Sewing jeans - WBM men and women jeans

I pattern tested for my first pair of Men's Jeans and my third pair of women's jeans! These are jeans from Wardrobe by Me. This pattern company has many lovely Men and Women sewing patterns that are both stylish and very classic. They also recently ventured into pattern making for children! 

I've made many sewing patterns from them with very very good outcomes so I was really excited about these jeans.

Let's talk about the patterns itself and the fabric first. 

These are non-stretch jeans. That means you need to find denim that is not stretchy or at most only slightly stretchy. Because of the nature of non stretch jeans, the overall fit isn't skinny - it cannot be!

The Men's version is a pair of classic, five-pocket jeans with a relaxed fit and boot-cut legs. The Women's version is a pair of classic, five-pocket slim jeans with straight legs. They are not the usual jeans you get in shops that are stretchy and therefore tight, these are very comfortable jeans that you can wear all day. In fact, my husband finds them even more comfortable than his Levis. 

The non-stretch denim that is required should have a weight of about 10-13 oz and other similar weight wovens can also be used e.g. corduroy/ canvas. I live in Singapore, my first pair of jeans were made with 10 oz denim I bought from taobao (online) and the second pair was from Teoh Huat Textiles in Chinatown. If I were to compare the two fabric, I will definitely recommend Singaporeans to just buy from Chinatown because you can feel the fabric and it really makes a difference - also, it is not that much cheaper buying from taobao! 

My husband is modelling the first tester version I made below. 

You can see that the fit is not tight but it isn't too loose either. It's really a very comfortable fit all the way down - and I think that's part of the reason why this pair of jeans is much loved! 

I took my time with the topstitching. I didn't actually use twin needles, instead, I simply used a topstitching needle and topstitched twice. For the thread, I used Rinata jeans thread (cos that is what I could buy from my neighborhood sewing shop) It's also the same shop I bought the rivets! If you live in or near Ang Mo Kio, the shop to look for is Elsie Departmental Store. To help the stitching look nicer, I also increased the stitch length and tension and went really slow. 

Lemme show you all some in progress photos!! 

That design has a special geeky meaning actually! It's a nod to our background in Physics - this is a Feymann diagram! hehe. Both me and my husband are physics majors and when making your own jeans, the best part might just be personalizing the back pockets! hehe. 

I followed the instructions on how to topstitch the coin pocket and I really liked the look! The topstitching this way also meant that the coin pocket is kept firmly on the front pocket bag. And it is, in itself, another lovely detail that sets this jeans apart.

And for those interested to see how the zipper fly looks like, here it is!

It looks really really nice doesn't it! The construction wasn't difficult and it was really easy to follow the instructions to do this. In fact, there is even a video to help you with the entire construction including the fly construction for the visual learners. 

Here's the pair I made for me:

 

As you can tell, the legs fit slightly slimmer than my husband's version but it isn't tight. It's a straight leg and also just as comfortable to wear. 

The waistband of the women's jeans actually differ from the men's jeans. The men's one is a straight waistband while the women's one is contoured. I'm not a pattern drafter so I don't know why. But I do know both patterns fit beautifully on our different bodies. 

I didn't want any designs on my pockets cos I kinda like it simple and clean instead so here's how the jeans would look like with no pocket designs. The thread I used here is a grey thread too. I like how it looks a little different from the usual gold/yellow thread of retail wear jeans. 

I'll end the post with some flat lays of some of the jeans I made and also photos of the other pairs but before that, some final words...

During testing, I made a total of 4 pairs of jeans. 2 for me and 2 for my husband. The first pair took me about 2 full days of sewing but as I got better and more experienced, each pair takes about a full day to complete. I would say, if you are a beginner trying to sew jeans, GO FOR IT! But do go slow, take ur time, read the instructions carefully and give yourself a few days to sew (sewing a few hours each day). 

Sewing jeans is well worth the effort, especially when at the end of the sewing, you have a pair of really good looking jeans that are fitted just for you. 

These set of patterns are well drafted and definitely well worth buying! 

