Ginger Jeans, Closet Case Files

CLASSIC GINGER JEANS : : WITH A TWIST

Ginger Skinny Jeans, A Colourful Canvas
Ginger Skinny Jeans, A Colourful Canvas
Ginger Skinny Jeans, A Colourful Canvas
Ginger Skinny Jeans, A Colourful Canvas

 

Ginger Skinny Jeans, A Colourful Canvas

Hi everyone! They’s be rainy days here in Vancouver. I was optimistically hoping for outdoor photos…it is warm enough after all…but unfortunately, it’s just way too soggy. I don’t think I’m usually one to chatter on about the weather….and it’s not really so much the weather as the season that’s beginning to get to me. WINTER. w.i.n.t.e.r. Winter always feels like the longest of the four seasons to me. In my little part of the world, temperatures are blessedly benign, but the shorter days, the longer nights, and the often gloomy skies, make for a loooong season. Give me an endless summer any day! The good okay news is that I have many interests to keep myself busy…stitching, reading, and watching season two of The Great British Sewing Bee {yes season two, so please no spoilers on the current season, :)} have literally been saving me from a rainy day. At least until. now. this. moment. I am now rather anxiously looking for those early signs of spring. Lucky me…living here on the wet coast…I know it won’t be long…my daffodils are standing tall and stately ready to burst into bloom, and I haven’t had the car heater on full blast. Last weekend the mister and I were out and about enjoying lunch and some window shopping in one of our favourite Vancouver neighbourhoods. Jackets were unzipped, and, I was able to wear my distressed jeans with panache…who knew how breezy ripped jeans could be…{oh, just about everybody and their mother, sez you}. And, speaking of unzipped jackets, it’s gotta be nearly time to ditch the down puffy coats in favour of a few of my favourite springtime coats.

I’m back with my second pair of Ginger Jeans. Sewing the same pattern back to back is a great way to get better sewing skills. If you are a novice sewer, do give it a go. This time, my Gingers are darker, softer, quieter….more yin than yang…{and I’m clearly, or maybe not so clearly, comparing to my distressed Gingers, seen here.} These are, noticeably…non-distressed…and, hopefully…non-distressing. Although the silhouette is decidedly classic, I did sneak in a couple of details that add a little bit of fun. I used yummy ice cream printed cotton for both the pocket lining and the hem…when my jeans are cuffed, the whimsical print is revealed. I also created a colourful tag to sew to the back pocket, ’cause that’s just how I roll around here, and I added a colourful panel to the fly shield. Throw…erm, I guess that should be sew… in a hot pink zipper and colourful serged seams, and you’ve got classic with a twist! And an homage to my classic Ginger Skinnies? Classic gingham with a bow-tie!

I’ve now sewn this pattern with both a stretch and a non-stretch denim fabric. This dark blue fabric has added lycra. It wasn’t labeled with the percentage…but I’m guessing it has around 2-3%. I cut out the same {*mostly} view A, in the same size, for both pairs. When it came to construction, I sewed a narrower (3/8″) outside side seam on my distressed jeans, and I sewed a wider (3/4″) outside side seam on my classics. So, I’d say to go up about one size from your measurements for a non-stretch fabric. And the *mostly? This time I made the legs skinnier than on my distressed jeans. Not quite so skinny as view B, but definitely more than my first make. Now, I am completely satisfied with the fit here, but I think I’ll try view B next time. It’s always fun to change things up a bit. Let’s see anything else? Oh, I interfaced the waistband. No matter the quality of fusible interfacing I buy, I find myself underwhelmed with the result. Sometimes I get wrinkling and bubbling occurring after only a few runs through the laundry. {insert sad face here} To prevent sad face, I did things a little differently this time…I fused medium weight woven interfacing onto cotton/poly broadcloth and created the perfect weight sew on interfacing. So far it feels marvelous dahling; hopefully I’ve banished wrinkling for-evah! Now to work a miracle for zee face, non?

EDIT: I’ve had a few email inquiries about sizing. Let me attempt to further clarify the fitting of non-stretch versus stretch, shall I? The bad news? It all depends on the fabric you are going to be working with. Some just have more stretch than others. Even with non-stretch fabric, I think a heavier denim will be a little less forgiving than a lighter weight one. That being said, there is good news! We are dealing with horizontal stretch only. Both my non-stretch distressed jeans and my stretch jeans have the same fit lengthwise. When constructing the non-stretch pair, it was an exercise in adding additional width, particularly around the torso, hip, and thigh area. I found that I could successfully add that necessary additional width to the outside side seams only, without negatively affecting the finished look of the jeans. Adding about 3/8″ on each outside upper seam worked well for me. Depending on how much ease you want, and the weave of your fabric, I’d think it prudent to cut your pattern pieces between 3/8″ – 1/2″ bigger along your outside upper side seams…you can always go smaller, but you can never go bigger. I do hope this helps, but please feel free to email me with any further questions!

So, has spring touched your part of the globe? Or are you making do with potted primulas at the kitchen window? Thanks always, for stopping by and saying Hi!

Distressed Ginger Jeans
Burda 7255 Blouse with Bow Tie

I’m linking up with Helena at Gray All Day for Sew it Chic in a Week, her new weekly women’s garment link up party! If you’ve been sewing, please come and join in! Also linking to Dawn Lucy’s Fun Fashion Friday at Fashion Should Be Fun. Wheee…another invite…I’m also joining Sheila at Ephemera for Shoe Shine.

 

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