Patten Review Contest - JEANS!

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Since I had a big pile of denim in my 'to-do' pile, I decided to make a pair of jeans for the PatternReview.com Jeans Contest.  Otherwise I'd just keep sewing for myself and Tim would have no pants to wear....

My pattern is KwikSew 3504, which I have made several times before (as shorts, pants, and jeans), although each time has been a little different.


My fabric was a fantastic sturdy denim from Mood Fabrics, 62" wide, a bit stiff but it softened up after washing.

Here we have a medium-weight, cotton denim in a dark denim color that is extremely dense. This fabric is rough and has a stiff/crisp drape.  $7.99 / yard!
I've made and reviewed this pattern before, and I actually enjoy sewing it. The instructions are great and I've never had any problems with it.  My modifications to a size M:

 - I lengthen the crotch depth by 1/2" on the front and back pieces.

- I shorten the back yoke 1" and raise the back (where it meets the yoke) 1" to compensate.  After I made a pair of these as twill shorts, I noticed they perched off of Tim's butt in a weird way. I compared it to his favorite pair of RTW jeans and noticed the yoke piece was very large in comparison, so I adjusted it. It's probably fine if the wearer has DGS (diminished gluteal syndrome) like many men do, but Tim does not.

 - This time, I put a seam in the back yoke pieces.  The idea was to merge the waist and the butt, so it almost acts like a dart. Otherwise there is a lot of gaping at the waist. It ended up being about 3" total!

This is the seamed yoke.  It is pressed open and topstitched, but not with contrasting thread
 - I sew and topstitch the inseam, then baste the sides, put them on Tim, and pin them to fit to his liking. This usually means sewing about a 1.5" seam from the hip down, otherwise they are a bit too wide-leg for his tastes. But this is just personal preference.

Photos!

These are Singer Jeans Buttons, easy to 'install', bring your own hammer



Soft flannel pockets
Topstitching! This was some serious topstitching thread I bought from Nancy's Notions. It almost was too thick for my topstitching needles.  Notice the seamed yoke isn't very noticeable (which was the point!)
This denim really pressed beautifully, very crisp!
Bring in my model!!!


Back view - close up! I should mention another modification - he requested I move the pockets up a little higher. So they are placed where the 'S' pocket placement markings are. 
Look at that waist! No gaping.  Freedom to leave the house without a belt!
Side view.
Cat view! Ringo heard we were outside taking pictures of our butts again and wanted in on the action.

So there you have it. So far the best pair of KwikSew 3504 that I've sewn.  Tim is happy and has been wearing them daily, so that's a good sign.  Especially since I have more denim and more water-resistant 'geologist pants' fabric waiting to be transformed into pants.

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