Making Jeans - Making Progress/McCalls 6610

Progress continues on the Jeans Project - my plan was to make a wearable muslin using McCalls 6610 and organic cotton twill from Fabric.com in red.  I was excited about using McCalls 6610 because based on my comparisons with Vogue's Calvin Klein pattern, the McCalls pattern looked very promising.

I made a few changes, though, before I even cut out.  Other bloggers/reviewers have noted that the rise on the McCalls 6610 is very high, and by comparing it to the Calvin Klein pattern, this appeared to be true.  So I used the lengthen/shorten line on the pattern and shortened both the front and back pattern pieces by about a half inch.  (Hint:  don't do this unless you are actually petite.)  And then I shaped the seat seam to mimic the Calvin Klein pattern since I like the fit.

I felt pretty confident of my changes which is usually a portent of things to come . . .  The weekend before last I cut out and put together the back of the jeans and back pockets.  On Labor Day, I picked it back up around 9:30 a.m. even though I was kinda tired and a little MS-y.  Also, I could tell my head just wasn't in the game.  But I had a free day, and I didn't want it to go to waste.

I should have listened to the universe, but I was feeling perversely stubborn that day.  This is the first zipper fly that I have made that didn't turn out well.  (Which is not McCalls' fault - I was all, hey, I've got this.)  First, I did it wrong, which I didn't discover until the jeans were put together and I tried them on.  Then, it became clear that my left side of the fly zip didn't complete cover the zipper, which is pretty much an epic fail.  Finally, I topstitched the fly four times and it still looks like crap.  

Once I got the waistband wrestled on this sucker there was only one thing I could do to get rid of the bad juju - I threw the jeans in the washer to get the evil out.  

Last night I hemmed them and did the buttonhole.  I put a regular button on rather than a jeans button because I wasn't sure if I was going to redo the waistband or not.  I didn't sew on the belt loops for the same reason.

I wore them to work today because today was a "jeans day" to celebrate the kickoff of the NFL season.  But I didn't get photos until I got home.  So they are:

I had been wearing these all day, so they are seriously wrinkled. But here's the verdict:  these jeans are too tight.  By shortening the rise as if I was a petite, when I'm really not, I made the upper hip and waist too tight.  If I had left well enough alone, they probably would have fit fine.

What I do like are the more narrow legs on this pattern than the Calvin Klein pattern.  Here's a booty shot that shows the waistband too low and too tight:

Also, you can see that the back yokes aren't flat where they meet the waistband - the instructions have you "ease" the jeans into the waistband.  I'm here to tell you that denim this heavy doesn't "ease".  At all.  For every pair of jeans I make from now on, I'll cut the waistband as long as it needs to be to avoid any easing.  If that makes the waistband a little bigger, all the better - who wouldn't want a little extra room in the waist?

Here's the shot that shows the waist too tight and my zipper exposed:

After wearing them all day, I won't be putting on any belt loops because I probably won't be wearing these jeans - they are just too tight and uncomfortable.

As I mentioned, what I do like about the pattern is the width of the legs.  The legs of the Calvin Klein pattern were too wide.  I compared the two patterns and interestingly, the back pattern pieces are the same width.  The difference is in the front pattern pieces - the front leg pattern piece of the McCalls pattern 6610 is much narrower.   

So here are my choices for my next jeans:

1)  Make McCalls 6610 again, unaltered, which will probably fit reasonably well;

2)  Combine the McCalls pattern and Calvin Klein pattern - maybe use the back pattern piece from the Calvin Klein pattern and the front from the McCalls pattern and see if that works; or

3) Do both.  I can make as many pairs of jeans as I want.

Parting shots:  Anne got married this weekend!  Here's a few photos I took:

Vicki's skirt in action:

Anne and Vicki: