Closet Case Ginger Jeans–Take Two

My first ginger jeans have gotten so much wear it is insane.  I never thought I would love a pair of jeans so much or be able to sew a pair that fit so well!  Riding on that wave of happiness I decided to make another pair of Ginger Jeans in this amazing gray stretch denim.  This time I got a wild idea to combine the legs of my loved Jalie 2908 jeans with the ginger jeans.  I love the flare of the Jalie ones but I love the upper fit of the gingers.  When I laid the patterns on top of each other I was shocked how different they were!  Halfway into making these gray jeans I became angry with the fit.  My first pair of gingers fit so much better and this gray pair wasn’t fitting well.  I posted my frustration on my Instagramand then left the pants in the ufo pile until just this month.

This month with all the craziness in the world I decided that life is way too short to be so concerned with the perfect fit.  I need to leave some of that perfectionism at the door and just make stuff – finish stuff.  Yes, I will still try to get the best fit I can but I cannot continue to be so obsessed with fit in that I am unable to sew anything.  Sewing makes me happy. It is my stress relief.  I look back to my earlier years and see how much happier I was as a person.  I was happier with my makes.  I was happier with my self.  Years of chronic illness have worn me down. Years of perfectionism have worn me down.  I just need to sew sew sew and enjoy life more!

Closet Case Patterns – Ginger Jeans in gray

Date Sewn: I started these in Feb 2018.  I finished them in May 2020.

Previous Makes: I’ve made this pattern one other time and love those jeans so much! I wear them nonstop.

Size Sewn: Based on my measurements at the time, I made a size 12 waist and on the front pant I did a size 14 hip, the back pant I did an 18 hip.

I was using a larger back pattern piece to help with my larger rear, but now days I’m not sure if I will continue doing this or not because my front thighs really need more room too – so using a smaller front, larger back doesn’t work.

Instructions:  The instructions are fantastic! These are hands down the best pants/jeans instructions I’ve ever encountered.  I’d buy this pattern just for those.

Nice easy steps, very detailed, and lots of pictures.  There is also a sew-a-long on the Closet Case website; however the pattern instructions are written so well, I didn't’ need to reference the sew-a-long.

Alterations: As I mentioned above, I tried to combine the flare leg of my Jalie 2908 pants with the knee and up to the gingers. As shown below, the Jalie is on top and the Ginger is on bottom .

I’m loving all that extra thigh room the Ginger’s give, but the flare is just a bit too big for me (I can’t believe I said that!).

Fabric: Medium Grey Stretch Denim from fashionfabricsclub; I purchased it July 2017 for $4.95/yard. 2 and 3/8 yard for $11.76 total.

This fabric is amazing. It is soft, it is stretchy, and I just love the color! The fiber content was listed as 97% Cotton 3% Lycra. I wish I had a ton more of this fabric because it is perfect.

 

Thoughts: Well, I love the fabric. I love the pattern. I love the pockets.  I love the flare.  What I don’t love is that I have some fit issues going on here that I just cannot fix at this point in sewing them.

I had to finish the pants though. I couldn’t leave them laying in the UFO pile any longer. I’m about 8lbs larger than I was when I started sewing these so they are a bit snug.  My front and inner thighs need more room, I could address my knock knees and extended calves.

Life is just too short for perfect fits. I finished these. No, they don't fit me perfectly and they are a size smaller than my current, but I finished them.  Perhaps they will fit better if my weight goes down again. I’ll hold on to them for now for sure because I do love them.

fun pockets!

Thanks for reading!

Kristin