So here's my (aff) links again:

https://bit.ly/WBMmenjeans

https://bit.ly/WBMwomenjeans

Release sale: with the code "Jeans ninja" u can get 25% off till 21/22 jan 2022

Looking to sew Kids jeans? Here's my review on 2 great kids jeans pattern

Wanting a more tapered leg? Or need a bigger size than what's offered for WBM? Here's my review on another great adult jeans pattern from Rad Patterns.

Sewing Jeans (Kids)

I'm not all that new to sewing jeans anymore. Afterall, I sewn the Mountain View Jeans by Itch to stitch, the Kelly Jeans by Rad Patterns, both Adult jeans patterns too. So kids jeans should be easy. Right? 

Well, thankfully, it is! Small sizes are slightly harder to make cos smaller pieces of fabric are just harder to manipulate at the sewing machine but other than that, the jeans making went really smoothly! 

All it takes is proper needles (I used jeans needles (for jeans, schmetz 90/14 for construction, Topstitch schmetz 100/16 for topstitching with jeans thread which are slightly thicker than the normal thread) and going slow - take ur time!! 

I made 2 different types of jeans for my kids. There's a pull on pair with faux fly and elastic waistband for my youngest and a 'real jeans' with zipper and proper metal snaps for my eldest. Both patterns are from the very lovely pattern company Designs by Call Ajaire. They participate in Project Run and play which releases curated pattern collections for children that are really beautiful and I learnt about them when testing another pattern for them quite some time back. 

Let's talk about the first pattern here: Prancer Pull on Jeans:

As the name suggest, this is a pull on pair of jeans which is great for those that want an easy on easy off option. Both jeans pattern goes from newborn sizes to 16 year old which is perfect for us to make many many pairs for our kids as they grow up. 

I especially like that it is a pull on because it helps her with her independence phase - i want to put it on myself mummy! 

The leg on these pair of jeans is 'stove pipe' legs. There's also a skinny jeans option that comes with the pattern which of course would be more fitted but seeing as my kid is still learning to put pants on, stovepipes were my ideal choice. I love the fit on her and I think she loves it too. 

The denim I chose for her is about 450gsm stretch pink denim with a stretch of about 20%. The stretch ensures that she's comfortable wearing the jeans all day and it has enough stretch for her to run and play and jump in these too. 

I like that the pockets are a good size for her and she enjoys stuffing her little hands in the pockets all day long too. 

Making custom jeans also means that we can do whatever we want for the topstitching and of course I took the chance to play around with my sewing machine fancy stitches with a line of hearts and another 2 lines of your usual v shape. I love how the topstitching gives the jeans a professional touch. 

And for my boy, I wanted him to practice his motor skills, zipping and unzipping his jeans zippers and buttoning his jeans himself. So a pair of "real jeans" it is. 

Now, it is very very worthwhile making jeans for this little guy because as you probably can tell, he is very very slim and really tall too. It's near impossible to find retail wear jeans that would actually fit him. Most of the time, jeans that fit him in the waist will be inches too short and also too tight around the crotch. And jeans that are long enough would frequently be too big at the waist, even those with adjustable waist are too baggy for him. 

I have long given up buying jeans outside for him.. so I am more than happy to make the Bacca Bootcut jeans for this little guy. Don't get me wrong, it's still a lot of effort to make jeans for him. His waist, hips and height falls in 3 different sizes spanning more than 4 sizes apart. Blending takes a lot of effort and time and experience to get right. (Thankfully, following the instructions carefully really helps in this aspect!)

For my first attempt with the Bacca Bootcut jeans pattern, I would like to think that I did really really well don't you? The fit is a bootcut so it is slimmer at the knee then flares out just a touch at the bottom. I happen to think that this is a very flattering cut on my boy - he looks even taller than he is! 

While I technically could use jeans buttons for him, I decided that he is better off using metal snap buttons which I installed with a hammer and anvil. I also happen to like how the metal snaps look with the almost black denim. and I used proper metal jeans zipper also for a professional look - you really can't tell that this is mum made! 

