Jamie Jeans

I bought a whole bunch of the new Evolution Theory patterns by Named Clothing, but had Jamie Jeans on my list for a while… I’m still on the hunt for the perfect trouser pattern for me, and was hoping this one could be a contender, as Named patterns seem to fit me well. And yes, it is a definite contender!

I was after a pair of darker jeans that looked neat so that I could wear them to work. I feel like the front seam makes them a bit more evening or work suitable. Slightly less casual. 

I had this stretchy jeans in the perfect colour in my stash for some time, I think it was from The Fabric Store. I had washed it twice before sewing it up and still got blue hands. Hence I decided to wear these only with black in the frist few weeks and Ill definitely need to wash them several more times…

I made a size 38 (UK10) and the only changes I made, after a quick muslin, was to scoop out the seat a bit more (a typical adjustment for my low behind) and took the yoke in at the back about 2.5cm, just at the top, to make up for my sway back. I did not make any changes to the waistband and that worked out well. It was still too short. I just don’t know what I am doing wrong, but almost every pair of trousers I sew that have a waistband, it comes out too short. 

I also made an interesting discovery sewing this. Well, I confirmed a hunch… My things are longer than “normal” (whatever that is) so the knee lines on the pattern here sit about 1.5 cm above my knee… I’ve always thought my thighs were proportionally longer than the lower part of my legs, but since the last few trouser patterns I had made didn’t have a notch at the knee, I didn’t actually notice it to much. This one has notches and when I was trying to work out how to make some changes to the fit at the knee, i.e. remove some of the wrinkles, following the lovely Deer and Doe Safran fitting guide, I noticed that the notches were way above my knee. I wonder of that may explain some of my difficulties sometimes around getting the legs right… Next time I will make this pattern I’ll add some length in the thigh and see what happens then. 

According to the Safran fitting guide, I took the knee in a bit evenly on all sides. Looked better after, but still wrinkles, I wasn’t really expecting these to all go, they are skinny jeans after all.

Some photos with my top strangely rolled up, to show those lovely pockets…

This jeans fabric has quite a bit of stretch and I stretched the back waistband a little bit too much it seems as I was sewing it, it came out a bit deformed. I was thinking at that stage that it might be better to use a cotton or less stretchy fabric for the inside waistband instead of the same Jeans. But after wearing them all day today (and sitting most of the day), I think it may just be ok. I didn’t feel like I had to hike them up too 😉 

Those knees though will stretch out fairly soon I think, despite the seam at the front, the recovery of the fabric is not amazing. The fabric wasn’t the most expensive though, so I just won’t worry so much. I’ll wear them till they look too funny and then make another one 🙂

I love how the back yoke and waistband fit me, they seem to curve perfectly and no gaping 🙂 

I decided to hem these at ankle length, otherwise the bunching and wrinkling would have been even worst, and I tend to wear my rtw black jeans like that anyway.

Little left over cotton from a blouse that has never been completed… And I decided to top stitch in blue topstitching thread, to make these even more work suitable.

Fazit – I like these Jamies, they are super comfy, fit well and are definitely work worthy. Item one on my sewing list ticked off, and found a definite contender for a trouser pattern that fits me. I’ve got a beige and a dusky rose coloured cotton stretch twill in my stash, one of which will become Jamie number two…