I finished this last Wednesday, but we didn’t have time to take pictures until Saturday and I couldn’t write a post until now. Work is piling up…
Koen was asking for a pair of pants for months, so when the Jedediah pants were released, I knew I had to make them. I showed the pattern pictures to Koen and he was not very convinced about fitted pants, since he’s a cyclist and has powerful thighs. He has problems fitting pants there, so he usually buys a larger size and then he gets a lot of gaping at the waist. He wanted wide and comfy linen pants, and what is it better than making your own clothes if you really want a customized fit? His measurements were for a size 36, but I graded to a 40 in the thighs and from above the knee (the shorts line) I cut them straight. After trying a muslin, walking, sitting a crouching for 5 minutes, he was happy with the fit.
He bought the linen fabric himself when we were together in Vigo. He was lovely there choosing fabric 🙂
We had enough fabric to make the pockets of linen too but he especially requested them to be made of the same fabric as jeans pockets to make them more durable (that same fabric I used to repair one of his pockets). And off corse, he also requested bias binding made with that same fabric (that’s what you get when your boyfriend not only listens to what you say but also shows an interest in it ).
As his back pockets also suffer from wearing his wallet, he wanted them to be lined with the same blue fabric.
But let Koen show us the pants details.
After the first picture I told him to tuck his t-shirt inside his pants to show them in all its splendour.
As you will notice in this pictures the pants look a tad too short. I swear I had a moment of horror when I saw it. When it was time to hem the pants, Koen made a fuss of it. He wanted to wear these pants with sandals and he didn’t want the bottom of the pants to get caught under his heels. I think when he re-fastened his belt again he pulled the pants a bit higher than in that first foto, so it’s fine. He’s been wearing them for a couple of days like he always wears his pants: with his wallet and his keys, so I have to say that he was right and the hem comes a bit lower like that; so at the end they have the perfect length.
I would have liked to have notches on the waistband to help placing it, but at the end it worked without problems.
Contrary to my first hand-made pants, the zipper here went like a bliss thanks to the wonderful video tutorial Morgan made. And those of you who are afraid of sewing fly zippers should go there and bookmark it. Thanks, Morgan!
What gave me hell was the fabric. I had nightmares pressing it and cutting it. And it frayed like crazy. The fly looks ok now, but it took me almost tears to have it laying flat.
I made flat felled seams for the inseams and side seams. It’s a bit hard since you have to fiddle a bit with the leg and the sewing machine but it’s possible, and the linen and the widened pant leg helped here. The seat seam is a faux flat felled seam, since I could not visualize for the life of me how to do it right. I knew that I had to make a cut between the seam and the fly and I was afraid of ruining the pants, so I followed Morgan’s advice and did a faux one.
And now a gift for the eyes 😉
We took these pictures on Saturday morning, and he’s been wearing this pants the whole weekend. He’s in love with them. He says they are so comfy that he doesn’t want to take them off.
Wow, Elena, these are so beautiful! Koen is a fortunate man. (:
I’m afraid of showing them to my boyfriend. He’ll want me to make some for him that are as beautiful—and my skills are not quite there yet…
My boyfriend was slightly unsure about the pattern as well when I first showed it to him because he doesn’t appreciate the skinny legs either. I’m really happy to see that these turned out so well, with the straight legs!
Thank you Jana! The good thing of working with a pattern is that you can make modifications. These were easy, so don’t be afraid to try yourself. As I said, I did size 36 for the hips and then graded to a 40 on the thighs. I was a bit afraid of this but I just free-hand drew it. After trying the muslin he wanted a tiny bit more (1 inch) and those thigh lines became almost straight tines narrowing towards the upper knee (the mark for the shorts hem). From then down they were completely straight.
Don’t be afraid of this project, since it’s fairly easy and for men’s pants we would normally use easy fabrics like cotton twill. I would say that linen would be one of the most difficult ones because it’s difficult to press and it frays, but even like that it was easy. I started sewing a bit more than a year ago, so I’m not very experienced; and I could, I’m sure you too 🙂
I am in awe! Those pants are wonderful, so professional. Girl, you got ‘sewing skills’!! The details, from the lapped zipper to the flat felled seams and throwing in the back pocket. He is one lucky man!
Thank you 🙂 I’m very proud of them because they came out pretty neat. I also made an extra effort to make everything all right and I confess that I was sweating on a couple of occasions because I didn’t want to screw up. I’m happy that I finished them in a reasonable amount of days (almost 2 weeks) because it’s so easy to get stuck at some point where you’re not sure if your next step is going to be right. After finishing them I really got a sense of achievement 🙂
Wow! The pants look absolutely fantastic! You are inspiring me to make trousers for my husband too 🙂 Beautifully made and the fit looks spot on.
Thank you so much, Carolyn! It’s not as scary as it appears at first, and your husband will love them because they avoid all the typical fitting issues. Koen is wearing them a lot and even asked his co-workers what they think of his new made-by-his-girlfriend pants. He walks so proud in them 😀
Wow, Elena, they look great! And they remind me that I have the cut pieces of similar pants lying around…and they have been lying there for at least a year now. Good thing that husbands dont grow, I could still sew them…I think that is why I always do the children`s stuff first!
You cut them and didn’t sew them? For me tracing the pattern and cutting the fabric are the most tedious tasks. Once that is done the rest comes easily. I’m sure you’ll be able to pull those out in no time 🙂
About children, that so true; that’s why until now I’ve only knitted for my niece. I’m afraid of sewing something and that it won’t fit her the next time I see her.
Congratulations! I have been wanting to sew something for my husband for months, but never got inspired (or never had enough time because I was sewing something else I really wanted to), but seeing these pictures makes me feel gilty… So I will have to make an effort. And I agree with you, tracing the pattern and cutting is boring.
I was a bit under pressure when I made this because I wanted them to be perfect. It really paid of, since Koen wears them a lot and happens to mention to many friends that I made them. If your husband appreciates hand made clothes, then go for it!
I hate tracing and cutting. It’s where I get often stuck with projects. Sometimes just thinking of me makes me procrastinate 🙁
I have found that seriously starching my fabrics after pre-washing them slows fraying down enough for precise stitch placement. Commercial or homemade starches work. Be very generous with the starch, it will wash out after construction is done.