This post is written by Heidi of Handmade Frenzy.
Happy FRI-YAY!! Hello, Gnats readers! I am super pumped to be here today. And it is because…
I MADE JEANS!! These vintage blue denim Morgan jeans to be exact.
I have been putting off jeans making for over a year. For whatever reason, they intimidated me to no end. I know I’m not alone in this, so I’m here to offer you all encouragement!
I would not put jeans making into a “beginner” category, but if you have decent knowledge of your sewing machine and aren’t afraid to tackle a little fit tweaking, you can make jeans with confidence! Also, there are endless jeans making resources available to you, all over the web. (Closet Case 1,2, Jeans Sew-a-longs 1,2, Craftsy)
Firstly, I will dive into the pattern details. I chose to make the Morgan Jeans pattern with my Stretch Denim 12 oz in Vintage Blue. The Morgan Jeans pattern is for non-stretch denim. But the denim I used from the shop only has 5% stretch, so it was perfect (PERFECT), for this project.
The Morgan Jeans are a boyfriend fit with a slim thigh and fitted hips. They feature a mid-rise and either a cropped or full leg length.
For those interested in fitting details. I measure pretty straight into the size 8 on the pattern size chart. I decided to size down and cut a size 6 since my denim had a slight stretch and I wasn’t going for a baggy jeans look.
Bear in mind, if you choose to use this Stretch Denim 12 oz in Vintage Blue, it only has 5%-10% stretch. This is enough stretch for some ease when wearing, but definitely not enough for a pair of skinny jeans.
The only change to the pattern I made pre-cutting was to shorten the legs 2 inches at the lenghten/shorten line.
A must when making jeans is to do a baste fitting (this is explained in the pattern instructions), or as in my case, 3 baste fittings. Hehe. The first baste fitting made it glaringly obvious that a size 6 was definitely just a bit too snug on me because my denim didn’t have as much give as I had given it credit for.
Thankfully, the 5/8″ seam allowance gave me plenty of wiggle room. I did a second baste fitting with a smaller seam allowance and decided to go with a 1/2″ seam allowance in the final product.
During those first 2 baste fittings, I determined that I had some crotch curve adjustments to make. I had done a Ginger Jean muslin just a few days prior to starting on this pair of Morgan Jeans, and the Ginger muslin fit me like a glove.
So I based the changes off of that pattern. I lengthened the front crotch curve 1/4″ and scooped out the back from an 1/8″ at the top to 1/4″ at the deepest part of the curve.
At this point I had fully assembled the front pant and the back yokes. Then I baste fitted a third time. I was super happy with how the pants were fitting now! I still had some excess fabric at the back upper thigh, so I did a “fast method” (as per this e-book) flat seat adjustment shaving off about 1/4″ and it made a world of difference!
I still have some excess wrinkles at the back of my knees, and I believe the fix to those is to shorten the pattern above the knee roughly another inch, to raise the knee point. In doing so, I will actually have to lengthen the bottom by an inch for the length to remain correct. A first for a shorty like me, haha!
After much deliberation, I also figured out the proper pocket placement! I definitely didn’t anticipate spending so much time tweaking the pockets, but in the end it is all worth it!
After all those baste fittings, the final step is to baste fit the waistband. This is super important for a custom fit, not available in stores! In my case, my hips are proportionately smaller than my waist, so I was able to let the waistband out a little (there is extra included in the pattern piece) for a comfy fit.
The final change I made to the pattern was to sew in a zip fly rather than the button fly that’s included in the pattern instructions. This was a super easy switch that required no changes to the pattern pieces. I simply followed the Ginger Jean fly insertion instructions and then proceeded on as per the Morgan pattern.
Now to talk a bit about this denim! It is the Stretch Denim 12 oz in Vintage Blue that you can find in the shop. This is the heaviest denim I have used yet. I have a bit of a stash of denim growing at my house because despite being intimidated by the jeans sewing process (no more, though!!), I wasn’t intimidated by the fabric itself. Lol. Also I have sewn with denim (HERE) and some heavier fabrics before so I had a bit of an idea of how it would handle.
Which FYI, is so well. Denim is truly easy to work with. The only really challenging part is when sewing through many layers. On jeans, this is only at the belt-loops.
The bit of stretch in this fabric helps the heavy denim feel much softer. Also, I thought the color of this denim was just begging to be distressed a bit! So as I went along, I distressed each seam slightly with sandpaper- using mostly 320 grit (very fine), and randomly 150 grit to rough it up a little more.
The 320 worked so great for lightening up the color at the seams, giving it an “already worn” look. The 150 was good for places where I wanted the denim to actually be roughed up a little. I only did this in a few random places.
The last thing I did before wearing them was to throw them in the washer, then dryer to really crinkle them up and make them feel more like a worn in pair of jeans! I had done a pre-wash before cutting them but still had a bit of a “what-if” moment about throwing them in the dryer, afraid that they might shrink too much!
But I’m happy to report there was no shrinking. They just fit and felt amazing. As far as the recovery in the stretch on these, it is great! I can’t say for sure yet, but I do sort of expect them to relax with wear over a few days as a typical non-stretch denim would.
Adding details to jeans is SO. MUCH. FUN. Those rivets look great. From a distance, hee! I definitely need some practice and possibly some proper tools for next time! I struggled quite a bit with those, so I ended up only applying 3 rivets to the front- the 2 you see here and another at the hip of the opposite pocket.
For all the rest of the areas I added bar tacks. I was planning to do this on the back pockets anyway. And if you check out RTW jeans, you will see a mix of rivets and bar tacks or bar tacks alone, is very common.
All the hardware I used for these jeans is available in the shop here. Also, this craft awl came in super handy for helping to push the belt-loops through the machine as well as making holes for the hardware. Another handy tool for jeans making is a hump jumper to help keep the top-stitching even when sewing over seams, although I have heard folded up denim works well too.
Be sure to have a jeans needle and a top-stitching needle (or 3) on hand as well. Two sewing machines: one for sewing seams and the other for top-stitching only is also nice, but obviously not necessary!
Here’s my “I MADE JEANS!!!” pose!
So what do you think? Have you made jeans, or are you itching to give it a try? Go for it!! I’ll admit, the biggest thing holding me back was the time commitment. But having now made a pair, I can definitely say it was worth every minute! Go get some fabric and make your own denim Morgan jeans!
Ps. If you want details on the rest of my outfit, you can read about the shirt here, and the scarf here!