Men’s Selvedge Denim Jeans
So I got a little distracted from my jacket project. I’ve had this remnant piece of denim from the Supply Shop that’s been taunting me to turn it into a pair of jeans, and I finally gave in. I’m putting the jacket on hold for a little while to make some other things from my fabric stash, but I did end up finding a nice piece of cotton and some lining for the jacket when I get around to finishing the pattern.
100% cotton, 13.5oz, Red Line, Cone Mills selvedge denim
“Slim” fit, straight leg
Single needle stitching
Button Fly
Copper rivets and buttons
Handmade by me from my own pattern
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Perfection! I wish you taught a jeans-making class – I’d be the first one to sign up. Send some of your skills my way, please! Haha!
Thanks Lauren! At my pace, if I taught a jeans-making class, it would take a year to make a pair of jeans, haha! Your coat turned out amazing btw. Maybe we can trade, jeans making skills for coat/jacket construction skills 🙂
I’m contemplating making my first pair of jeans this year. If they turn out half as perfect at these I’ll be a very, very happy girl.
Aw, thank you! I’m totally down for a trade – between the two of us, we can each make a whole outfit haha 😀
This is beautiful, all those amazingly neat lines….
I’m still working on finding the perfect fit for my husband’s jeans. Also, it seems that my sewing machine doesn’t really like doing those thick fabrics, maybe I should get one of those industrial types.
Thanks Novita! An industrial machine makes all the difference in the world with thick fabric and thread. I highly recommend one.
Your jeans are gorgeous! The stitching is so beautiful! Did you do this in stages? I would lose my mind if I tried to do it all in one day! LOL!! You’ve really motivated me to get going in my projects! Thanks!
Thanks Jule! I do the stitching in stages, no way I could do it all at once.
the hard work and care you put into making those really comes through–they look meticulously made and really wonderful.
So heavier denim this time? Nice work – same pattern and cut?
Brilliant again. We’ve had some good TV over in the UK – young tailor of the year, effectively a reality show.
Gotta get moving! Ta for the continued inspiration mate. 🙂
Hi Roy,
The pattern and cut is pretty much the same. I made the yoke a little deeper this time, but this is just a style line and doesn’t affect the fit with this pattern. I used the heavier denim because I had a piece laying around. It was great to work with, and will be nice for colder days, but it is too heavy for summer in my opinion. Especially here in Tennessee.
A reality TV show with a tailor sounds great!. Reality TV I could actually watch 🙂
How are your first set wearing in mate? That’d be interesting to see.
The jeans look stunning. I love the dark wash of the fabric, it looks so clean. Good job! I can’t wait to see what else you have up your sleeve!
THESE ARE AWESOME! They look like something I would buy in a store! Did you do the sewing yourself? The stitching looks absolutely perfect!
Could you do this type of work on a regular sewing machine, or do you have to have an industrial one?
I would really like to order some cone mills 13oz and make pairs of these for myself!
Thanks Steve!
Yes, I did the sewing and pattern drafting myself. It depends on your specific machine, but it can be done. I made my first pair of jeans on a domestic sewing machine. You just have to be careful, go slow, and don’t be afraid to hand crank the machine over really thick areas with multiple layers of denim. It helps to have the right needle too. I would use at least a size 16, but preferably a size 18 denim needle.
If you’ve never sewn heavy fabrics with your machine, I would recommend sticking to a 12oz denim. I know people have sewn the 13oz stuff with domestic machines, but it gets really thick when you start adding layers.
Taylor
Wow! Amazing job, Taylor. I’m also in the process of perfecting my fit, but having difficulties so I went ahead and ordered the book you were using when coming up with your fit. Thanks for the tip!
One questions:
– Right now I have a Janome domestic machine which works mediocre on 12oz denim. I would love to attempt a 14oz+ denim myself and was wondering what type of industrial machine you have/ recommends?
Thanks, you are an inspiration!
Hi Anthoni,
Thanks! Here is a post I did with the machines I use: https://www.taylortailor.com/2011/03/sewing-machines. I use a single needle, lockstitch Brother Industrial.
Taylor
Did you prewash and dry the denim to shrink it before you cut out the pattern?
No, I’ve pre-soaked the denim in the past, but not with this pair. I make my jeans true to size, wear until they need to be washed, and then soak them in a tub with warm water. I never use hot water, never put them in a washing machine, and never put them in the dryer, and shrinkage isn’t an issue for me.
Taylor
Thanks, Taylor. I’ve got one other question floating around: How did you adjust the jean sloper into a pattern that kept the selvage? Did you drop the side seams on the front and back straight down from the knee level? Or did you drop it from the crotch level (and in that case did you adjust the center seam as well)?
I straightened the side seam from slightly below the hip (the selvedge isn’t preserved all the way to the top), and then adjusted the fit of the leg on the inseam. You may need to play with the center back seam a little bit too to get the fit right everywhere.
Hi I know this is an older post but I’m setting out to do make my first pair of Raw Denim jeans (and my first large sewing project over-all) Is there anyway you could do a step by step tutorial or have a link to one? Also what rivets and buttons should I use? Any help would be much appreciated