The Elusive Sewing Project: Skinny Jeans

What makes sewing jeans difficult, scary, and unthinkable?  I can think of a lot of things…patterns for one. Will all that effort feel wasted if the jeans don’t fit? Yes. This happens all the time though, so why are jeans not sewn more often. (besides the fact that there are fewer patterns available for sewing jeans) What if more people did it? would more people try it and it would become just like any garment sewing? Think about it this way: any sewing skill or project is unfamiliar at first. But when we notice other seamstresses sewing things, we feel encouraged and try it, too. Then they blog and post tutorials, sew alongs, and what not about the new experience. This is how many people get going on sewing shirred tops or sewing with knits, and how we get better at techniques, such as gathering, buttonholes, or zippers. This is how we are eased out of our comfort zones.

I’ve sewn many pants, zippers, and even pants with zippers…so why have I not try sewing jeans? I am on this new kick to sew what we love to wear, not necessarily what is easy for me to sew. I’ve come a long way with knits–we all wear t-shirts almost exclusively in this house, and now we are sportin’ some fine quality tees, imho. Keeping us in sustainable fashion. We’ve saved $ on some basics as well: yoga pants, compression shorts, modesty shorts for under skirts and dresses, camisoles, and yes, even underwear (even my teen son is wearing his handmade unders).

For the past couple of years it has been so difficult and time consuming to find jeans that fit my youngest. The coveted skinny jeans are designed for skinny minnies or just awkward fitting. Who knows? To get a good, not so tight fit in the bum, the waist and length are way off. Though we have found a brand that fit well (thank you, Levis, the original creator of jeans, and still realistic fitting), it got me thinking that I should be doing this. She’ll wear them, I think. Well, she’ll wear them if they look and fit good.

So I went to my good friend for advice and information on how where to begin…the internet. There’s not much out there that I could see. I have not found a “how to” photo tutorial or sew along that is easy to follow, concise and complete. Maybe it’s just me, but some blogs are difficult to navigate or take time to find all the posts in a series. I did see a post on pattern review that said there is a jeans sew along, but after going through 15 pages of posts, I gave up looking for it. There are a few sewing video tutorials  that look great, but they want money (craftsy has one that teaches the reverse engineering method with Kenneth King teaching–and it looks good). Which is fine, but I don’t feel I need help with every step, so I hesitate spending money on them. After all, I have made pants with front zippers before (a looong time ago–when I easily fit a size 3/4)

But I want to do this. Badly. She needs pants in a bad way (and I can’t keep the few pairs clean fast enough–I’m just not that good at being a house wife). Plus at $20-30 a pair on sale, I’m not really feeling the love there. It’s also pretty uncouth to wear the same exact pair (style, color, make) everyday (it’s starting to look like she owns only 1 pair and just wears them  everyday).

So what are some of the obstacles?

Pattern–need a good fitting, reliable pattern

Denim is thick, thick, thick…I have a strong fear of needles breaking. Gives me the chills thinking about it.

All that top stitching. Now I love top stitching–I over do it sometimes. But to top stitch over all those layers of that thick denim–scary!

It seems hard to make them look “ready to wear” like the kind in the stores–you know “professional.” No tween wants to wear “homemade” looking clothes–so old fashioned; that’s, well, completely uncool.

Oh, and that zipper fly. (no need to elaborate)

I think my list could go on and on, which starts me re-thinking the project and $25 is looking like a better deal after all. But I am strong willed person. I don’t like social injustice (which the fashion industry and clothing manufacturers are marinating in), and I don’t like to believe I should give something up without trying.

So here’s my thoughts in moving forward…I have a pattern that I think I can trust to be decent (Ottobre). I’m going to do my first attempt in a stretch corduroy fabric. It’s a little less thick and can be easily sewn into skinny jeans style. AND my kiddo is not afraid to wear color 🙂  If all goes well, I think I will attempt a denim pair.

So I will document my adventure into elusive sewing land here. I will do my best to show pictures of every step, and promise not to delete any posts if the sewing project goes south. I will own it: the good, the bad, or the ugly. Whatever it may be.

Here is a sneak peek at the project plan:

~Erin

Sewing for Petites

Okay, I’m short. And I don’t like fitted tees. I like a little roominess there. Unfortunately for me, it’s hard to find that nowadays. T-shirts in my size are too fitted for my taste, and the shirts that are a bit looser fitting have ginormous shoulder widths, and the shirt hangs on me like a bad …well, it just looks sloppy, awful, and very sad. Patterns sometimes aren’t much better, but at least I have some control. I can adjust the width of the bodice, without adding more to the width shoulder seam. Or in this case, I found a bust and waist width I like, so I am making the shoulder seam shorter, thus narrowing the shoulder width, to fit me exactly. Which I think is easier to do than to add width to the bust/waist.

