What the What?!?! Two posts in one week?!?? No need to check for air born piggies, dear readers, and no, it is not The End of Days. I'm just getting caught up on a few posts here on the old blog. I've actually been fairly productive behind the scenes this past month or so and am wrapping up multiple projects in fairly quick succession. Nice to breathe some new life into this space!
I was about to title this post "Canadian Tuxedo" but then I stopped myself... why is denim on denim called a Canadian tuxedo? If recollection serves me correct, the implication was that wearing denim on denim was trashy, or redneck-y, neither of which are things I associate with Canadians... All the Canadians I know are chic as hell! So my friends, if you have more insight into this particular slang phrase, please, do enlighten me!
Regardless, this is my take on the denim on denim look and I think it's pretty darn sharp! This chambray popover was my most recent make for the Mood Sewing Network, however what I'd really like to talk about today is my new jeans. I thought to spice things up a bit I'd split the sewing talk between both sites, that way I'm not posting the same rigmarole twice. Well... it keeps things interesting for me at least!
So just to give you the quick rundown on the chambray popover - I used chambray from Mood (obviously, duh Sallie) and altered my Grainline Archer pattern to a popover style rather than a full button front shirt. this was a pretty easy alteration to make, I just cut the front on the fold and then inserted a partial placket. To read the full details, head on over to the MSN site!
But my jeeeaaannnnzzzz!! Guys, I think this might be my favorite pair of jeans that I've made yet! So many things came together for me for this pair! But let me back up real quick here... This fall I've been pretty focused on fleshing out some fresh wardrobe basics. Jeans and shirts get worn pretty hard around here, and I feel like I can never have too many. And what with all the exercising I've been doing I didn't really feel like my old jeans were fitting me quite the same. They felt very tight through the thigh and bum, and were gape-y at the waist. The jeans that fit the best were my high-rise white Ginger jeans, which I adore, but sometimes you don't want to wear white jeans! So a classic, dark-denim pair of jeans was quickly rising up my sewing queue.
As much as I love the high-rise version of the Ginger jeans, I really wanted something with a more casual feel. So I decided to give the low-rise version of the Ginger jeans a try. Ugh. You guys. I freaking love this pattern. I didn't even make a muslin, and I barely did any fitting. It just works for my body. I made a straight size 6 with no alterations except to sew the waistband a bit snugger. I was initially thinking I might peg the ankles a bit because, well, I've been a die hard skinny jean wearer for the past... oh... ten years? And yes, I suppose these would still classify as skinny jeans in the grand scheme of things, but to my swaddled ankles they feel downright bootcut! But after doing a test fit I decided I really liked the silhouette. It seems to work for both dressier occasions and casual ones... or maybe that's just the secret of a good looking pair of jeans?
I would be remiss if I didn't wax poetic about this denim. This is the Cone Mills s-gene denim that I got in the Ginger jeans sewing kit Heather and Jen were selling after the pattern launch. (fyi - they just did another sale of denim kits about a month ago - supplies go fast so I think they're all sold out now. I have no idea if they'll be doing it again, but it's worth it to follow them on Instagram if you don't already so you can get the heads up in case they do) You can't really find Cone Mills denim sold by the yard as it's really only available for wholesale, so if you happen across it somewhere, definitely jump on it! I think the "s" in s-gene stands for sorcery. This fabric is... sigh.... ah-mazing. It's soft, and has an amazing amount of give - perfect for comfy, close-fitting jeans that flatter and hug your curves, but it also has incredible recovery, which means that you don't get baggy knees and a saggy butt after wearing your jeans for a day. Honestly, I wore these jeans for a week straight without washing them (because that's how I do) and every. stinking. day. they looked fresh and crisp. I just can't even. You've probably heard the hype before about this denim, and guys, believe it. It's seriously that good. It's spoiled me. I don't know how I'll ever go back to other denims. I don't want to, that's for sure! Thank goodness I still have another bit of yardage of the lighter weight denim for me to love on!
One of the most fun things about sewing your own jeans are the myriad of ways you can customize them. I generally err on the side of classic finishing with my jeans, but I couldn't help getting a bit creative with the topstitiching for this pair. As you can see I used a standard copper/gold thread for all the topstitching, but then I used red for all my bartacks. I remember on a recent pair of Lauren's jeans she made a little "L" on the side seam bartack that holds the pocket in place and I thought that was so cute! Since bartacking an "S" would absolutely be beyond my skills I decided to create a bit of a theme with these diagonal red bartacks. They're used on the back pockets, the coin pocket and the front fly, and again at the base of the side seam topstitching for a little extra flair. The little red touches make me super happy, and the jeans still have that classic look that I like.
That's it for jeans talk! They've already been in heavy rotation, so that must be a good sign!
Before I head out I'd thought I'd just mention that perhaps you guys have noticed that my photo setting has been the same in the last two posts. That's because I sadly broke my camera lens and am saving up money to replace it. In the meantime, my boss has been kind enough to let me shoot blog photos with the work camera, but it means I have to keep it at work. Luckily, my "office" is a pretty lovely setting in itself - including those two little white kitties that are hopping around in my photos! Allow me to introduce you to our work cats - The Ghost and The Darkness (who I'm holding in the picture above). They're brothers. If you don't have cats at your work I highly encourage you to bring that up at the next staff meeting. Sure, they may not be great for productivity, but they're a huge morale booster, and they pull their weight in the pest control department too!
Okay lovelies, until next time!
xx
