I don’t have any photos of me in my new jeans but I did finish a pair today. I really need a live-in photographer for finished projects. That is the plight of the one and only photographer in the family, I never get my photo taken by anyone who knows what they are doing. So I must get by with camera timer shots that are less than artful and far from flattering. The only other option is the dreaded “shot in the mirror” or the “end of the arm” shots. I’ve resorted to both at times with less than satisfactory results.

Back to my jeans…I (like everyone else on the planet) really like this pattern. I’m going to make the Kwik Sew 3315 at least one more time in a smaller size and the straight leg and see if I can also be happy with that one. But I really like the fit in the seat and thighs of the Jalie pattern. They are so comfortable that they may put an end to **No Pants Friday!

The only thing I don’t like is the waist band. It is cut on the bias and with already stretchy lycra/denim it is too loose after about 2 minute’s wear. So much so that I may even rip it off and do it again with some methods I’ve gleaned on the internet. Even if I take the waist band from the KS pattern and cut it along the selvage like I’ve done before I think I’d like it better. Or I could do a “gaposis” fix with a wedge out of the center back seam. I HATE ripping finished things apart to tweak them. Really I do. But the rest of these jeans are so nice that I’d hate to not wear them just because I was too lazy to put an hour of work into perfecting them.

As with any jeans, it’s all in the details. I decided to try out a machine embroidery design on the back pockets. I’m not much of a “bling” girl so I knew I didn’t want any embroidery elsewhere on these. But I thought it would be fun to try something on the pockets.

I’m teaching a jeans sewing class at work next month and I’m trying to try out all the things I’m going to be teaching. One big thing will be positioning machine embroidery on the pockets. It’s really very simple, embroider THEN cut.

I just cut large enough pieces for my embroidery, making sure they were on grain and hooped them with tear-away stabilizer. Then I drew a cross-hair on my pocket pattern piece and pinned it. Cutting the pockets to perfectly match.

The second “free” tip I’ll give here is how to get perfectly even spaced lines of top-stitching. On these I opted to use Gutterman top-stitching thread in a dark gold color. With this heavier thread you MUST use a topstitch needle in at least a size 90 so it doesn’t get shredded by the eye of the needle. On some machines you may also need to loosen your top tension a little. I just used regular all-purpose polyester thread in the bobbin. I also lengthen my stitch to about 3.5.

The first pass with the topstitching I use my Bernina #10 foot. This is the Edgestitch foot (aka “stitch-in-the-ditch foot”) with my needle position all the way to the left. By keeping the blade of the foot along the edge of my pocket (or seam) the needle will stitch exactly 1/8” from the edge.

This foot is a thing of beauty and there is a reason it is the best selling foot Bernina has in their line. It is rare that I can complete a sewing project without using this foot at least once.

Now it is time to put down that second line. Your first line should be perfectly parallel to  the edge of the pocket or seam because you used the center blade of your foot (other machine manufacturers make a similar foot I think) to guide your stitching.

Put on your zipper foot. Yes, you heard me, ZIPPER foot. (Again I’m using Bernina so if your zipper foot is different I’m so sorry.) My zipper foot is almost exactly 1/4” wide so by putting my needle to the left and using the right side of the foot as a guide I can sew a stitching line exactly 1/4” from the first line.

I always stitch my topstitching with my machine set with the stop with the needle down so that I don’t get any jumps in my stitches if I have to stop while sewing.

One other little detail I’d like to add to these jeans are rivets. Thanks to PatternReview I know of a few places online that I can order some. Just need to do it and give it a shot. That would be the final step in making completely RTW-looking jeans.

Hopefully later I can get someone in my household to take a few decent shots of me in my new jeans. In the meantime I’m going to debate ripping off the waist band vs. always having to wear a belt.

Next Up:

I had to stop at Joann Fabric the other day to get a jeans zipper and some swimsuit lining fabric. You know I didn’t stop there don’t you? Nope, I had to cruise the new fabrics. I was pleasantly surprised. There were some things that I need to go back with Emma and some other patterns in mind. I think there may be some fun summer garments waiting to be made there. But I didn’t come home empty handed, you know other than what I actually went in there for of course!

After the success of Vogue 8379 I knew when I saw this black and white print in a soft polyester knit that I had another winning combination.

I wore my green retro print V8379 yesterday and got lots of compliments and it was also super comfortable to wear.

I also got these two Kwik Sew patterns from work last week. More great classic styles that mimic a lot of what I’m seeing in the stores right now.

