Reworked jeans - pair no 2

Having reused the pockets from the April 2009 trousers jeans on reworked jeans pair no 1 , I then went on to deconstruct the rest of the trousers to see if I could recut them into more Mountain View Jeans.

I removed the waist facing and zip, and unpicked the inseam, crotch seam and hem then started trying to lay out the pattern pieces. It was immediately obvious that the shapes were completely different so an approach like pair no 1 wasn't going to work. Then I remembered that the Mountain View jeans have a seam up the centre of the back leg, and I had taped the pattern pieces together for all my other makes.

So I slit the tape open with my seam ripper, patched in the paper from the alterations (done as a whole piece originally) and I was good to go. I kept with the grain but cut the pieces out upside down - a new front from the back leg, and a new outer back leg from the front leg. I then cut the new inner back leg from the spare fabric, along with pockets and waistband.

I then sewed it all back up as per the instructions and using contrasting pink thread for the top stitching (channelling the Pantone 2023 Viva Magenta)

Reworked jeans - Pair no 1

Black jeans - a mash up of Burda 9/2004 #106, Itch to Stitch Mountain View Jeans and a bit of self drafting!

These jeans have been reworked, I'll take you through what I did.

The short version is that I made some jeans in 2012 and some others in 2009, both from the same black stretch denim fabric. Although they didn't fit anymore I kept both pairs of jeans and the larger chunks of leftover fabric and wanted to rework them to fit me now.

I used the legs from the 2012 jeans (really cool curved panels, no side seam), the back pockets from the 2009 jeans, cut a new waistband from the Mountain View pattern, and invented some new half moon shaped pockets, then sewed it all back together.

The longer version is that back in 2012 I used a really cool Burda Style magazine pattern - Burda 9/2004 #106 -  to make some jeans for SWAP 2012. I omitted the front ankle slits and side ankle zips.

I just loved the curve panels which make up the legs, so that there is no side seam.

I originally used heavy white topstitching thread for the topstitching and the tension was off in many places causing giant loops on the underside. I applied fray check on the back and did the photos, but I didn't enjoy wearing them, something about the fit was off a bit and the loops of thread were uncomfortable.

However I kept them, along with the larger scraps of spare fabric and planned do something with them at some future point. 

Recently (10 years later) I unpicked all of the loopy topstitching, the inseam, crotch seam, the waistband and zip and used my altered Mountain View jeans pattern from Itch to Stitch to recut the crotch curve and waistline and cut a new waistband.

The back pockets were really tiny so I removed them and replaced them with the embroidered pockets I had unpicked from some denim trousers I had made in April 2009 from Burda 10/2008 #132.

To match the back pockets I had redone all the topstitching in turquoise with standard thread.

I wanted front pockets as well, but as Burda 9/2004 #106 doesn't have a side seam I couldn't do them in the normal way, so instead  drafted a new half moon shaped pocket piece which has an opening accessible from the waistband and is secured to the side dart and centre front seam.

I'm really pleased with these now!

Jeans

OK so I fibbed, I am not making black trousers after all, but instead have cut out some dark blue jeans in a trouser style.
I will thread my new overlocker (serger) up with dark blue thread and see how I get on with the machine and the jeans.
I have some ideas for interesting back pockets but not sure yet that they will work OK.

Update - good progress made on jeans. Two pairs of back pockets made becuase the first ones were too literal an interpretation of the theme I had in mind.
Front pockets constructed, back darts constructed, lots of edges serged to keep the bits down - did I mention I got a new overlocker (serger). Its beautiful and is soo much quieter than the old Janome 134D, you can even tell what song is on the radio whilst using it! (The old Janome serger was compared by DH to a pneumatic drill when he was trying to watch TV in the room below).

Then there comes a point in the evening where you get a bit dopey - folks this is the point to stop sewing - you can switch to reading sewing blogs if you still need a fix, or maybe a bit of hand sewing - buttons or hems perhaps, but you have got to leave the machines alone.
This is the time of night when sergers unthread themselves, cut holes in garments, you sew over you finger with the sewing machine, press something poly on cotton setting etc, so as insurance I stop now when I start to feel tired, and the sewing room accidents are right down. Funny hey?