denim | Step Into The Silver Rain

2 years ago i sewed my very first pair of (boyfriend) jeans. i have been using those jeans ever since, like, a LOT. they are still in good shape too, but i wanted to have another pair. i wanted to have another go at it, with some slight modifications.

enter my boyfriend jeans’ twin.

self-made sweatshirt and jeans, Mango belt, unbranded socks, Bianco shoes, salmon pink earring from Indonesia Wholesaler store, purple tassel keyring from Morocco (worn as earring).

before we go any further, i just want to warn you that i am super proud of myself for sewing these jeans and thus please be prepared for the many pics in this post. :p

anyway, i used the exact same pattern as last time, Named’s Wyome Boyfriend Jeans pattern. i made the leg parts below the knees slightly wider this time for more ease of wear. i also made diagonal seams from the side pockets down to the knees, just for fun. just like last time, i didn’t make the decorative stitches at the back pockets, because i wanted to save my topstitch thread.

now, for this pair, since my fabric’s colour is so pale, i decided that i wanted to have pink decorations: pink topstitch thread, pink buttons, pink lining, and pink bias tape (you’ll see them soon).

previously, instead of regular topstitch/quilting thread, i used the bear thread for my first jeans. i also used an old needle, from my late grandmum’s stash. and i also made a lot of mistakes while sewing with thick thread, like going back and forth at the edges for ‘locking’ the stitches, which is apparently a big no-no as it would jam your sewing machine! (no wonder my sewing machine almost died that time!) the correct way to do it, so i learned, was to just keep on going forward, leave long enough thread leftover at the edges, so you could then knot them by hand! clever! 🙂

so that’s what i did this time, and i also used a brand new needle (regular 100/16, NOT the jeans needle because my sewing machine can’t take it for some reason). everything went so smoothly, i nearly cried from happiness!

another difference this time was the fact that i have an overlocker! i did most of the seams with this, it really makes my life a lot easier.

i even put interfacing on all the correct places this time (i skipped that the last time and really regretted it), even though my fabric choice this time doesn’t really have that much elasticity. but anyway… i’m still glad i did it.

because this time i decided to line the waistband with a regular cotton fabric, which is also the fabric i used for the pockets.

it’s the paper doll fabric i used to make my coat many years ago. look how cute that came out on the jeans!

instead of installing 5 buttons as the pattern calls for, i used 4 this time. on my previous pair of jeans, i rarely even need to open/use the fifth button, that’s why i thought 4 is enough. and as if these details weren’t enough, i went the extra trouble to add one more tiny detail… bias tapes on the inside of the side seams! so that when i roll up the hem, you can see more pink on my jeans, mwahahaha!

anyway, i can again only praise the clarity of the sewing instructions of the Named pattern. everything was clearly written & drawn, i had no problem at all sewing these ‘complicated’ jeans.

i only encountered one problem when sewing this, and it wasn’t even the pattern’s fault. somehow, when i was sewing the crotch edges using my overlocker, though i thought i was extra careful, i still managed to end up with a big cut right in the middle of the front part of the jeans! the overlocker’s knife got to it when i wasn’t looking, i swear! 😦

because of this, i had to sew the crotch parts together quite a lot smaller than the original pattern, so that the hole would be covered underneath the seam, and i only prayed to God that i could still fit into the jeans. thankfully God was playing nice to me, and gave me my wish. the waist/crotch even fit much nicely and better than my previous pair of jeans exactly because it’s smaller! 😀

for attaching the upper parts of the belt loops to the waistband, i still had to do them by hand, because there was just no way that kind of thick layers of denim fabrics could go under my sewing machine’s foot.

but i think they look alright! and of course i had to test the jeans while squatting… (yep, they’re very comfy!).

i think i’m already falling in love with my boyfriend (jeans)’s twin. i just love everything about it, all the small details that probably will never be found out by anyone else but me (like who’s ever going to take a peek inside my pockets??) but just the fact that they’re there and that i made them myself is really something special. ❤

now i just keep wanting to make more jeans! LOL… but i don’t think my poor old sewing machine will appreciate that. and girl, you are just about to cheat on your first boyfriend jeans with your second one, and already you’re thinking of a third boyfriend?? 😀 pfffft, stop it!

dear boyfriend, i just want you to know that you frustrated me so much. you pis**d me off when i had to do the same thing over and over again just so you would look appropriate. you put me this close to tears that–i have to admit–the thought of breaking up with you crossed my mind so many times. and the thing was, i was not even sure you were the right one for me. i was angry and frustrated because i didn’t even know if we would be good together.

but when we were done stressing each other out… you were a dream come true.

everybody, meet my new boyfriend jeans. ❤

Details tank top, second hand blazer from Pasar Senen – Jakarta, Gina Tricot scarf (worn as belt), self-made boyfriend jeans, Just Kulkith shoes, mum’s old necklace from Africa.

