Friday, October 26, 2012

J Stern Jeans

I tried to over expose this dark pic....

Inner leg seam that was flat felled.  This is after one wash.

Husband said to suck it in! (ha)

Back of the jeans.

UPDATE:  I forgot some information that is handy.  Jennifer Stern recommends washing and drying your yardage 5 times before cutting out. This really made sure the jeans were going to fit later. Also, she mentioned AK fabrics for denim out of NY and even though this pair is not from there, I have bought 8 yards of denim and loved every one.  Their medium weight is heavier than what you might think.



I went to the ASG convention in Houston back in August.  I took Jennifer Stern's all day jeans fitting class. I have also been making some Jalie Jeans too. (total 6 pair)
Jalie fits me pretty good out of the envelop like most people. My thighs are a little large for Jalie and I added the J Stern fit issue to that pattern.

 So, here are my fit changes:

Regular rise adjustment: Added 1 inch to front and back pattern piece.
Crotch length adjustment: Cut the lengthen/shorten crotch length line all the way across and pulled the top of this pattern 1/2 inch to the back (or side seam).
Crooked side seam adjustment: My thighs are a bit thick, so we added 1/2 inch to the front side seam and it made the pulling of the side seam on my leg straighten (yay!)>
Yoke: We pleated out the fullness with tiny darts and adjusted that pattern piece.

These jeans run small and they are designed for non-stretch denim.  I went up 2 sizes from my measurements. The above jeans are stretch and I just took them in 1/2 inch on both sides.

What I really like about this pattern are the amazing instructions. It also has cute pocket flaps. She has 3 different seam allowances. 3/8th for things like the pockets. 1/2 inch seam allowances throughout most of the pattern.  This is super for making wider parallel top stitching. She uses 3/4 inch seam allowances at the yoke and the inner leg to accommodate the flat fell seam in those places.  I have added those design changes to my Jalie pattern. She also has a contoured waist band or straight if you prefer. She even tells you how long to make the stitch length for top stitching. Back pocket location instructions include how far from the yoke on the inner pocket corner and outer pocket corner for placement.  I wish all pattern makers would give inch information on placements and rectangular pieces (like Burda WOF).
My absolute favorite aspect of these jeans are the leg.  I have tried making a Jalie/J Stern frankenpatterns with what I like best of each.  I am still going with 2 separate pairs.

My timesaver: No double needle and I used regular thread.  I lengthened the stitch (topstitching) to 4.5 and I used a double stitch on my Viking.

There you have it!

Claire

4 comments:

  1. Thanks Shirley Ann! It is nice to finally figure out jeans making in general. Last year, I did not have a single pair that I made that worked out in the fit category.

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    1. It's such a relief to be able to make jeans that fit. I love my Jalie jeans and plan on making more. I wish I could take a jeans fitting class; maybe one day I can. Now that I make a pair of jeans that fit me better than what I can find in a store, I don't even bother looking anymore. Besides, there is no way I'm going to pay a lot of money for something I can make for a lot less. I guess that is typical of anyone who sews clothing. :)

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  2. These look great on you! Great job!
    :)

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