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Dec 22, 2011

Joy to the World, the Pants are Done!



Friends, I certainly hope viewing this pic isn't putting anyone's job in jeopardy.  But I just finished my cherry leopard stretch denim pants and I am ready to rap, or whatever one does, shirtless, in leopard pants.  Actually, I'm listening to my lovely Concert, Theater & Parlor Songs of John Philip Sousa CD.  Weird, right?

I love these pants: they're funky, yet cut like ordinary straight-leg jeans.  Here's the more conservative look, relatively speaking.  Hope this doesn't give you a pattern-induced headache.



Here's the rear, for those who wonder about such things.  I'm not sure leopard is doing me any favors back there, frankly.



These pants turned out much better than I'd expected, though I did have a few challenges.  I put a hook and eye in the waistband, which went in without a problem.



But I also added a 1" waistband extension on which I'd hoped to put a buttohole, only my vintage Singer buttonholer doesn't want to do it -- I guess the fabric, which has heavy waistband interfacing inside, is just too thick.



I'll either stitch on the flimsier type of hook and eye or make a buttonhole by hand, which I've never done before but would be open to trying.  Either way, the whole area is under a belt and therefore not visible, plus the original tailor-type hook and eye securely closes the pants.

Since the fabric stretches width-wise, I serged twill tape onto the top of the pockets before turning them under.



Normally the top of the pocket would be turned under twice, but the fabric is too thick and stretchy for that.  Finished this way, I could turn them under only once.  I then topstiched along the top, and the twill tape cut down on the horizontal stretching.



The back pockets went on without a problem.  I used my Singer 201 for all the topstitching (using heavy topstitching thread from Sil Thread) and my Featherweight for most other seams.





I used commercial waistbanding inside the waistband as interfacing, since I really wanted the waistband to be sturdy and I had some lying around.  It worked well, though it may be the reason I can't make a buttonhole through the waistband extension.



BTW, all my flat-felled seams are faux.  Spongy, stretchy fabric and true flat-felled seams do not mix.  I just serged my seam allowances and topstitched from the outside twice.  You'd never know that difference.

Even though they're basically jeans, I hemmed by hand because I didn't want the width-wise stretch to create ripples or waves in the hem -- do you know what I mean?  Before I hemmed, I stitched twill tape to the hem edge.



And that's it!  I am happy to be done and excited about working these pants into my wardrobe, though my burgundy and black saddle shoes won't be here till next week, sadly.

In closing, indulgent readers, are you ready to take the leopard plunge?  Predator preppy is so going to happen in 2012, I just know it.

Have a great day, everybody!

39 comments:

  1. ADORABLE! And marvelous job -- I'm tempted to steal your jeans!

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  2. Congratulations on your new trousers! Sorry to derail the comments on the first post, but I have a huge issue with a project I'm working on and I can't find the answer anywhere. I thought maybe either you or one of your esteemed commenters would.

    I'm currently drafting a vest from The Modern Tailor Outiftter and Clothier Vol. 1, and it gives example measurements for all the drafts. And in all of them, across several chapters, the across chest measurement (scye to scye) is 8-9". That can't be right. No-one has a chest that small. What should I do?

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  3. Blimey! That woke me up ;-)
    Fabulous trews!

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  4. Jenny, you might want to try Pattern Review. Good luck!

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  5. Great pants! I love the pink twist on the leopard print.

    Frankly, I'm not all that tempted by leopard prints for myself. I'm leaning more toward dalmation or cow prints. That would not be, strictly speaking, predator preppy. Farm or firehouse preppy, maybe.

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  6. These are just too awesome! Great job! Will you be wearing them for Christmas?

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  7. hahah these pants are AWESOME! i think the simple style really works with the crazy pink leopard print. bravo!

    i recently make a leopard jacket (http://lladybird.wordpress.com/2011/12/12/completed-mccalls-5936-the-leopard-jacket/) although i can't say it was crazy pink leopard... just your standard brown with black spots. and teal lining, of course.

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  8. The infamous leopard skin pants, a solid icon of the 80's, and you have now modernised the look in 2011. Are they a bit on the Rod Stewarty/Kenneth King side of life??? Many an ancient tribe states that only a king may wear the leopard skin...and there-in you have sealed your place!!!

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  9. They look fabulous! Great job.
    I am almost ready to take the leopard plunge - after many years of disliking it, it is starting to appeal all of a sudden. I'd love a leopard coat with fur collar in my wardrobe, it is just a matter of finding the right leopard...!

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  10. You did a lot of work on these and a great job too. Clever work on those seams and yes I know about those ripples in hems, hate them!!

