Jalie Jeans #4 - From Contour Waist through Rivets to Completion!

Everyone who has raved about this pattern was right!  I have a (nearly) perfectly fitting pair of Jeans!

Back to where we left off, which was the completed zipper.  I did things a little off from the instructions, just because I wanted to be able to do a fitting before adding the back yoke (which is one of the first steps in the instructions).  I was prepared for a gaposis issue, and sure enough, I had it.  I took the CB seam in a bit, including the CB of the yoke, before attaching it.

Next came the topstitching.   I treated these jeans as my "test lab" for which feet to use where while topstitching on a vintage straight stitch.....and I still don't have the magic solution, but I am getting better!  One problem I have is my inherent frugality - I'm STILL using the old style foot pedals on all my vintage machines, and I REALLY need to upgrade, so that I can have better speed control.

I tried using the zipper foot (moved as far over to the right as possible in this pic, with the foot edge butted up next to the folded edge of the fabric - here I'm attaching the yoke to the back).   This worked OK for a stitch really close to the edge, but with no foot flattening the fabric as you sew, it's less than ideal:

 For the second row I tried using a quilting foot.  With a little practice, this could give a nice straight line.

I love my original, open-toe foot :) :) :).   As long as my first line is straight, this one works well.

Leg & CB seams - stitched, then serged (with blade up), then pressed to one side for topstitching.

Trying to use the zipper foot for the second row of stitching = pretty much a fail!

~For some odd reason, I'm reminded of an old Norwegian ski instructor, whose words (when I was whining about my old wooden found-in-the-garage skis) are still burned into my brain: "Is not the skis, is the skier!"~

All Topstitched!

Belt Loops too!  (folded in thirds, per instructions).   I used Tacky Glue to hold them place - I'm now totally sold on glue as an essential sewing notion!

 Gaposis Darts added in the yoke (I'll transfer this to the yoke pattern piece, & cut & curve at the pattern level for the next pair):

Don't forget to staystich all around the top edges, if you haven't done this already!  Here's the last bit of topstitching down the sides, from waist to hip:

And now it's time to fit the waistband.  This step, I'll say flat out, was the worst part of the whole process for me!   I knew I was going to want a contoured band.   Most sewists who did this said something like "I used the contour band from my favorite ______ pattern".   OK.   But but but....I don't have a favorite pattern!  I even dug through all of my unused patterns, & didn't have a single pattern with a real contoured waistband!   Not only that, I couldn't find any thorough instructions in any of my books.  Yeesh, why do I keep coming with these seemingly simple ideas that I can't find help for?   

So I plowed ahead, using the info I had gathered, & hoped for the best.   Unfortunately, I did this late at night.  (See my previous post, for the giggles on that fiasco!)

Anyway, I started by basting on a straight waistband (cut on the cross grain):

Once I established markers for the length (note that the sides will be slightly different lengths, to accommodate for the zipper area), I muddled through my attempt at an appropriate curve, with more curve in the back area, straightening out in the front.  I decided to have only seam, at CB, and place my CF ends on the grain, so that the curve in back would be on a bit of a bias.

OK.   Here's a do as I say, not as I did, example.  See how totally, utterly, completely wonky & uneven those edges are?   I mean, really, who cuts out pattern pieces that look like that????   

I plead midnight madness.

Do not sew after midnight.

I'm printing that out & putting it on the wall in my sewing room.  

 Waistband & Facing sewn together, still with wonky edges, & still I forged ahead & stitched it onto the pants  :(

RS of Waistband Facing stitched to WS of pants, RS of Waistband folded over 3/8" & pressed:

Next morning I unstitched (most of) it. :(

Lessons Learned:  There is no room for error in the pattern making & fabric cutting for a waistband that is going to be topstitched, with stitching showing on both sides.   1/16" off in the cutting will pretty much guarantee a 1/4" wonk in your stitching line later!    A wavy cutting line....well, let's just say I refused to even take pictures of the results.   Yup, that bad :(

   After staring at my partially unpicked work for awhile, I realized that if I completely removed the waistband, the edge of the pants would be unraveled dangerously close to the staystitching.   I decided to leave the facing stitched on, & just do my best to even up the denim portion before I stitched it.

