4, and based on how much fabric I had bagging up on my legs, I shortened the fit: 1 cm at the rise, 1 cm at the mid-upper thigh, and 1" off the hem.  

This is pretty normal stretch denim - it has some stretch, but you aren't going to do yoga in it. 

So when I got to that try on phase and I couldn't get the jeans on: 

I opened up the side seams another 3/8" which has improved the fit enough that I can get them onto my body, but overall I think they don't have a good butt fit - looks like a bubble butt, and despite the marked pocket location being ok on previous versions these are way too low.  I've never had a pair of jeans I put on and thought were actually completely unwearable, so this was really a blow.  I guess the ultra-stretchy fabrics I was previously using made a huge difference.  It may also be that the snugger fit makes the butt fit look worse.  Since before they were loose in that area I think it sat differently.  

 Excuse some of the colours in the photos, I overexposed them in various ways so you could actually see the jeans.

 

 So, I'm actually going to make another pair of Gingers. The low waisted Gingers.  In another very light, stretchy denim. I think if I narrow them towards the waist by shrinking the yoke and removing a wedge from the front waist I might be able to get a better waistband fit.  I also noticed when I read through my blog that I did a wide quads and a wide calf adjustment. I'm not sure why I didn't notice these since I had the pattern pieces out - you just slash through the middle of the pattern piece vertically, and spread it open like a fishtail dart.  It is probably hard to replicate precisely the same each time since it's not taped into position.  They wouldn't have made these jeans a success but I might have fit into them a bit better if I had realised and added that adjustment.