How to Adjust a Shoulder Width on a Pattern to Be Narrower

Step 1: First determine how much you want to narrow the shoulder width by. Measure along the top of your shoulder, to determine how wide you want your shirt’s shoulder seam to be, and compare it to the pattern.

Step2: On the bodice front: Make a mark 1 ½ inches to 2 inches in from side along shoulder.

Step 3: Make another mark about 1/3 to ½ the way down the armscye (or arm opening).

Step 4: Use a clear straight edge/ruler to draw straight lines from these marks to where they meet.

Step 5: Cut along the lines.

 

Step 6: Pivot the cut out piece, keeping the inside lower corner in place.

Adjust until the shoulder cutting line measures the desired amount, or is decreased by the amount you determined it needed to be decreased by in step 1.

Step7: Tape the pivoted piece in place. Draw a new cutting line for shoulder and a new cutting line for armscye. Do this by following the angle of the neck side of shoulder and continue across to the outside/armscye, as shown.

For armscye, draw a new cutting line, connecting the lines on either side of the opening.  You may want to trace the new, adjusted pattern, as shown.

• Repeat for bodice back, so that the new shoulder widths will match in length.
• If you have adjusted an inch or more, then you will need to adjust your sleeve pattern piece as well.
• You can also use this method to make the shoulder seam wider, by pivoting the opposite direction.

Hope this helps!

~Erin

He’s walking… and building awareness with every visible step

This is one of the key elements to supporting any cause. Helping others become more aware of the cause, of the situation, of the disease. He is joining many others to be part of something good, something bigger than himself.

Thank you to all those who helped support my son by purchasing Avery Lane patterns yesterday and Thursday! 1/3 of all purchases made were donated 🙂

My son reached and surpassed his donation goal; ironically, the dollar amount was exactly 110% of his intended goal 🙂 at $121!

giving and volunteering develops a giving heart

I hope this experience will help my son to grow an even bigger giving heart than he already has. It is in our actions we share with others who we are, what we believe in, and how we feel. When we give to others, volunteer, and help others, we not only care about those we help more, but we grow a giving heart, a heart that cares more and readily gives and volunteers. In giving service, we strengthen our community and those we interact with. Rising up to give service to others helps to raise others up.

As Maya Angelou said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
We also strengthen ourselves and feel good about who we are when we connect with others and volunteer and give support.  I hope his example  encourages his peers to grow giving hearts as well. I know it makes me want to do more. Thanks again for all those who stepped up and helped my son step up to help and give to others.

Peace,

Erin

What Does it Mean to Give 110%?

We talk with our kids all the time about giving it 110%. Be the best you can be. Stand for what you believe in and support others in their challenges. But what do these statements mean?

For me, giving 110% is trying your hardest and doing everything you possibly can.  Modeling this behavior helps kids get it and know what giving 110% looks like, so they can go out and do it in their own lives.

Role models for this behavior are super important, and I am so grateful when my kids have additional role models that show them how to live this motto, such as teachers, volunteers, extended family, etc. For my son, his role model, his mentor, is his soccer coach. My son wants to give 110% out on the soccer field, because his coach models this behavior. He even wants to be a soccer coach just like him, because they have a relationship built on trust and respect. His coach encourages him, supports him in his efforts and is helping to shape the person my son will become.

Because of this special relationship, my son wants to support his coach. This reciprocity is essential in society, in relationships, and in life. My son’s coach has a young daughter, who was diagnosed with diabetes at age 2. He is a wonderful role model of a father as well. Imagine having a toddler who needs to check her blood sugar level throughout the day, and receive shots 4 times a day. Now that she is grammar school, he goes to her school to eat lunch with her and give her her insulin shot. Everyday.

So what can my son do to support his coach, besides being on time, behaving well, and trying hard on the field? This Saturday, my son will be getting out of bed at 5:30 am, and traveling 2+ hours to show his support, to do all  he can. He can walk in the annual Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes event in Portland, OR. The money raised goes toward prevention and research to find a cure for diabetes. He donated $5 of his own money, money he earned doing yard work this summer, since he does not get an allowance. He wants to give 110%, the  symbolic $110 donation. So he is soliciting for sponsors to support him in supporting his coach. He is 28% of the way there. He only has 2 days left!

