How to make your own jeans

How to make your own jeans

Article Copy Rights By Karen Ball.

Most people are familiar with horror of shopping for a new pair of jeans. One sewing blogger decided to take matters into her own hands, and make her own. Did she discover the modern woman's holy grail – a perfectly fitting pair of jeans?

Karen Ball's make your own jeans blog

Photograph: Karen Ball

Jeans. Denim. Strides. They’re the ubiquitous fashion statement that transcends gender, class, style and generation. From gold-rush frontierland to the modern high street, we’re all meant to want them, wear them and spend a lot of money on them. So why are they so difficult to look good in? My fellow blogger, Grey Fox, recently touched on a similar topic in his post about jeans and the middle-aged man. Jeans are hard to wear!

In my experience, a good fit doesn’t equate with the money you spend. I’ve forked out anything from a tenner to the best part of eighty quid on a pair of jeans, and it’s rare that I’ve ever been satisfied with my indigo-dyed, rugged cotton twill.

Is there hope out there in denimland? Blogger Yes I Like That thinks so. She turned to Burda, a German sewing pattern company, and used their pattern as an experiment to see if she could make a pair of jeans to suit her body.

I asked Kathryn to tell us – had sewing jeans changed her life, or just her wardrobe?

Why did you decide to sew your own pair of jeans?

Kathryn: It felt like the ultimate sewing challenge. I wanted to see if I could make a pair of jeans that fits me. I’m pear-shaped with a really long torso, so jeans shopping is always a bit of an ordeal. I’m also trying to move towards a 90% handmade wardrobe. I love the idea of being able to make my whole outfit myself!

How did you start the process of choosing a pattern and fabric?

K: The only ready to wear (RTW) jeans that fit me are straight-legged and made of stretch denim, so I knew I wanted a similar pattern. I was very inspired by the Australian blogger Handmade by Carolyn, who’s made several excellent versions of the Burda 7863 pattern, so it was an easy choice to give it a try. Burda patterns have notoriously bad instructions, though, so I relied on web tutorials to get the fly zipper right.

Fabric is a bit of a problem; it’s tricky to find the right stuff. I’d love to see more coloured stretch denim and twill in fabric shops. The fabric for my first pair was not ideal – really you want something very stretchy and light – but I had to work with what I could find.

What were the challenges of sewing with denim?

K: I’ve only used stretch denim and twill, which is not as heavy as your classic Levi’s-style denim fabric, but it can still be challenging to work with. The absolute worst bit is the topstitching. Each pair of jeans uses three spools of topstitching thread, and you’re often trying to force the needle through more than six layers of fabric. It’s incredibly frustrating when your needle starts skipping and the thread tangles in a big knot, but I think topstitching adds the finishing touch, so I probably wouldn’t skip it.

What are your tips for making a pair of jeans that actually fit?

K: Well, I’m definitely not an expert. My first two pairs of jeans have some severe fit problems but they’re comfortable and I wear them a lot anyway. My top tips would be:

• Expect to make a few pairs to perfect the fit, unless you are shaped like a coathanger.

• Compare your pattern to an existing pair of jeans you already own that fit well; just lay the pattern on top and you’ll be able to see if it’s going to be radically different.

• Choose a pattern that has an adjustable back waistband seam (such as the Burda one). This helps a lot if RTW jeans normally gape at your back waist.

• Fit as you sew! Baste them together and try them on before you topstitch. Unpicking that stuff is not fun. Ask me how I know …

• Get a willing assistant to take photos from the back to diagnose the fit. You’ll never be able to see what they look like by twisting round in front of the mirror.

Even though none of my homemade jeans fit perfectly, I still wear them. I think as sewers we can get obsessed with diagnosing fitting wrinkles, but at the end of the day, stretch jeans are never going to fit like a pair of tailored wool trousers.

What advice would you give readers about sewing their own jeans?

K: Give it a try! You’ll learn a lot and, if it works out, your smugness levels will go through the roof. I recommend making your first pair in a dark-wash denim fabric; it hides a multitude of sins. Also, practise making a fly zipper first. It can seem like strange fabric origami the first time you try it.

What is your take on the jeans industry now that you’ve made your own?

K: The production of jeans is very hard on the environment and on workers, so it feels good to take control over at least part of the process. My jeans are not made from fair trade or organic cotton, so I’m still supporting the commercial textiles industry, but at least I know exactly who sewed them (me) and in what conditions (messy sewing room, teabreak every half hour).

Thanks, Kathryn. I agree that quality denim fabric is hard to find, though I’ve seen some lovely denims at Stone Fabrics and Our Patterned Hand (now closed). If you’re buying denim for the first time, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on how stiff the fabric is. I’d recommend using a lighter denim with at least some softness and drape. You may also need to use a denim needle on your machine and heavy-duty topstitching thread. You could even go to town with rivets and decorative stitching!