Call Me Lamby

I finished my first knitted item. I feel like a stuffed animal when I wear it, which is kind of embarrassing when I’m out and about, but kind of comforting when I’m at home, looking for cuddle mates. The sweater attracts dog and husband equally.

Successful Jeans # 2 and Some Sewing Tips

I have used this pattern eight times now. I’ve made two great pairs of jeans, two good pairs of shorts, and four pairs of terrible pants. This pattern does not work with overly soft fabric or vertical stripes. This pair is almost identical to the initial pair of jeans, except the denim is dark gray instead of blue. I used the same pockets because they are exactly what I like. Front patch pockets are great because they are more feminine than regular pockets and the topstitching adds a few lines to break up the thigh/hip area. I’m also sticking with a slight boot-cut shape forever because it’s the most flattering on me. I’m not falling for the skinny jean trend, as it only works on skinny legs, and makes anyone with thighs & a butt look twice as big. I’ve had so many doubts about this whole project, but the freedom from ever having to shop for jeans for the rest of my life balances the frustrations.

I’ve spent a lot of my sewing time working on systems that will streamline productivity later. I traced all of the small jeans pattern pieces onto cardstock, so I can just lay them on the denim and trace around with a sliver of white soap (a fantastic tip I read somewhere) and cut without pinning.
If you make your own jeans or pants, this is one piece of information that always confuses me, and you have to get this right, even though it seems like it won’t make a difference. Apply the interfacing in the waistband to the outer piece of fabric, not to the facing. If you interface the facing, the outer side of the waistband stretches a little and you won’t be able to topstitch the waistband. Or at least, I wasn’t able to. What this means is that when you cut out the interfacing, make sure your pattern pieces (or template) are upside down. That way the fusible side will line up correctly with the waistband.

If you want to take flattering pictures of your rear, make sure you stand in an asymmetric pose (see example). Don’t keep your feet together, because you want to create a nice big shape between your legs which separates the mass of your body into two smaller shapes. More importantly, it creates a horizontal width greater than the one created by your butt. This works with all body parts, actually. Always shoot for the three quarter view to look slimmer and probably prettier. The other benefit in this case, is that you get to see the profile of a foot.