FO: The Kate jeans

Pattern: Vogue 8604

Fabric: Lightweight denim (not stretch) from Joanns

Notes: I have a lot of pictures of these because I love them so much!  I can’t believe how easy it was to make these pants.  I really thought that making pants was horribly hard and that they would never fit – but these pretty much fit me right out of the envelope!  Total construction time was maybe 4 hours?  And that’s with hand hemming.  Not bad at all.

I made a few small alterations from the pattern.  I used a layer of self-fabric as a sew-in interfacing on the waist.  This is not a thick denim at all, and it didn’t add too much thickness – just made the waist much more sturdy.  I also added boning to the side seams on the facing, as well as 2 pieces in the front between the darts.  I used Rigeline – it’s a thin flexible plastic, flat rather than round like I expect boning to be.  You can sew right through it.  I sewed it to the inside of the facing with a wide zig-zag, and it is invisible from the outside, as well as hidden from scratching me on the inside.  It is not bothersome when I sit either – this style of pants is designed to ride up when you sit, thus the long crotch, and it works out fine.

I can see from these photos that I need to take the hem up even more on the left side – darned uneven legs!  It doesn’t help that I’m standing with my weight on my right, but since I always stand that way I need to fix it.  You can see where the facing ends a bit – I might like to lengthen it in another pair (and I am planning to make these again!)

The other (tiny) issue is that you can see the pocket lining a bit.  I used a poly charmeuse from the remnant table, but when I make them again I will either rectify this issue or use a matching material.  It doesn’t bother me here, and they are so soft on the inside!

I cannot recommend this pattern enough – it was terribly easy, and I think these pants pass for 1930s/40s.  They are far more flattering than I thought, and I think they make my waist look smaller than it is, since they emphasize the difference from my hips to waist, which is larger than my bust to waist ration.  This is a great style for the curvy!  The key with a waist this high is to go retro – a lot of modern high waist pants have tighter legs, and they just look horribly wrong.  I plan to make these again in black and in a subtle brown plaid.  They are easily more flattering than other pants that I own.  I am now thinking of other pants to make – I’m considering a pair of black ones, and a pair of brown ones with a subtle check.  If you are considering these, go for it!  The pattern photo looks like nothing, but they are great!