Tuesday 14 April 2020

Ticking something off the list

I finally finished these black ginger jeans on Good Friday.  I've lost count of how many times I've made this pattern and every time they feel slightly different.  The impact of fabric choice and quality is never more evident than when you make jeans.


I wanted a pair of true black denim jeans and found it really difficult to find fabric.  I ended up getting some from Threadbare Fabrics in the US, but it doesn't appear to be on their website anymore.  It was described as a stretch denim however the stretch is minimal and there's almost no recovery, but the colour is perfect.  My favourite jeans fabric is the Cone Mills S-Gene stretch denim.  I haven't found anything else that comes close in terms of recovery and not bagging out.


Looking back through my old posts I haven't really documented my changes to the pattern so I'm including them here for future reference.

These are a size 14, view B.  I've narrowed the leg from the knee down by around 1/4 inch and added an extra inch in length.  I've also dropped the back crotch curve by 1/4 inch and taken a 1/4 inch from the back yoke at the middle, tapering out to nothing at the side seams.  There are further adjustments I could make, but I like these and at the moment I'm not particularly concerned.  Nothing in RTW even comes close to fitting me this well or feeling as comfortable.  Also, when I look at the first pair I made five years ago I can see I'm carrying more weight but I haven't traced a larger size so that also accounts for some of the drag lines.


I'm working on my photo set-up, this was my first time using a self-timer and a tripod and they could really use some work. Black is hard enough to photograph let alone adding in a self timer!  My family has zero interest in taking photos for me so I need to get this figured out - particularly how I get the camera to focus on me, not the background!  So much to learn...

I debated whether I should even post this because I kept focusing on the flaws, but I've never been aiming for perfection, just a friendly space to share my makes, so here we are.  Also, it feels good to visually tick something off my April list of sewing plans.

Tuesday 7 April 2020

April Plans

Well what a month March was!  I started the month with a night out in the city moving from roof top bar to roof top bar and finished the month in isolation.  Along the way I also successfully applied for a new job and handed in my resignation at an organisation that I've worked for for over 15 years.  I've felt all the emotions this month!

There was very little sewing in March.  My black ginger jeans are 90% done - just need to sew the buttonhole and hems and bang in the button.  The wrap top and the bra are not even close, but I still want them and hope to be able to get it done in April.

Images via Tessuti Fabrics, Orange Lingerie and David Jones

So for April I'm planning to make:


I finish up at work on Thursday and have two weeks off before I start in my new role so I'm hopeful that I'll be able to achieve everything on my list this month.

These are all really practical items that will work well during this isolation period as well as filling current gaps in my wardrobe.