I\’ve been on a pants roll, y\’all! It must be cooling down here in North Carolina since I recently remade the Ash jeans (as yet unblogged) and now another pair of Gingers. These are totally different than any previous jeans I\’ve made though, because I used this suuuuper cool coated black denim. I ordered this from The Fabric Store in Australia because I couldn\’t find anything similar anywhere closer, and paid almost as much for shipping as for the materials, so I bumped it way up my to-sew list for fear of it languishing in my stash for ages, staring at me and making me feel guilty. The coating is not wax, like some coated jeans are, it\’s some sort of plastic-y something–it\’s not a bad plastic-y, I just don\’t know what it is. Underneath the coating is a nice black denim with about 15% stretch–perrrfect for some skinny jeans! These aren\’t the most forgiving/comfortable of jeans–but then again, they aren\’t for every day wear.
I went with the Gingers instead of the Ash jeans for two reasons–the fly instructions and the pocket bags. First, for this slightly shiny fabric, I really wanted to have the flattering interior pocket stay. Second, this fabric is a bit unforgiving when it comes to unpicking, and the Ginger fly which requires less unpicking than the Ash jeans.
As I mentioned, the coating on this fabric does show little pinpricks wherever there was a needle or pin hole, so this was an interesting challenge in terms of construction! I pinned only in the seam allowances and was extra careful not to do more unpicking than required by the pattern. I do have a couple little spots I messed up on, but my mistakes aren\’t visible unless you are looking for it, so I\’m not stressed about it.
It\’s still a little bit too warm most days to wear coated denim, but I\’m really excited to wear these this fall with an oversized sweater or hoodie, or dressed up with booties and a cute top. It\’s a little bit out of my comfort zone (I am after all a 30 year old librarian, haha) and I don\’t anticipate wearing these, like, every week, but I do think they will be perfect for nights out!
xoxo,
They look a bit like leather. They're cute but I've seen you much more flattering pants. I think the fact they seem a bit rigid is making me say that. Perhaps they will soften up with some wearing. Keep us posted.
These look great on you! I enjoy the familiar pattern paired with an unfamiliar fabric.
I love it! They look so badass. Do they breathe?
These look shockingly like leather! So cool! Have you read the Baba Yaga books by Deborah Blake? They're the lightest of light reads, but fun, and this is how the Babas dress! Haha!
Thank you! I thought it was fun too.
I wouldn't wear them when it's hot out, but they were fine to wear on the cool-ish day we took these pictures! I didn't feel particularly sweaty or anything. I've never worn leather pants so I can't tell you if they are more or less breathable than the real thing 😉
I've never read those but I've just looked them up–I just need some mood lighting and I'll be ready for my cover shoot!! 🙂