Well this isn’t going to be a long post (good news for you, huh?). But I just wanted to show you my finished black jeans. As you probably know, I have been watching Angela Wolf’s Craftsy course, Sewing Designer Jeans, and Sandra Betzina’s Craftsy course, Pant Fitting Techniques. I used Sandra Betzina’s Vogue pattern V2948 with some modifications posted about here, here, and here.
I have finished attaching the curved waistband, attaching the belt carriers (loops) at the same time, and have done more topstitching.
As usual, my spool of topstitching thread ran out before the garment was finished! Luckily, this time, I did have white topstitching thread at home!
I decided to understitch my waistband and hand sew my pocket linings to the centre front seams of my pants to make sure they always stay in place when I put my hand in and pull it out.
Finished front…
Finished back…
One thing I did not like was the quality of the Jeans Buttons I purchased. At first I couldn’t push the posts on hard enough to break through the fabric, then when I did manage to hammer it through, it bent the bottom fastener and now I am not sure my button will stay attached. Maybe it will last? I am going to practice attaching Jeans Buttons some more with my scrap fabric, just in case it was me, but in the meantime I won’t be putting on any more Jeans Buttons, or Rivets, on what I sew until I get this straightened out.
Another thing, with this black pair of jeans, I found the black denim to be too light weight to be a proper pair of jeans, so I cut 8 inches off the legs and turned them into Capris for the summer! A happy solution!
Me in my new black denim Capris!
This is me getting ready to step out into the sunshine for a lovely walk on the beach. Not happening! I might be dressed for a sunny walk, but its RAINING out there!
Back to my sewing, I am almost finished my blue pair. I’ll post about them when I am finished. I am still determined to make a black pair of jeans too, so I am on the look out for proper cotton lycra fabric!
Happy Sewing!
26 Responses to “One down, one to go!”
They look so good! I have a question – did you use a different kind of thread for the topstitching? Also, the topstiching looks great and really original. I can’t wait to see the blue pair.
Thanks for the compliments! Yes, I purchased thread specifically called “topstitching” thread. It is thicker and therefore you need size 14 or 16 needles, with a bigger hole. But I bought “topstitching” sewing needles too and used those for these jeans. I also bought “denim” needles but I didn’t see much difference between the topstitching and the denim needles, maybe my denim wasn’t THAT heavyweight. I have heard that you can use two spools of regular thread for topstitching, to save you having to buy something new. But I haven’t tried that myself.
Looks like those Craftsy classes are very helpful – your jeans look gorgeous and the topstitching is very neat. So far I have only used sew on metal buttons for my jeans, I’m afraid of all that hardware, but I did use hammer on snaps on a project once.
Thank you! On this lighter denim, I might have to go back to a sew on button. My second pair i am making is heavier though, so I might be safe using a proper jeans button and a hammer! 🙂 I am determined! I’ve gotten some tips from other bloggers so…. Thank you for hosting Sew It Chic!
They look fantastic! It’s a shame the weather wasn’t cooperating but it must be lovely to be able to wear them out and about after the time and care you took with them.
Thank you! Like with everything (cooking, crafts, etc.) if you do it yourself, handmade, from scratch, it is even more special!