denim, or jeans, is another fashion item/material that’s been in my ‘no thanks’ list for a long time. i wear them from time to time, but always only when i feel too lazy to dress up. to me, denim pants are for when i’m stuck with no idea of what to wear for the day. yes, it’s a good and laid back enough solution for a lazy day, and you can still dress it up if you want to. i truly understand the multifunction of it. what i don’t like is how it feels to the skin. at least i can forget about denim in all sorts of shape when i’m in my home country, because combined with the heat & dampness… ick. i don’t want to imagine it. and even here, when it’s winter, some denim types just make my skin itchy (i guess from the dryness). so those are my reasons for not loving jeans. and because of these reasons, i rarely get myself any jeans. when i do, i make sure it’s crazy cheap.

up to some weeks ago, i would just laugh on her/his face if someone tells me to make my own pair of denim pants. i won’t wear them that often, why would i spend time, energy, & money to sew one myself? (yes, at least in here, making your own denim pants cost more than buying ready made ones from H&M and the likes.)

all that changed when i saw a fellow seamstress’ self made denim pants. it made me want denim pants… and made me want to learn how to do it myself. what a shocker!

i wanted a normal, plain pair of jeans. no rips, no acid wash, none of that. something relaxed and comfy. unfortunately, i can’t draft my own pants pattern, and that pattern making book i got as a birthday gift doesn’t have any trouser pattern drafting chapter either. so i am forced to buy a pattern. seeing that it went so well for this fellow seamstress, i got the same pattern as she did, the Wyome Boyfriend Jeans pattern from Named (a Finnish company, yay!).

now the problem was that denim materials are so damn expensive here (this is me talking, who never gets fabrics that cost more than 10€ per meter!). one meter of fabric easily costs 16-18€, and i needed at least 1,5 m. i wasn’t ready to pay that much for something i wasn’t even sure would go successful. as you know, my sewing machine had just got revived from the dead, and denim is quite thick & hard to sew, it might send my sewing machine back to the dead. but a trip to the pre-cut fabrics department saved the day. i got 1,7 m of stretch denim fabric (110 cm wide) for 13€. phew.

then there was the topstitch thread. this would be my first time ever of doing a topstitch. since i decided that it would be white, i got myself the bear thread instead (the one usually used for upholstery and stuffs) since it has the same thickness. for the buttons, i couldn’t find ones that look more unique than just any ordinary denim button (and again, one fricken button costs 1,30 € already, geez!), so i ordered them from this Etsy shop. this would also be my first time ever of hammering denim buttons. oh the excitement!

following the suggestion from that fellow seamstress, i cut the pattern for the size 40 (i felt so big! that’s the biggest size i’ve ever cut for bottoms!) because i wanted it to be a bit baggy. i also made it about 15 cm shorter than the original length, because i’m quite short. everything went quite smoothly until i had to do the first topstitches. i don’t even want to go there, but let’s just say, i probably won’t be making another pair of denim pants any time soon. when it came to the very end, topstitching the waist band and sewing the belt loops, i decided to do them by hand because i really don’t want to kill my sewing machine. i managed to ruin 2 of the denim buttons before finally succeeding in attaching all 5.

2 days of stitching and swearing, they were done. i tried them on… and finally my smile came back. to me, there is really nothing that compares to the feeling of wearing something i made from scratch, especially when i know exactly how much energy was put to it.

when you see the bottom side of the topstitches, you’ll actually see how my sewing machine struggled to do it. the bottom thread became loopy no matter how high i set the sewing tension, but whatever. as long as i can wear the pants, i’ll wear them proudly.

i also did not add any interface at all, because i was so afraid that if i did, my sewing machine would not be able to sew those parts at all. i should have done it though for the button hole part, because now as you can see, it gets a bit curly from the stretch and holes. ah well. if there is ever a next time, at least i’ll know better.

just for the record, i have no idea whatsoever why this type of pants is called boyfriend jeans. i mean, first of all, i know the logic, it’s supposed to look like you borrowed your boyfriend’s pants. but i mean… unless you’re dating a supermodel boyfriend, i find it hard to believe that someone actually shares the same size as their boyfriend (or that they wear only one or two sizes different with each other). but that’s probably because i never had one. my boyfriends had always had way different sizes than me, so i don’t understand this name. second of all, what the hell is the difference with the ever so popular baggy jeans of the ’90s? or just plain loose jeans?

i suppose they will still remain as mysteries to me, but i’m at least enjoying this boyfriend trend. i’ve had enough of skinny jeans this, skinny jeans that, show your bu**hole crack here and whatever else. with these loving boyfriend, i can let out a sigh of relief and just be.