Pattern Review: Ginger Jeans

Pattern: Closet Case File's Ginger Jeans
Fabric: 1 1/2 yd stretch cotton lycra sateen
Cost:$9
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Hellooo! I am making my triumphant return to the internet after spending the past month writing my application for a masters program in public policy. I have been missing sewing like crazy and have no less than thirteen projects in my queue that I can't wait to get started on. I have also realized that sewing is not only a fun hobby, but a necessary creative outlet that gives the rest of my life balance. So, needless to say, I'm glad to be back!

First up is a project I completed last month - Closet Case File's Ginger Jeans. Those who have been following along will know that I have spent the last couple of years mildly obsessing over finding my perfect go-to jean pattern. After about seven versions, I have a very modified Colette Clover/BurdaStyle hybrid that I would say comes pretty close. So why try a new pattern? Honestly, I was curious to see if all the rave reviews for Heather's Ginger Jeans were true. And what really sold me on trying out this pattern was the picture of Heather herself: not only was it the style I like, but the pieces hug her curves beautifully! I was hoping they would look as good on me as they do on her.

I don't usually write pattern reviews because, to be honest, I don't often follow directions or cut patterns out as-is unless I'm pattern testing. But since jeans are an area of interest to me, I thought I'd take the opportunity to go through and jot down some notes. Here it goes:


My first impression was that there were a lot of pattern pieces to cut out! I wanted the low rise of View A but the tapered leg of View B, so I cut out all the pieces. Everything except for two pieces needed to be cut again for the other version, so there was a lot to do. However, I do eventually want to make the high-rise jeans, so I consider it worth it.

Next up were the instructions. Heather is so adorable! She realizes how intimidating jean making can be and cheers you on the whole time! This is one reason I like indie patterns, as I think the detailed instructions can make sewing so much more accessible. While most of the techniques were familiar to me, I did enjoy following her instructions for the fly front - I think I have made the best fly front I've ever done! However, be careful as she confuses left and right at some points - sometimes left refers to the side when you're facing the jeans, and other times it refers to the side when you're wearing them. But the illustrations and paying careful attention to detail should help you figure it out.

After constructing a beautiful fly front and nice back pockets, I basted everything together and tried it on with bated breath. The result? Pretty good! I would say it's the best fit in the legs I've ever had straight out of the envelope. I think my lower half is generally pretty easy to fit aside from some small tweaks, but I was pleasantly surprised. There was no bagging at the knees or extra fabric in the thighs like I had with the Colette pattern.

As I sewed them up, the one change I made was to modify the back seat curve to match my self-drafted pattern, which involves deepening the curve and bringing in the center back by about 1/2". Now that I have been wearing them for about a month, I can confirm that I need to make even more changes to this part. My waist curves in sharply from my booty, so I need to curve the back yoke and possibly take in the sides near the waistband. It fits great up to the yoke, but above that I need to take in about two more inches total - yikes!

This is actually a fairly typical fitting issue for me, and one I've encountered on my other hybrid pattern as well. However, I was slightly disappointed as I'd hoped they would be as curve-hugging as they look on the envelope.

Conclusion: In the end, straight from the envelope I got a pattern that was pretty close to the one I already had, but without the 7 pairs of drafting and refitting to get there. What is more, I'm not that great at drafting, so it is awesome to have a pattern where all the pieces line up and the elements are each nicely designed. You can tell Heather put a lot of thought into this pattern, and I wish these had been here when I first started sewing jeans. The details on these look great, and it is the best fly front I've ever done. However, the back gape is a reminder that a new pattern is not a panacea for my fit issues, and I will need to spend time making some adjustments to the back for the next pair.

So this version is a wearable muslin. Unfortunately the black is hard to photograph and they attract dust and specks like crazy, so apologies if the pictures aren't as detailed as I'd like. Hopefully I'll be back in a few months with a new version, as I am in  need of some more pants! I'm hoping this pair can be the base for my ever elusive perfect pants block...


9 comments:

  1. I was kind of holding my breath there for a minute - so I'm happy you're happy, hahaha. Fit looks pretty good from where I'm sitting but there will always be little tweaks we need to make to get them fitting just right. And I am going to go read those instructions for the billionth time to fix those left/right mix-ups! Thanks Meg!

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    1. Thanks Heather, it is clear you put a lot of effort into this pattern and the result is worth it!

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  2. How do you find the sateen for this pattern? I thought it would be perfect for stretch but worried about it bagging out a bit.

    I was also pleasantly surprised with how well these fit - though like you I still need to work on the hips to waist ratio, by taking in the back yoke more and seaming the waistband (I had to curve my waistband so much that most of it is on the bias!)

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    1. Glad to hear it's not just me and my big booty! I have another pair of sateen pants that I love and have practically worn to death. They bag a lot less than my stretch denim, too. I buy mine at Fabric.com because I have trouble sourcing it locally.

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  3. I've been looking for a good jeans pattern to try out, and this just might be it! thanks for sharing! P.S. I think we should do another swap of some sort.

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    1. Yes that would be great! PS I've been loving your sewing for your little ones!

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  4. Great job with the jeans! And good luck with the applications - I have my M.P.P. and I've really enjoyed the resulting career opportunities.

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    1. That's good to hear! I struggled a lot with the section of the essay where I was supposed to write exactly what I want to do when I get my MPP - there's so many options!

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  5. They look great from here! I have this pattern cut and ready to sew, excited to see how the fit is on me. I always have back-gape issues too.

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