 Band folded over, & raw edge folded & pressed & carefully measured to be an equal width for the entire length of the band:

This time I glued that puppy down!   I tried a glue stick at first, but this didn't hold the denim, so I went back to using Tacky Glue, which worked perfectly!  

For this step I used the measuring arm on the quilting foot - worked like a dream!  Oh yeah, I also switched out the bobbin thread from navy to white, so the inside work (which I already knew was not going to be ideal) wouldn't jump out & shout at anyone who happens to see it.

The end result:  OK on the outside, not so great inside, but much better than my first attempt, so I'll call it progress :)

Stitched up the belt loops:

And it's time for Rivets!   I did mention earlier to buy extras, right?   For practice - if you've never done them before, I highly recommend a practice session!

Tools Needed:

• Hammer
• Strong (like steel), Smooth surface
• Nail or Awl or Nail Punch
• Tin Snips or very strong wire cutters
• Rivets (2 pieces for each rivet)

Step One (after practicing, of course!) -  Punch a hole through all layers of your fabric:

Step Two - Make sure the pin section is the right size (i.e., not too long) for the thickness of your fabric.  Once the pin is inserted through your fabric, there should be LESS than 1/8" exposed. One method recommends punching a hole through as many layers of fabric it takes to get the thickness you need, then inserting the pin through the hole & trimming around the pin head.

Once inserted into your fabric, it looks like this.  The potential for it fraying down to nothing is too great, imho, so I abandoned this method.

Here is an untrimmed pin showing through the pocket edge:

My old rusty (but still effective!) metal snips, ready to do their job!   Wear protective glasses, or at least close your eyes, for that final snip!  (You did practice, right?   So you know how much to snip off?  It's probably more than you think, for a nice, tight, rivet.........just sayin'......)

The back of the pin:

Oops, I don't have pictures of the pounding process!   I'll add some later - it's too dark right now.  In words:  position the head of the rivet onto the pin, turn everything over so the rivet head is facing down, on top of your strong, smooth steel plate or equivalent (I just used a flat garden tool - worked well!), & give it a tap with your hammer to set it.  Once you know everything is positioned evenly, give it a few pounds (it doesn't take a lot of force...it's more important to try to land your hammer flat on the pin head.

And....

Voila!   Rivets :)

I used a rivet/button thingy as well - the same process is used to set the button.

I'll add some more pics of me wearing the jeans when The Photographer shows up (& maybe after I procure a pair of Spanx? - they fit great, but they are snug!)

General Notes (mostly for me):

• Contour the waistband a bit more - maybe place the CB on the grain instead of CF.  
• Could lower the front waist another 1/2"  
• Raise the back pockets - they seem to sit a little low.
• Make the front pockets a little bit wider - extend the opening more towards the center.

Bottom Line on this pattern:  Who knew that a pair of snug fitting jeans could be SO comfortable!!!!   Really! When I put them on for the final fit check I didn't take them off until bedtime - how good a sign is that? :D 

Note:  I'm standing on a slope here - the waist isn't really slanted like that!

Now this is what I call a boot cut jean!

Hmmmm..... my sedentary Spring is beginning to show repercussions :(

The End :)

Jalie Jeans #3 - The Zipper & the Fly (WooHoo!)

What can I say to convince any of you zipper-phobes out there that this can really be easy?!  I've installed fly zips before, (in a past sewing life), but, as with most sewing related techniques these days, it's like it's all brand new to me.

I cut out 3 sets of jeans fronts to practice on, but after the second one, I was confident and ready to go!   I totally credit  Debbie Cook's Fly Front Tutorial, and Peter at MPB's Excellent Instructions for making it so easy!   I started by practicing Debbie's method (which really simplifies the process), and then followed Peter's instructions (which add a number of helpful details).  I took a bit of what worked best for me from each, then added a few tidbits of my own.

In short, I mostly followed Peter's instructions, but the whole process was made MUCH easier for me by adding  Debbie's steps of basting the fronts together & using tape to hold the zipper in place  (These are brilliant timesavers & results producers, IMHO!)

In the end, I did goof.   All three times.   But I finally understood my goof, with 20-20 hindsight.  (more on this later, on the zipper shield section).  And in spite of this, I'm pretty happy with the results!