As his mom, along with  offering my emotional support, I will support his efforts financially. For every pattern purchase made today and tomorrow in my Etsy shop , I will donate $2 (or 1/3 of each purchase) to help him reach his goal. If he reaches his goal by midnight PST  tonight, I will have a $4 pattern sale all Friday!! With only $79 to go, this is very do-able.

I am so proud of the way my son has reacted to this call. I feel strongly we all need a cause, a passion, and supportive, reciprocal relationships. At 12 years old, a child can be so genuine and giving–something that should be nurtured and supported.

For more information about the fundraiser event, go here The website has tons of information regarding diabetes and ways to help. You can even make a donation online if this cause speaks to you, as it did to my young son.

This is the link to the Portland, Oregon event.

Thanks for reading and allowing me to share.

~Erin

What’s up with that?

An expensive pattern company, with a good reputation for great fitting garments, and the garment does not fit well. At all.

Maybe user error? Did I pick the correct size? Measure my daughter incorrectly? Trace the pattern incorrectly. None of the above.

So how is it that the size for one person fits perfectly, and the size, according the pattern’s measurement chart, for another fits awkwardly? What’s up with that?

I rarely, if ever, use the Big 3 (or is it 4) patterns, because I got very tired of hit or miss sizing and just plain strange fitting clothing. I pay more for the quality of other pattern companies. I love the results of good looking clothes that fit properly. Many of you probably feel the same way and stick to Farbenmix, Ottobre, Burda, Kwik Sew, and Jalie for the same reasons (should we call them the fab 5? or am I forgetting someone?). Well, I recently have made the Jalie 2805  T-shirt  pattern for 3 different individuals and am having a hard time with my experience. I completely get why I’m having a hard time determining my own size–this has to do with my fussiness of fit. I do not want a fitted tee, which is the design of this pattern. I get that. I know how to deal with that. My teen–according to her measurements, the size fit perfectly. No issues. So why would the same t-shirt pattern, again I picked the size according to her chest and hip measurements, for my 10 year (pre-pubescent) daughter fit so badly? Unwearable actually. Let’s walk through the process…

1. took measurements, and chose size accordingly. Check.

2. double check width measurement of the pattern pieces against an existing shirt that fits her well. Check.

3. check neckline height for preference of fit. Check.

4. recheck tracing accuracy. Check.

So why did I one morning go into my dd’s room to find the 2 new Jalie t-shirts on the floor? Because she wanted to wear them that morning to school, but couldn’t because they were not comfortable. Could it have been the fabric choice, you ask? I don’t think so. One was a Cotton Lycra (7 or 10% lycra content), the other a nice stretchy cotton jersey knit (same type and brand I used for my teen’s shirt). After inquiring after school, it has been identified: the arm hole, armscye–you know the hole she puts her arm through, where the sleeve is attached. <<the armscye is the armhole>> I asked her to put it on, and it looked painful. Something I had never experienced, and therefore never thought to check before cutting into the fabric. Mind you, my daughter is average build and has not had sizing issues like this before, ever. The sleeve was a bit tight as well, but I knew that adjusting, grading, the arm hole would correct the sleeve issue as well.

So I would like to share how I corrected this problem to make this particular Jalie pattern fit correctly. Grading is something that is done to achieve an optimal fitting garment, and typically easy to do with Jalie and Ottobre patterns, imo.

First, I measured the circumference of her arm where it meets the shoulder and arm pit (why does arm pit sound so nasty?). Measure loosely, not exact, so that there will be enough space there–it should not be completely fitted even though you are using  a knit fabric. Also, make sure her arm is down, against the side of her body–this gives you the fullest measurement, which you want.

Compare that measurement to the pattern’s armscye–the “J” part of the bodice, to where the sleeve will be attached. If they do not match, then you’ll want to adjust the pattern, open that up a bit. I was surprised how different the two measurements were. I did this by grading to a different size, one lower down on the pattern sheet–not necessarily a larger size, because the shoulder width was fitting fine.

Since the shirt fit every where else: shoulder was fine, width was fine, I used a tape measure to determine where it needed to go down to, to be enough of an opening to accommodate her arm and be comfortable. After all, t-shirts should be comfortable.

Step 2: mark that point that would make opening match that circumference measurement, plus a  seam allowance.