For the topstitching on his backpockets, I went for his initials since it is so custom-made, I doubt I could pass it down to anyone's kid once he is done with them - I don't know anyone else with kids so tall and slim! Again, I went with stretch denim with about 20% stretch but this one is slightly lighter in gsm - probably closer to 400gsm. 

Comfort level 100% 💗

I really do enjoy the fact that I can sew my kids clothes that fit them perfectly and they look really good as a result. It also builds their confidence up knowing that their clothes fit properly and they are not too thin or too tall but just right. 

Thank you for reading my post on sewing jeans for kids. If you want to try your hand at sewing some jeans for your kids, i highly recommend both jeans patterns from Designs by Call Ajaire. Depending on your kids, you can chose either the Prancer pull on or the Bacca Bootcut and you know you are going to get really good professional finishes either way. 

The waistbands and finishes of both patterns are interchangeable which means if you like the fit of the stovepipe (Prancer) but also want proper zipper fly (Bacca), it is really easy to switch it up! Just get both pattern and use the relevant pieces! In fact, the bundle is on sale now so it is really worth it!

Here are the links to the patterns again:

Bacca Bootcut jeans

Prancer Pull on Jeans

Pattern bundle

Jeans making! Rad Patterns Kelly Jeans

MY VERY FIRST PAIR OF JEANS! 

I am incredibly proud of this pair of self sewn jeans. I did this on my Brother FS101 domestic sewing machine too. Can you believe that a cheap domestic can sew this? So happy!

This is the Kelly Jeans from Rad Patterns that I had the opportunity to test for. It is drafted for non-stretch denim - this is an important detail because that means that unlike the RTW jeans that most of us buy that are stretchy, this one has to have build in ease in order for it to fit properly while giving you space for movement. 

I made my version in mid weight light blue denim with zero stretch. I made all the options - coin pocket, Rivets on everything, jeans zipper and jeans buttons. Everything. The only thing I skipped? Belt loops. That's right! Why for make belt loops if you DIYed and am therefore sure that it will fit beautifully such that there is no need for belts at all! 

I kinda like the clean look of the jeans without the belt loops too! 

For all my topstitching around the pockets and zipper, I got a matching blue jeans thread which is thicker than normal thread. I used normal quilting threads for the bobbin and only the jeans thread in the needle. This helps reduce bulk and breakages. I also used a new Jeans needles and changed it the moment it starts 'acting up' - after all, you are sewing through thick layers so you may need to change needles more frequently. 

One thing that I would strongly recommend is the initial basting step to check fit. I almost never do muslins for my clothing, preferring to 'wing it'. But for this pair of jeans, I knew I cannot do that - non stretch denim can be unforgiving! So I did the fit check as per instructions - i was a good girl! And thank goodness I did that, I had to let out a little bit of the Seam allowance to get the ease that I preferred. And since everyone's preferred ease is different, I strongly recommend that you don't skip this step! 

Doesn't this fit look very flattering? I'm 167cm tall and I didn't have to change the length of the jeans pattern at all. Even if you are the same height as I am, it may be good to compare the length with an existing pair of pants that go to the length that you desire because everyone's proportions are different! 

Let's talk pockets next. The pockets on the jeans are drafted such that they are lower on the bum. It's a 'boyfriend jeans' look. Not everyone would like it so low and it might be a little awkward if you intend to slip your phone in there. (I tried a wallet and it fitted perfectly in that space below the curve of my bum so I suppose it depends on what you want to put inside also?)

That said, some of you may want to baste the pockets on first then check if you are happy with the position of the pockets. I know some testers shifted their pockets upwards so that it cuts the yoke. Here's a close up to see where the pocket placement based on pattern instructions will be. Hopefully that can help you decide how high you may wish to place your pockets! 

One last thing, I used a lot more rivets than the pattern required - mostly because I am apparently really really bad at installing rivets. So that may be something for you to consider as well - buy more rivets! I destroyed about 50% of the rivets I bought and had nothing left of these rivets by the end of it so... just buy more rivets. ALOT more. haha. 

Thank you for stopping by! Really happy that you read this!