Bedazzled Jeans & a Knit Top

This is jeans number...I have no idea.  I stopped counting a while ago.

I bedazzled my butt.  Is bedazzling still a thing?  Was it ever really?

Though there is nothing new to report in the construction, I finally swapped out the waistband for something better.  For a long time, I've hated sewing the waistband and detested how it looked afterward even more.  Behold my shame:

Sometimes I can get it to work...

...but oftentimes the waistband edge ends up like the first two pictures.  The topstitching is super tiny and uneven.  Blah.
 

Jennifer Stern once showed me how to she sews jeans waistbands, so I decided to give it a try.  I used the waistband and waistband facing from her pattern, cut to a size 14 for extra length.

Attaching the waistband this way was SOOOO much better - though I don't like the flimsiness of the waistband facing.  Next time, I'll either interface the facing or use denim instead of quilting cotton.  I like my waistbands to have a bit of heft.

Also, I can probably use a size 12 waistband with a small swayback adjustment.  The jeans are wearable, but I will always need a belt.

***

I made a knit top.  From a pattern released this year.  Without a muslin. 

Who is this woman?!

I made view A in a similarly-colored rayon jersey.  I cut a size medium and made no other alterations.  

 

I cut the neckband to a length 85% of the neckline circumference.  This was approximately 24 inches plus two 1/2-inch seam allowances.  I think this worked well, but the neckline is still rather wide.

I swear my sewing is regressing by the day.  My coverstitch skills are lacking big time.

I don't like the tight stitches and will try lengthening the stitch on my next knit top.  Otherwise, I'll have to go back to using a twin needle.

No pictures for now.  I hope to get some photos next week.

***

I finished Jalie 3130 and have A LOT to say about this, so I'll save it for the next post.

Until then, peace!
 
L

Contouring a Waistband

A straight rectangular waistband is no good for a person with trunk junk.  The waistband will gap at the center back and cause unnecessary exposure.  To contour the waistband, I used the instructions provided by Jennifer Stern in her "Blueprints to Better Jeans" class on PR.  

1.  The first thing I did was draw the straight grainline since I don't cut my waistband on the bias.

2.  Align the waistband and bake yoke pieces at the center back.  2" from the center back, draw a vertical line from the top of the waistband to the bottom of the yoke.  Draw two or three more vertical lines 2 inches apart from the first one.  The number of lines you draw depends on the amount of width you plan to remove from the waistband. 

I just had a revelation about this method for this particular waistband!  I'll share it at the end of the post.

 

3.  I removed 4 inches of width altogether.  I drew four vertical lines and will dart out 1/2" at each line.  To do this, mark 1/4" on either side of each vertical line.  Since I worked with one-half of the waistband, the amount removed on this piece is 2 inches.

The marks are in blue. 

 4.  Draw a single line connecting the left mark with the bottom of the line on the back yoke.  Repeat for the right mark.  Do this for each of the vertical lines drawn.

 

5.  Finally, fold on the vertical line, overlap the dart edges, and tape in place.  Alternatively, you can cut on one dart leg, match it with the other, and tape in place.  Do the same for the yoke piece.  The changes to the yoke piece are so small, I didn't bother taking out the excess.  I haven't had a problem with fitting the waistband to the yoke.
  

curved waistband

As I was writing this post, I thought more about how this method affects this particular waistband.  The Jalie waistband is designed to be cut into two pieces, sewn at the center back, and then joined to the pants front/back.  Then, it's folded lengthwise and topstitched.  So the waist seam is in the center of the piece.

So the amount removed is actually less than planned since the dart isn't as wide in this area.  I never realized this until now.  This may explain why my waistband still gapes a bit.  I will have to address this in future pairs of jeans.

I hope this was helpful!

L

Jeans #9 (Part 8 - Waistband)

Despite having made several pairs of jeans and pants, I still have to improve my waistband-finishing technique.  It's not as neat as I'd like it to be and I know I can do better.  The thing is, I don't quite know where I go wrong in the process to not produce a nice clean edge.  I don't know if I stitch too far or not far enough.  In any event, this part always takes me longer due to the amount of unpicking I have to do.

Waistband (125 minutes)

The Jalie waistband is a rectangle cut on the bias.  In all of the jeans I made, I never cut my waistband on the bias because that would give way more stretch than I wanted.  So I cut mine on the crossgrain.  Once the waistband is attached to the jeans, it is folded lengthwise over the waist seam and topstitched.  Most pants patterns have you cut two waistbands and stitch a seam along the top edge, but this pattern's waistband has a built-in facing. 

The advantage is that there isn't additional bulk along the top edge of the waistband.  You can get a good press and have no problem topstitching along this edge.  I see two disadvantages:  (1) I don't think the gaposis fix (briefly described below) is as good as it can be and (2) one can't have a cool contrasting fabric on the inside.  Having made these jeans multiple times, I might try to alter the waistband to address the disadvantages.

As part of Jennifer Stern's "Blueprint to Better Jeans" class on PR, I developed a contoured waistband to help eliminate gaposis at the back.  It is created by removing small vertical darts from the waistband and yoke simultaneously.  I'll detail the process I used to contour the waistband in my next post.

Once interfacing is fused to the wrong side of the waistband, stitch the center back seam.  Next sew a guideline along the seamline of one long edge and press under along this line.  Since my waistband is contoured, I sewed my guideline along the inside (shorter) curve.  Press to the wrong side along this line.

waistband after the CB seam is sewn

(As I write this, I am starting to wonder if I attached my waistband upside down.  It didn't seem like it as I was sewing, but now I have doubts.  When I tried on my jeans to assess the fit, I noticed that I have some  gaping at the back and this never happens.  It's possible that the waistband stretched a bit while sewing.  I'll wear a belt and pay closer attention next time.)

Pin the right side of the waistband to the wrong side of the jeans matching notches and center front.  Stitch.

front view with waistband stitched and ready for folding

At this point, I shorten the zipper and place a safety pin across the zipper teeth to prevent from pulling the tab off. 

Fold waistband right sides together near the center front.  Stitch, trim the seam, and clip the corners.  My waistband is a bit longer because I added some width when I first cut it out.  I like to have a little extra allowance, just in case.
 

After sewing the waistband's right side to the jeans' wrong side, fold the waistband over top and topstitch.

view from the inside with waistband folded over

finished waistband

Time recap:

1.  prep - 33 minutes
2.  back pockets - 91 minutes
3.  back - 30 minutes
4.  front pockets - 61 minutes

5.  fly - 87 minutes 

6.  in/outseams - 80 minutes

7.   belt loops - 29 minutes

8.  waistband - 125 minutes

Total time:  8 hours, 56 minutes

I finished the jeans completely yesterday!  I need to snap some photos of the belt loops, button, hem, and of me wearing them.  I hope to do that and write the final post in this series this week.


Until next time, peace!


L