Modified Men’s Jeans Pattern
I started work on a new pair of jeans today. While I still love the first pair I made, and pretty much wear them every day, there are a couple of areas where I can improve the fit. The waste on my first pair is too big, and the fit through the leg is a little baggier than I prefer. Even though these were fairly minor changes to make on my pattern, I still want to make a muslin version before cutting into my denim stash. You never know how a few small changes in one place will alter the fit somewhere else.
The other reason I want to make a muslin version is that I just got a new industrial sewing machine, which is really, really fast, and I can use the practice to learn the new machine. The seams below puckered a little bit, which is probably a result of the tension being set too high and the heavy duty feed dogs that are on the machine. Once I switch to denim, the puckering shouldn’t be an issue. I attached the yokes and back pockets today, and hope to start work on the fly and fronts this week.
After watching my wife sew for years and seeing her make clothes I tried making some simple tote bags and got hooked on the whole process of sewing things. I’ve been sewing for about two months now and I just finished a pair of jeans (Kwik-Sew 3504) and they’re baggy also. So, I’m curious to see how you alter yours and how they turn out. I’m also curious as to what industrial sewing machine you have and how you like it.
Thanks, John
John
I am almost finished with this new muslin version of my jeans pattern. I took about a half an inch out of the leg on the inseam, and I am also curious to see how they fit now.
As for my new sewing machine, I bought a basic Brother single needle lockstitch machine. It can go forwards and reverse, but that’s it. No fancy stitches, no zig zag, just a straight stitch. Industrial machines are pretty much uni-taskers. They do one thing and do it really well. This is sort of a “medium duty” machine. I haven’t sewn denim on it yet, so I am still waiting to see how that goes. The machine is really fast, but I love it so far.
If you are sewing heavy canvas for your tote bags, you might want to think about a walking foot machine. Thanks for checking out the blog!
Taylor
Industrials are fabulous. We have the standard Brothers at school but if you ever get a chance try out a computerized Juki. Automatic backstitch, you can change if the needle ends up or down, automatic thread cutter… It’ll change your life 🙂