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  11. I hope you come to the Pattern Review weekend in May and model those for us and ...Well it would be great of Kathy could be there and model one of her favs. Ooh, it would be so fun to meet you! You are one sewing fool! love the jeans.

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  12. They're fantastic!!

    Have you blogged about using the commercial waistbanding before? I'd be interested in anything you thought was helpful about working with it.

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  13. I stuck the whole thing in the waistband (it didn't have a skirt), but it's actually made so that one side will be exposed on the inside on the waistband. Generally it comes with a narrow "skirt" that hangs over the inside of the waistband's bottom stitch line. Steinlauf and Stoller carries it in a variety of widths and it usually comes in black and white. Men's tailoring books tend to cover it.

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  14. It's frightening to see how well you wear these pants. And wow, do you sew well! (Remind me, you've been sewing for what, two years??)

    I don't know about that shirt, though.

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  15. Oh, all I could think was "those are so stinking cute!" probably not what you wanted to hear about your jeans, but they are wonderful. And you have the perfect personality to be able to wear them.

    Merry Christmas!

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  16. "Actually, I'm listening to my lovely Concert, Theater & Parlor Songs of John Philip Sousa CD. Weird, right?" I turned to husband and read this out loud. His response: "Sousa? Nothing weird about that." He is almost always whistling either "Isn't she lovely" or a Sousa march.

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  17. I needed to feel your joy. I am working on a dress shirt, made of custom printed fabric from Spoonflower, for husband's Christmas prezzie and I am pooped. You seem to sew like lightning or I sew like Molasses. Your pants are terrific, as is your blog. Love all the sewing machine info and am dazzled at your swift mastery of sewing, the fun you take in conquering each challenge. Slipcovers are in your future, can't wait...

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  18. Ok, those jeans are too cool, and so well made!

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  19. I had serious doubts when I first saw the fabric so I kept my trap shut.
    Having seen them finished, well, they are fabulous. I would wear them myself.
    I do hope to get the courage to try something like this. A+!

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  20. I've just completed a MPB marathon - 7 months worth in a couple of days.
    I feel so up to date now. :0)
    Has anyone pointed out though that your white plastic chairs (?) with laptops on them kind of look a bit like toilets in the living room? Just at first glance of course...

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  21. Great job on the pants, I love them its making me want to make some jeans again. I used to use some fusbile interfacing on a stretch hem before stitching and it really worked preventing any extra stretching or rippling, a walking foot helps too. I would love to see you with just a plain black tshirt with those pants though.

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  22. They look fantastic, Peter! If anyone can rock a pair of cherry leopard stretch denim jeans, you certainly can!

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  23. These pants are fantastic! Tip for future: fusible interfacing in the hem will allow you to machine hem without wavy effect.

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  24. Pants are looking terrific. Don't you need a black t-shirt with the sleeves rolled or something?

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  25. Great looking pants, Peter!
    Just wanted to give you a bit of a laugh:
    I am totally and absolutely designer-blind, so the first couple of times I saw photos of you couch-area, I was wondering why you had a toilet placed in front of the couch. Only today did I realize that it's actually tables! /blush

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  26. I want those pants!
    Ditto for the advice on fuzible interfacing in the stretchy hem. Works like a charm and you really need to see the stitching in a jeans hem don't you think?
    Jenny, I wonder if your vest instructions are on half-scale or are for just the half measurement, ie. center front to scye. Weird instructions. That's all I can think of, because 16-18" would be more feasible for a cross chest measurement in a man's vest. Hope you figure it out.

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  27. Peter you could (sorry is this is a repeat) also take them to Jonathan Embroidery at 256 West 38th and they can do a professional buttonhole for you. They have Reece buttonhole machines used in RTW.
    http://www.jeplus.com/

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  28. Wish my jeans looked as good as yours. Heavy sigh....

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  29. Great jeans, Peter! I think I like this pair better than last years.

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  30. Jenny, could it be a print error........or maybe it's half size? I am also wondering. Peter, you're goooooood! One question, how do you prevent jammed threads underneath the throat plate? I gave up sewing thick fabric because my thread always jammed an when I tightened the tension, they snap!

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  31. I use vintage straight stitch machines that are able to handle thick fabrics. You may need a more powerful machine.

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  32. Congratulation on the jeans!

    You might be interested in this video by tailor Jeffery Diduch- along with the other posts about buttonholes on the "Made by hand" blog-

    http://tuttofattoamano.blogspot.com/search/label/buttonholes

    Third entry down, "Hand Made Buttonholes- the video", posted on 2/16/10

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  33. All this pants-making of yours is very inspiring--I'm going to try my second pair of pants soon (the first I made in 1999... I found it a terrifying experience).

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  34. Ohhh love the pants and the blog!!!

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