Silhouette Patterns Lana's Wildwood Jeans

These jeans were made for the Pattern Review match your shoes contest to go with a pair of Kate Spade Edina ballet flats. However the top I chose to sew the weekend before the contest finished: (a) didn't really go with the trousers or shoes despite having rabbits on it; and (b) was a fashion disaster. The top was reverse sewn, re-cut and resewn to become a wearable top but still not with these trousers.

That hasn't stopped these jeans taking up a useful place in my wardrobe. Whilst a bit quirky they are a basic charcoal grey so are easy enough to wear with any number of my plain tops.

The finished garment

Great fun to wear with orange tops. Makes for a playful work outfit that brings me joy.

The fabric

I thought this Cotton+Steel fabric by Rifle Paper Co came from Stonemountain and Daughter but maybe I bought it from Nancy's Stitch Studio here in New Zealand.  Regardless of where it came from this is a nice fabric to make trousers.

Stonemountain still have the fabric in stock in this grey as well as a green colourway. I love that the quilt fabric manufacturers (especially the Japanese ones) now produce their prints in different fabric compositions for garment sewing.

There was nearly a fabric shortage as it is only 45" wide and one directional. Even though I purchased 2 metres it was not possible to align the pattern across the legs. The print is busy enough for this not to matter. Once I started cutting out I noticed that the print is actually mirror imaged from the centre which made matching the back pockets tricky and I basically gave up for the front pockets, back yoke and waistband.

Wildwood Fable print in grey cotton linen canvas

The pattern

My trusty Silhouette Pattern #3300 Lana's jeans was used once again to produce these trousers.

The pattern alterations

As my waist and hips are expanding I altered my TNT Lana's jeans pattern to give extra width at these points. Ultimately I added too much width at the hips and ended up increasing the seam allowance for a better fit.

Left: too much circumference; right: extra removed

In Threads Magazine #204 September 2019 there is an article about skinny-fit trousers. They explain which parts of the anatomy to measure and have a section on diagnosing fit problems. Smiles = crotch depth too short; frowns = too big overall or crotch depth too long; smirks (horizontal lines) = circumference too small. Their advice for horizontal lines is not to worry too much as it is difficult with skinny trousers to get a snug fit over the seat without forming a few wrinkles under the buttocks. They also recommend only using stretch fabrics with 2% to 7% spandex. As my cotton linen canvas has zero stretch apart from the natural give of the fabric these fit pretty well.

My biggest problem is defining whether the wrinkles are a smile or a frown. I think the picture on the right is a slight frown. But then the one on the left could be considered a smile and much of it was resolved by taking in the side seams... Back we come to my problem of defining the wrinkles!

The other change I made was to create a new curved waistband partly for my expanded waist but also because curved waistbands fit my shape better.

The sewing

These trousers were sewn as per the pattern instructions. Except that the back was sewn in its entirety including the waistband and the same for the front before the inseam was sewn. This was done to accommodate my changing shape. Should I increase/decrease in circumference I can undo the side seam and alter the fit.

Jeans back assembled - can you spot the back pocket?

Jeans front assembled

As is normal for me now with trouser waistbands I removed ⅛" from the bottom edge of the inside waistband then sew on the binding with a ¼" seam allowance. The waistband can then be sewn down by stitching in the ditch from the right side which should be just above the binding on the wrong side.

My trusty Singer Featherweight did all the straight stitching and even made the buttonhole. I was going to get out the big modern Bernina machine to sew the buttonhole but it was too much effort. Instead I used the antique Singer buttonhole attachment. I do like how this attachment sews buttonholes you just need to have a button the right size. It is difficult to believe that this attachment actually makes the zigzag stitch. I go around the buttonhole twice to get a nice neat finish.

Sewing the buttonhole using the Singer buttonhole attachment on the Featherweight

Outfit of the day

I had an orange week at work featuring these trousers with a Moochi merino top on the left and a Moochi Lay tee on the right.  The second outfit is a Style Arc Toni Designer dress still to be blogged. The third outfit is a Moochi Promise dress with the black dot self-drafted leggings.   The cardigan is the Untouched World Ecopossum coat cardi in graphite. All outfits are worn with my United Nude Rockit Ace black and gold ankle boots.

A great finishing touch for the outfits is a brooch from the CODA Museum in Apeldoorn in the Netherlands. The museum speciality is contemporary jewellery design and visual arts on and from paper and cardboard. The brooch symbolises a folded piece of paper. This would be one of those fascinating museums I would love to have a look around in person one day.

This was a gift from a friend (originally from the Netherlands) that really complements this week's work wardrobe and my new to me handbag.