Sewing my Ginger jeans by Closet Core patterns

My first blog post is also my first handmade pair of jeans.  It’s taken over a year of sewing for me to work up the courage to attempt sewing jeans. I have wanted to make my own jeans for a while as my ready to wear pairs are falling apart and I find it really hard to find jeans that fit well. I was put off though by the idea of selecting the right denim, fitting the jeans and the technical business of inserting the fly front zipper, topstitching the denim and the rest.

However, I am very happy to report that the whole process was much more straightforward than I expected. 

I chose the ginger jeans pattern by Closet Core patterns (previously known as Closet Core patterns). It was a toss up between the gingers and the ash jeans by Megan Nielsen. They are both designed for stretch denim and I’ve heard a lot of good things about both patterns. I plumped for the gingers in the end as they offer a lower rise option and this is the style I prefer to wear.

Fabric

Closet Core has made a fantastic sewalong for the ginger jeans (link here) and this includes a section on choosing denim. Closet Core recommends choosing denim with a weight of 7-12oz and at least 2% lycra. 

I had a good look around and in the end decided on some 11oz denim with 2% lycra from Guthrie-Ghani.  It is really nice quality although it has a little less stretch than most of my pairs of ready to wear jeans.  I think next time I might try a slightly lighter weight denim with a bit more stretch.

Pattern

I have made a few Closet Core patterns now and I find their instructions very clear and comprehensive.  The ginger jeans pattern is no different.  The pattern really breaks down the individual steps of making the jeans into bite size pieces.  The whole process is not too daunting.  Really each step is pretty straightforward, even the fly front zipper.  There are just quite a few of them! 

As I mentioned above, I would also really recommend referencing the online sewalong as you work through the steps.  It really complements the printed pattern.

Sizing and alterations

My measurements are waist 27″ hips 36″ so I chose size 6 of the pattern as this matched my measurements.  I opted for a mixture of version A (low rise) and version B (skinny leg).

Once I had cut out my pieces, I basted them together as Closet Core advise.  The jeans came up a little loose in the hips/legs.  The major issue for me though was a large gaping at the waist at the back, as I have a sway back. 

I made the following adjustments:

1. I adjusted the yoke pieces (I added the equivalent of a dart at the centre back between the yoke pieces, to size in towards the waistband) and waistband (I took in the centre back and also made a small dart at each side) to hug my back better.
2. I used a seam allowance of 2cm (instead of 1.5cm per the pattern) for both the side and inseams of the jeans.

It’s worth noting that the Closet Core sewalong covers a whole host of jeans adjustments and is really helpful in diagnosing fit issues too.

My tips and recommendations

Basting – My biggest recommendation for the ginger jeans is to take the time to baste the jeans together at the points the pattern recommends.  It is time consuming but really helps to ensure you have a chance to adjust and get the right fit.  When I basted I also trialed a waistband with cotton facing and found this was too rigid for my personal taste.  I ended up using denim for the facing (and did not interface it) and it is nice and comfy that way. 

Cutting out – Also I took my time at the cutting stage, laying out the leg pattern pieces on the denim to minimize leg twisting.  I followed the notes from the Closet Core sewalong and was very careful in aligning the jeans with the grainline and in placing the pattern pieces the correct way up on the fabric (i.e. matching leg front and back cut the same way up on the fabric).

Topstitching – I chose a classic gold topstitching thread for my gingers as I wanted to practice topstitching.  Really the topstitching was not too bad and my pfaff and its jeans needle did a sterling job at working through the thicker parts of the fabric.  One great tip I found was from the amazing Emma @thezipperfoot.  For bar tacks and the buttonhole (areas that can be tricky using topstitching thread), Emma recommended using standard thread that matches your topstitching thread.  Such a fab tip!

Jeans hardware – I used my prym vario pliers to attach the jeans button and rivets.  I thought it would be tricky but it was really straightforward, so don’t let it put you off.

Summary

If you want to make your own jeans, the ginger jeans pattern is a great pattern with plenty of online resources to hold your hand through the process. It isn’t as tricky as you might think but it is more time consuming than the average sew. I’ll definitely be making more pairs and I’m tempted to try the ash jeans next.