Hello, everyone!
I was directed to post my question here by Threads customer service. I’m trying to find a pattern for classic jeans. By ‘classic’ I mean jeans that sit at the waist (not on the hips) and have a litte room to them.
I’ve looked through all the pattern books at JoAnn’s and searched for patterns online and I’m just not finding what I like. Although I’m confident I can sew a pair of jeans from a pattern, I don’t think I’m adept enough to work a pattern from an existing pair of jeans.
Any suggestions?
Thank you!
Amy
Replies
Take a look at McCall's 9233 Pants Trousers or Jeans, and you decide how loose you want them to fit.
Hope this helps,
Becky
PS sometimes the first picture that the web catalogue shows you doesn't give you all the info on a pattern. You need to look at the details too.
Edited 6/21/2007 8:26 am ET by Becky-book
Thank you!I don't know why I didn't see those when I went through the McCall's catalog. I'll have to go check again.Thanks!Amy
Sandra Betzina has a jeans pattern; http://img.sewingtoday.com/cat/20000/itm_img/V7608.jpg
Hi Amy,
Like Becky-Book (see post 6947.2), I recommend McCalls 9233. I have made all 3 versions, and this has become my go-to pattern when I want a new pair of pants. With minimal adjustments, they fit me perfectly. The jeans sit at the waist, which I like too (I wore hip-huggers in high school, and I'm well past that age and shape now!) The back yoke and 5-pocket style are just like RTW jeans. It's a Palmer & Pletsch pattern, and the directions are easy to follow and include a lot of good tips & tricks.
I've just cut out a pair of pants from this pattern and will start sewing them up in the morning. I'm making the slim fit style, but I increased the leg width about 1" at the ankle. I'm also adding the pocket from the pleated style, so I'll end up with flat front pants with side pockets. And I think I'll do a welt pocket on the back. This is an experiment, because I don't often combine patterns. If it goes well, I'll have a pair of pants just like ones I bought at Talbot's.
Edited 6/21/2007 5:27 pm ET by VKStitcher
Enfanta;Making a new pair of jeans from an old pair is not nearly as hard as you may think. It is, in fact, one of my specialties. Just pay close attention to how the first pair of jeans comes apart, make sure that they were washed prior to ripping apart, starch the pieces that you will use as a pattern and match the grainlines. The dye in your jeans does not fade in the seam allowances so they are really easy to find. The advantage of this is that you know exactly how the jeans should fit, and will fit so there is no guess work in the fitting.If you need help with this, I would be more than happy to help you through it.T.
T.-- Help!I took apart a pair of worn-out jeans and I took careful notes as I went but I still have no idea how to set the zipper!I've been going through all the resources I can to find out how this is done but I guess I'm missing something because I'm still befuddled.What is the sequence for sewing a zipper into a pair of jeans? And am I mistaken in thinking that creating a button fly would be easier next time?many thanks for any assistance you can provide!best,enfanta
Enfanta;Jeans zippers can be the most confusing thing ever, but well worth learning how to do. Here is the process that I use to set a zipper fly, as well as a couple of little tips that I have learned along the way.The Jean fly Zipper consists of 5 parts, the Jean right and left front pockets, the zipper itself, the fly cover (shaped with a curve at the bottom,) and the fly extension (looks like it has a v cut into the bottom.)So, here are the steps that I will follow to construct the fly...1) Sew the zipper fly detail to the left front of your women's jeans (mens will be the opposite construction) I know that they tell you to do this at the end, but unless you have an industrial machine, the lines are never straight, and it always looks amature. Make the full curve on the inside, and just the bottom (curve part) on the outside. The top of the outside curve will be finished in the last step.2) Finish all of the edges of your pattern pieces to prevent fraying.3) Fold the Fly Extension in half, wrong sides together, and press.4) Place the R front side of the zipper on the R Front jean panel, right sides together, and top with the folded Fly Extension, point down along the seam line. Sew a 5/8" seam.5) You should now have a little jean sandwich with the zipper sewn between the R Front panel and the zipper extension. 6) Now fold the R front Panel of the jean back, and you should be looking at the right sides of everything. Press the jean panel back, and top stitch with a 1/8" seam allowance, or as close as you can to the edge, stopping before the zipper stop. Clip to the seam allowance at the bottom of the topstitching line so that you can flatten the rest of the seam allowance. 7) Place the fly cover on the L front Jean panel, right sides together, and sew a 2/8" seam. Turn, press, and topstitch.8) At this point, the zipper is only attached to the R front of the jean, this is okay.9) Place the R Front panel and the L Front panel, wrong sides together, and stitch a 5/8 inch seam. Press the seam towards the right front panel, trim 3/8" from the R front panel edge. Fold the L front seam allowance under the R Front seam allowance and topstitch to make a welt seam. If you are unfamiliar with this seam technique, just practice it once or twice, and the technique will become clear. 10) When you are topstitching your welt seam, be sure to line it up with the stitching on your L front side, and stitch it just about 1/3" past your zipper stop. Tack this well.11) Close the Zipper, and pin the whole assembly closed and flat. Make sure to line up the front seams so that the zipper now looks finished.12) Mark the Left edge of the Zipper on the inside of the zipper fly cover. Use this line as a guide for the rest of your Zipper placement.13) Remove your pins from the front of your jeans, and pin the L side of the zipper to the zipper fly cover along your marked line. sew a 5/8" seam here. Your zipper is now attached to both sides of the jean.14) Re-set the front of the jean lines, and pin the Zipper Extension to the zipper and Zipper Fly Cover, once again making a zipper sandwich, making sure that the front of the jeans are flat and straight. Run a 3/8" seam through all three thicknesses. Your zipper is now attached to both sides of the jeans, but is very loose, because it is not attached to the L front panel of the jeans.15) With the zipper closed, set the front of the jeans, and pin the L side through all thicknesses. Finish your Fly detail here (the outside curve that was left in step one) sewing through all thicknesses.16) Bar tack on the curve and at the bottom of the fly to reinforce your stitching, and you are done.I hope that this will help you, or someone else. I apologize that my instructions are not always clear, if there is anything that you require further help with, please do not hesitate to ask.T.
Thank you!I've printed out your instructions and I will throw myself into the fray once more!best,amy
Enfanta;You are most welcome. pay close attention to the seam allowances I noted, they are there to accommodate the welt seam. It may be helpful to read through the instructions with a finished pair of jeans in front of you for reference. Following that, you may wish to practice a couple of times on scrap fabric just to get the feel of how it is done before you cut an entire jean panel.Good luck, and happy sewingT.
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