I wanted to do something different. So I did. Making pinstriped jeans from suiting fabric might be a bit unexpected, but it worked out really well. It’s great when you use an untraditional fabric matched with a traditional pattern.
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The Fabric
I’m a Minerva brand ambassador, so I received this fabric free of charge from them in order to feature it on their site. It is a stretch woven suiting that’s a poly viscose blend. It is a medium weight fabric that’s soft and has some drape to it.
There’s 5% elastane in this fabric, so it does have a good amount of stretch to it. That was a concern initially when choosing what to make. But it turned out not to be an issue at all.
The Pattern
I decided to use a pattern I’ve used many times before for this – the Angela Wolf Skinny Jean pattern (it’s actually a video course with the pattern included). Please note there aren’t any written instructions with the pattern since there are video instructions (which are very clear). It’s nice to be able to watch her making the jeans while you can reference the video as you go along.
For this particular pair, I did widen the legs of the pattern about 2″. I wanted more of a straight-leg or wide-leg look for these. And I like this result.
I think I could make the jean legs just a bit wider, but I really do like how these turned out.
I also like that these are a simple pair of jeans made from an unexpected fabric. It isn’t the color that makes them unexpected (apparently gray jeans are “in”), but using suiting fabric for them gives them a dressier look and feel. These aren’t the usual blue jeans or denim jeans and I like that about them. That’s the look and feel I was going for in making these and I achieved what I wanted!
Now the truth is, these are not perfect. I placed the jeans button a bit too far over in one direction and I had trouble with sewing the button hole on the sewing machine. As it turns out, I simple cut the button hole and did a whip stitch around the edge to keep it from fraying. As far as the jeans tack or button is concerned, I did go ahead and remove it and put in a new one. That process was much easier than expected.
Overall
As I stated before, I’m really happy with the way these turned out. Once you get a jeans pattern to fit you the way you want, alter it. That way you can get a variety of looks from one pattern. In this case, all I did was to make them from some unexpected fabric that really gives them a more elevated look. I won’t be wearing these until Fall comes around. It’s still too hot right now!