I’m still not sure what I think about the color-blocking trend. I lived through the 80s once, not sure I’m up for it again. But if I find the right fabric in the right combination of colors who knows, I may give it a go.

**I almost forgot to explain “No Pants Friday”! If you follow me on Twitter you may have noticed this hashtag last week. It seems that when I get home from work on Friday nights I sit down at the Shiny Island for a drink and some computer time and inevitably my pants are just too tight to stand. So I must immediately go take them off and put on PJ’s or sweats or something equally comfy. For whatever reason I felt the need to share that with the world via Facebook and Twitter and publicly declare NO PANTS FRIDAY!!! Five days and you can join me.

I pinned this scarf tutorial from Make it and Love It a few weeks ago. I thought it was such a cool technique and would be a great use for this Tencel © knit we carry at the store. I finally had some time at work yesterday to give it a try and I love the result.

This was not a quick project. I did have a few times when I was trying to sew too fast with the elastic bobbin thread and the machine didn’t like it and my top thread broke. All I had to do was slow down and take it easy and it worked great.

I didn’t really modify the project from the basic directions except that I cut two WOF (60”) strips, 12” wide (total of 2/3 yd. of fabric) and sewed these together for a starting scarf that was 12” x 120”.

I wore it at work today with a big pin. I just wrapped it around my neck like an infinity scarf and pinned the ends. It was very comfortable and I love the texture it added to a plain black dress.

This is a pretty cool shirring technique and I am thinking of ways it can be used in other projects. I’m also inspired to try some traditional elastic shirring on some tops and skirts I want to make for summer. This soft knit really is the perfect fabric for this technique.

This weekend I’m going to continue working on my Jalie jeans and my Danglez swimsuit. I received my order of Milliskin Matte this week so if I like how the Danglez suit works in the cheap Joann’s fabric I can try it with the good stuff. I accidentally ordered the wrong pattern number for the Kwik Sew suit that I wanted to try too. I’ll have to wait on that one. I wanted this one: 3609 and got this one: 3608. Oops!

Trending on Twitter today is “International Women’s Day”. To celebrate I want to tell you about two women who influenced me when I was young. I wouldn’t be the crafter I am today if it weren’t for them.

The first is my mother, Doris Wood. She is the one who taught me to sew and inspired me to challenge myself. The first things I remember making by myself were Barbie ™ clothes. Most of my first efforts weren’t really sewn, just scraps of fabric cut, wrapped and tied masterpieces. Maybe that is where my obsession with wrap dresses comes from. The first real sewing project I remember was a simple 4-gore skirt in dark blue. It had a side zip and waist band. It was 1976 and I paired this skirt with a snazzy red & white striped T-shirt with a Liberty Bell applique. It was a 4H project and I’m pretty sure I got a blue ribbon at the county fair that summer. This was the first of about 10 years of 4H projects, each one lovingly directed and taught by my Mother. Her patience and guidance were so valuable. I gained so much self confidence through participating in 4H; sewing, knitting, showing horses and my Mom was there for all of it. She is so very talented in her own right. She made us many clothes; dresses, bathing suits and more. She also created wonderful home dec. projects and beautiful quilts. I remember her making dolls and stuffed animals for church bazaars and flower girl dresses for cousins. Everything she made was unique and original and impeccably constructed.

The second woman I’d like to acknowledge today is Nella Taylor, also from Marlette, Michigan. She was also a 4H leader. I learned how to knit from her. Once a week after school the school bus would drop about a dozen girls, ages 8-16 or so, off at her house. We’d sit around her tiny living room learning to cast on, increase, decrease, cable, yarn-over and cast off while constructing a variety of garments. Everything from simple garter stitch scarves up to knit bikinis and lace dresses. Also in 1976 I made a pair of simple garter-stitch slippers out of red, white and blue variegated yarn. By the time I was in middle school my older sister, Pam was a very accomplished knitter in her own right and we didn’t go to Nella’s anymore and Pam was able to give me any guidance I needed. Pam and I just got together for lunch earlier this week and we got to reminiscing about our afternoons at Nella’s. We both are so thankful she was a part of our young lives. It’s interesting to wonder where we’d be if she hadn’t been there to teach us this skill that has been such a big part of our lives. Would we have learned to knit from someone else? Would we have done it as such a young age or would we have come to it as adults?

What women have influenced you? Did you teach yourself to sew, knit, crochet, etc? If you did, then YOU are a woman to be celebrated today! Is there someone in your life that had they not been there do you think your life would have taken a different turn? Share in the comments.