GINGER JEANS : JAPANESE MILL DENIM
Ginger Jeans by Closet Case Patterns
Japanese Mill Denim
made in the Ginger Jeans class with Heather Lou
I always assumed that I would just buy jeans for the rest of my life. That and sweaters. I was okay with it. Jeans seemed too mysterious and complicated to tackle.
When Heather Lou emailed me to ask about doing a Ginger Jeans class at the workroom, suddenly making jeans seemed totally possible. When you have the Jean Queen at your side, nothing can stop you.
Jeans are no joke. The class was over a weekend, two 8-hour days. (Apparently in a factory it takes 15 minutes!) We came to class with our denim already cut out. This way we could focus our time on fitting and construction.
The key to great jeans is the fit, of course. The first thing we did was baste our jeans together for a fitting with Heather. This step is so valuable and made such a huge difference to everyone’s final pair. Most importantly, Heather is a expert at fitting. That alone was worth the price of admission for me.
After that we all wanted to cry as we ripped our jeans apart to make changes and start again from the beginning. Here’s a revelation – it’s actually not that hard to sew jeans. There’s just a lot of steps and if you take each step one at a time, you’ll get there. (This advice really applies to everything in life) Even the dreaded fly front came together without batting an eye. Heather’s guidance kept us laughing and motivated through the whole process.
There are two views for this pattern, a low rise with stovepipe legs or a high waisted version with skinny legs. I opted for the low rise since that’s what I’m used to wearing. Quite a few ladies in the class made the high waisted style and now I’m tempted to try it.
What I especially love is that every detail of this pattern is professional quality. Our jeans have top stitching, rivets, jean buttons, a coin pocket, bar tacks and strategically placed back pockets. Back pocket placement is the secret to jeans that look extra awesome.
It was really great to see how 12 different pairs of jeans for 12 different ladies came together in class. Even Heather whipped up some Louis Vuitton inspired denim flares. What a perfect way to spend the weekend learning something so epic.
I’ve started doing ‘research’ for my next pairs. I can’t wait to play around with all the details and fit, now that I know what I’m doing. If my first pair is this good, I can’t wait for my second pair. This is just the beginning of a new love affair with denim.
I MADE JEANS! & THEY’RE AWESOME!
p.s. You can make your own jeans too! We’ve got everything you need to make your dream pair.
8 comments
Ahhhh Karyn, they look amazing!! What a perfect fit! Hot with heels, lady!
It was an amazing way to spend the weekend, such a treat and I learned so many good things! I’m grateful to have spent the time with everyone in the class.
I still have to hem and put belt buckles on mine – over the holidays probably. They are a bit loose so maybe they’ll be my Christmas eating pants, lol.
I’ve already got plans for my next pair as well, and a denim order waiting for pick up at the shop!
Oh I’m so excited to see these finished! Your topstitching looks sublime. Thank you for being such a marvellous host – can’t wait to come back!
So great!
The jeans look great. Does the denim have a bit of stretch? Also, I like the top. What pattern is that?
Thanks.
The Ginger Jeans pattern calls for denim with 2% stretch. The top is the Merchant & Mills Camber Set Tee. I’ve made several versions and I love the look of it.
Ahhh Karyn, these are AWESOME. Great job! I need to get my hands on that pattern asap!
Those look fabulous! I made both views in September and they have gotten a ton of wear! I never thought I could make jeans, but it turns out that these fit me so much better than anything I’ve bought in a store. I’m so happy to see that you sell Cone Mills denim so that I can make more when I wear my current pairs to shreds.
What can I say ….. Wow! These look straight from the shop, but a better fit.