Jeans are such a wardrobe staple for me in Fall and Winter, and while I still find skinny jeans fun and I'll continue to wear them while they are still in, I'm ready to head back to my old favorite - wide legs and flares.
I've also really wanted a pair of trouser jeans for the longest time. I tried some on once at Express (their pants draft is wretched on me), and I loved them so much, except for the extremely poor fit. But I've always remembered them - dark denim, welt pockets and minimal topstitching. They were gorgeous.
So between me and Vogue 1059, we made some. And I love them. I did make some changes from the last time I made this pattern. Clearly, the most critical change was to use a lightweight stretch denim instead of suiting. I also redrafted the front pocket facings and bag so that the facing extends to center front and is captured in the fly construction. I did this one these jeans, and I love the way it stabilizes the pockets and provided a little tummy control.
I did the welt pockets on these. I made a few alterations to these as well. The pattern calls for a double welt, but a single welt is my personal preference. I used this tutorial, and I thought it was great.
I flew by the seat of my pants and did the pockets without any practice runs. I was lucky they both look awesome. And poppykettle's tutorial is fabulous. That helped a lot!! I also lengthened the pocket bag by 2 inches. As drafted it was insanely small. Like, my phone didn't even fit in there. The front pockets are drafted quite short as well, and I lengthened those about an inch and a half. Now I can fit my whole hand in.
I also hemmed them to be really long. I didn't lengthen the pattern any, but the hem allowance is 1 1/4 inches, and I only took a 1/2 inch hem. I wanted to be able to wear them with my tallest heels and still have them brush the ground. I also only prewashed this denim once, so if it shrinks any more, I have a little insurance.
I wore them today with my tie neck blouse, and I think with the blouse tucked in, they have a fun 40s vibe. I was hoping to get them done in time to wear to sewing summit, and I managed it! Of course, now I think I need to make a Meringue skirt to wear to the class I'm taking with Sarai...