My combo method, in Pictures:

Mark the Fly Extension Dot on both sides of both fronts - you'll be looking for it later!   Interface both fly extensions, and serge the edges of the LEFT fly extension.  (Note:  I serged both extensions, but finally realized that it isn't necessary to finish the edge on the right extension; this will be cut off later).  With RS together, baste from waist to dot, and stitch from Dot to Crotch point.

Open the basted fly extension seam and press (I press from both sides).

Topstitch close to the edge of the LEFT fly extension, from waist to dot. 

Add a strip of tape (Debbie recommends Wonder Tape - all I had was Steam-a-seam, which was OK - flimsy, but OK.  I'm sure the Wonder Tape is stronger) to each side of the zipper, from the bottom zip stop to the waist.  Leave the protective tape strip on.

Place the zipper front side down, onto the Right Fly Extension, with the left edge of the zipper (as you are looking at it) aligned with the basted seam, and the bottom of the zipper stop about 3/8" above the dot.  (you DID mark that dot, right?) Remove the protective tape from the right side of the zip, and finger press it into place  (You want the zipper to end above the dot, so that you won't be sewing through any metal zipper bits when you do your topstitching)

Fold the left pants front out of the way - you will be stitching the zipper onto the Fly Extension only.   (If you're like me, you will forget & stitch through all of the layers at least once - that's what unpickers are for, right?....).  With a zipper foot, stitch one row close to the zipper coils, then, for stability, stitch another row close to the edge of the zipper tape.

This is the step where that basted seam really helps out!   Pull your zipper to the left as far as it will go without moving that basted seam over, and smooth the left side of the zip into place over the left fly extension.   Make sure there aren't any puckers (especially at the zipper stop end), remove the protective tape from your Wonder Tape, and finger press into place.  Fold the pants front out of the way, and stitch the zipper to the Fly Extension, the same way you did the other half of the zip (one row of stitching near the coils, another row near the zipper edge)  (You can get by with only one row of stitching here, down the center of the zipper tape)

Make a Template for your topstitching.  A good width is 1" from the center seam for the first row of stitching, 1-1/4" for the next row.  The bottom of your topstitching should end at the dot (remember that dot?  The one that you marked on both sides of the fabric?)

Stitch through all layers - go carefully when you're getting near the zipper coils at the bottom!  (and make SURE you aren't stitching over the zipper stop)

Now it's time for the zipper guard.   I wanted to use my cotton lining fabric, & since it's a bit thin, I reinforced one side with some interfacing.   The guard is folded in half, WS together; however, I wanted a finished edge look so I chose to first fold RS together, round off the bottom edge with stitching,  and then turn it.   (My camera battery died here, so I missed a few detail shots of inserting the zipper guard - I wasn't about to stop sewing & wait for a camera!)

OK, here's where you do as I (now) say, not what I did.  The zip guard should be aligned with the right edge of the zipper tape, then you serge (or stitch) the edge, from waist to the bottom of the guard.  I placed my guard too far to the right, & even though I did this on every test zip, & knew there was something off about the bottom end, I didn't 'get it' until reading Peter's instructions for the umpteenth time....& there it was in black & white.  Once the guard is sewn on, flip your garment to the right side, and reinforce the top stitching just below the zipper, and on the curve, through all layers to secure the zipper guard.  I don't think there's a perfect spot for this reinforcement, or bar-tacking - I noticed that every brand of jeans I have places this reinforcement in a slightly different spot.

The above shows what happens when your zipper guard isn't aligned with the edge of the zipper tape.  I've stabilized it, & it's sturdy enough, but I learned my lesson!  ( hope.....)

Inside View:

Errrmmmm....what can I say about this next shot.....my next attempt will be prettier?  The woggly line in the center of the guard is the zipper top stitching (stitched from the other side), caused by trying to get the foot stuffed into the very bottom of the fly.   Gotta be a better way!  The wiggly bit at the bottom right is due to my goof on the zipper guard placement:

Fold the crotch seam to one side, press, and topstitch....and.....

It's Done!!!!   In spite of my zipper guard foible, I'm very happy with the results :^).

Back to the sewing room for the next step - with a little luck, I'll finish today!

Jalie Jeans #2 - Fitting that Rise & the Front Pockets

Jalie Jeans 2908, continued.... The Rise!