Step 3: I put the tracing back onto the pattern sheet. Her correct size should have been “M” according to the measurement chart, and the shoulders fit fine (they did not hang off the shoulders), so I start out at that mark. As I begin drawing my new line for the armscye, I move over to the other size  which then lowers and opens up that arm hole. Doing this gradually, grades the pattern to the proper fit for the person whom you are sewing for. If you click on the image, you will get an enormous pic, which you can zoom in on and see the gradual grading.

Here is essentially what I ended up with: I have the shoulder width and starting point of size M, graded to  a wider opening by gradually tracing over to a lower line on the pattern which ended up being K. Then continued the curve to the width of M. Now size K is smaller, but since I started higher up than the “K”  upper shoulder point, my J shape of armscye is longer, thus a wider opening.

Step 4: I also adjusted the sleeve, because once you add to the opening, the original sleeve would no longer fit. So I used a tape measure to measure the curve and add enough to the sleeve so that it would fit the opening. Jalie pattern has the sleeve cut individually and each is placed and cut on the fold, so I just placed the pattern piece over from the fold the necessary amount.  <<please just ignore all the scribbles on that tracing fabric–I recycle my pattern tracing material>>

These adjustments did the trick and now my daughter has a Jalie t-shirt that fits properly–perfect, according to my daughter. Not sure why all this was necessary, since the other sizes did not have this problem. I’m also not sure it was worth it to do all of this, considering all the Ottobre t-shirt patterns that  I already have, which fit her just fine without correcting this problem. Hardly seems worth the $13 per pattern price either–after all, the objective in spending more for a Jalie pattern is to avoid ill-fitting patterns, duh. And Ottobre has a lot of patterns per issue–not just one. Interestingly, their t-shirts fit me better without grading the pattern, as well. mmm.

Just as a fun comparison, I’m including a photo of  the 2 identical shirt (still have to put binding on the sleeves for the ringer tee)–the one on the left is the ridiculously small arm hole, and the one on the right is the shirt I made with the graded pattern alterations. It’s funny and sad… the size difference of the opening pretty funny, but the shirt is also pretty worthless, because the length and width would probably look silly on a child with that arm/shoulder joint measurement. The arm hole measurement would surely be related to their chest measurement, wouldn’t you think?

Hope this post helps!

~Erin

Pears Falling all Around

Not sure what happen…August has come and gone. School is back in full swing, and it is evident we neglected forgot to prune our pear tree last winter, before it had a chance to grow out of control. So now we have an obscene amount of pears. We’ve been eating them like crazy, but we still have loads. I may have to learn how to can them 🙂

In the meantime, I made pear sauce. It’s like applesauce, but with pears. It wasn’t that hard and tasted great! The task actually made us slow down and spend time together. Kids came home from school and sat in the kitchen chatting, while I peeled, cored, and diced all those pears. After homework we all enjoyed a second snack of warm pear sauce–yum!!

Here’s how I did mine. Peel, core, and dice pears. I used a bunch, not sure how many, I was just winging it. Maybe 4 pounds?

If you want to prevent the cut pears from browning, then drop them into an ascorbic acid solution as you cut them up. I did not, as you can plainly see.

I put them in a pot, added some water (not too much or it will be too watery -I added 1/2 cup and felt it was a bit too much). Spice it up! I added some nutmeg and cinnamon. Cook on a medium heat, low boil, for about 20-25 minutes.  This was our second favorite part (cause of course eating it is the first favorite)–the smell was awesome. Spice filled the air throughout our home. Ah, the sweet smell of fall 🙂

Next I used a pastry dough blender to cut the pear pieces into smaller pieces and have more of a mush texture. If you have a food processor, now may be the time to use it.  You may want to do it in parts, depending on the size of your food processor.

After mushing it for a while, we ate some warm. They all really liked it!  It needed a little sugar (just a smidge)–I think because I went a little nuts on the spices. The pears were very sweet to begin with, so I think less spices would have been better.  We put the left over sauce in containers and then into the fridge. After eating it both cold and warm, my kids all agree: pear sauce is the best after school snack, when spice fills the air and when the sauce is still warm. My husband wants his à la mode. Mmmm yeah, I could see that being really good.

We still have a large grocery bag filled with pears, ripening on the counter, and many more on the tree. I think we’ll be branching out to pear tarts or canning next. It also has put me in the mood to make spice cookies or cinnamon oatmeal cookies, Oh, maybe with raisins?

Enjoy your autumn!

~Erin