High Rise, Low Rise, Mid Rise, Mid Hi Rise, Lo Low Rise - the heck with all that, what's MY Rise???   This step, along with the waistband, is what gave me the most angst about cutting into my fabric.  I know where I want my waistband (the top sitting just below my natural waist in front), but how to ensure that my new jeans will sit where I want them?  Finally, after (of course) even more research, I determined that neither the low rise nor the mid rise on this pattern was going to work for me.   Lots of people said the mid rise is really high, but for others it was perfect.   One thing that sewists of this pattern generally agreed on is that the butt coverage is pretty good for both rises.   (ymmv, of course).   Some were fine with the waistband as is (straight band, cut on the bias), others thought it was a fitting nightmare, & cut the band on the crossgrain, others decided that a curved band was the only way to go.

Bottom line:  know your own body, and compare the pattern pieces to a pair of jeans with the rise you want!  As far as starting size, I used my hip size - most people found this pattern to be a very good fit with a minimal of adjustments.   On many different body types, no less!....do we have a "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" thing going on here, maybe???  hmmmm........ food for thought....

I ended up deciding that MY rise was right in between the two views.   The mid rise was definitely a HIGH rise (i.e., "Mom Jeans"), but no one would want to see my body in the low rise (including me!)   I have a very short waist to crotch, which requires an alteration in most pants - this is my RTW pants nightmare.   Anyway, in my naivete, I figured I'd just cut my pieces about 2/3 up from the low rise view,  & I'd have my altered pieces.   I quickly realized that it wasn't going to be quite that simple - there are, after all, pieces that wouldn't quite match up if I just did a simple 'cut one edge' alteration, & grain lines that need to be addressed, so there was a bit of fiddling involved.   Believe me, I still have a LOT to learn about pattern adjustments!

As an example, if you biggify this pic of the Front Pocket Yoke, you can (hopefully) see both View A low rise (the lower piece), View B mid rise (directly on top of the denim) and my alteration (outlined in red).  You may be able to tell that it was tilted a bit, along with cutting in between the 2 originals.  Later I lined up ALL of the pocket pieces & front pants pieces, to make sure that the notches & edges matched, AND that the grainlines on all of the pieces lined up.

Here's the pant front; from top of the pic to bottom:  View B, my altered piece, and View A.  It looks sort of straight forward in the pic, but the pocket lines & the top lines are a bit different on each piece, so there is a small bit of futzing involved.   Again, lining up this piece to all of your pocket pieces is the trick.   And, of course, making sure the front sides will match the back sides!

Showing the altered yoke & lining pieces - note the adjusted grain line - it's minor, but hey, I'm very loose & relaxed about a lot of things in life, but the grain line isn't one of them!  ;^D

I used the same process for the back yoke (sorry, no pics of that).   My intention is to take some darts in the yoke for this pair, & after everything is put together, I'll deal with creating a curved waistband.   

And now, it's time for more fun stuff!   OK, maybe some people think the pattern alteration stuff is fun, but frankly, I'd rather be sewing!   I used a nice quality cotton shirting for my pocket linings (I'll also be using this for the zipper guard & the waistband lining).  I wanted my pockets to have finished seams inside & out,  so (after stitching WS of pocket yoke to RS of pocket lining) I stitched the edges of the pocket facing to the pocket lining, WS together,  stitching 1/8" from edge.   Then turn the pocket RS together, press, & stitch again 1/4" from the edge.  You now have nicely stitched French Seams on your pocket edges :)

left side has first stitching done

left side still with one stitching, right side has been stitched, turned, and stitched again

(Note:  pardon my odd watermarks...I'm still figuring out how to do them!)

I found the next step to be just a little bit tricky, just because I rely on pictures a lot, & the pattern pictures confused me a bit.  Just make sure you have the appropriate sides together before you stitch.  Turn the pocket inside out, then stitch the RS of pocket facing to the RS of the jeans front.

Turn, Press, Topstitch, Voila!

Next up - More Fun!!!   The Zipper!!!!  :D  I've done a couple of practice zips, & honestly, there is nothing to fear here - I'll be doing the real deal tonight.   BTW, I quickly basted the legs together to check the fit, & it's looking good so far!