It's no secret that I love the Jamie jeans by Named. I think I've made six pairs of them now (not all blogged) and I wear them all the time.
So when Named released a new jeans pattern, the Wyome boyfriend jeans, I couldn't help myself.
This post is an analysis of my first two pairs of Wyomes - the fit, the tweaks and the future.
My first pair was in this lovely, but wrinkly, lightweight denim. The Wyomes are made from non-stretch fabric and have a slightly relaxed fit. This pair I made with no changes to the pattern. Well, at least I did at first.
I made a size 10 according to my measurements. The size 10 Jamie jeans are a great fit on me. These turned out to be a closer fit than I expected from the pattern picture - not tight, just less loose, if you know what I mean. I searched for the boyfriend-ness in the style and wasn't sure I found it. Still, I liked them and modelled my newly finished pair when my sister came over.
I should mention that my sister is my biggest critic: "New jeans? Turn around....Oh...No...They are not flattering on the bum. The pockets are wrong, they're too low and too small. Hmm, and the front is too baggy just there so it gives you a camel toe when you walk. Good fabric though."
"Please say what you really think." I retorted (well I thought about it). "Don't sit on the fence. Oops, did I just fling your hot cup of tea at you slightly too roughly?"
The problem was, as usual, she was right.
There wasn't much I could do about the front crotch but, when she'd gone, I ripped off the offending back pockets with their cute chevron stitching and replaced them with pockets from the Jamie jeans pattern. I used the Jamie pocket placement as a guide so they sat higher up on the back.
This is what I ended up with - Wyomes with no changes except to the back pockets (and a zip fly instead of buttons):
My sister deemed the new back pockets an improvement so, with renewed hope, I set about making a second pair.
These were made as a wearable muslin (I know, I should have done that the first time) so I used a piece of curtaining fabric picked up from Remida. It was lovely and soft, but terrible to sew as it didn't pass through the machine easily, resulting in uneven stitches.
I made the same size, but changed the crotch curve very slightly. The Wyome crotch is quite different to the Jamie crotch in size and shape so it wasn't possible to just copy the Jamie curve. I decided to compromise and took in a 1cm sliver from the bottom of the fly to the crotch point of the Wyomes. I think it has improved the camel toe issue, but there are still wrinkles there.
The back is unchanged apart from using the Jamie jeans pockets and placement. I added 5cm to the leg length so I could wear these unrolled. After trying them unrolled, I decided I won't wear them that way. However, I haven't consulted my sister, so this may change!
These are still not perfect, but I really like them. They are very comfortable and look good with a top worn untucked. I am pleased with the slightly relaxed style and love that they can be made with non-stretch fabric. It makes a great alternative to the many stretch jeans I've made recently. Although they are overall closer fitting than I expected, the fit itself is spot on at the waist and hips.
So what's next? A linen pair, already cut out and partly assembled. I'm hoping linen will give more of a relaxed feel. The next pair will incorporate some of the tweaks I've mentioned and I think I'm going to like them a lot. Will I show my sister? We'll have to wait and see. It might mean crediting her with the ideas for improvements and I couldn't possibly do that!
19 comments:
At the risk of being mistaken for your sister, the original pockets did nothing for you! Much better with the higher-placed pockets. Not touching the camel toe issue, as I can't discern any. And do you mean to tell me you have a stylish new pair of jeans make of curtain fabric!? You are amazing.
I appreciate your honesty (and my sister's!). Pocket placement is a difficult beast, so definitely a work in progress. I did take a photo of the camel toe, but decided it was better left to the imagination! Glad you like the curtain jeans.
Great timing. I have these cut out and ready to see. Yes think I will raise the crotch too. Also worried they might be a bit tight. I have increased the waist size but I do have more wobbly hits than the concave pattern model so worried about thighs. Just off to buy top stitch thread and I'm off. My 1st jeans.
I meant to say raise the pocket!!? Yours look great by the way, especially impressed by the curtain ones.
I love posts like this because it helps you understand whether a pattern is going to work for you! Thanks for sharing! I think the curtain ones look great, I have a curtain project on the go at the moment too and it too is causing the machine a bit if grief. Oh, and I was thinking of putting in an order for some hard copy Named patterns soon, let me know if you want to save on postage.
I always thought you had great taste! I would love to hear how you get on with your first jeans. Good luck!
Oooh, hard copy Named, it's a bit tempting. I'll let you know. I'm so pleased you found this useful. I can now hint that I'm pretty darn happy with my third pair! Stay tuned.
They look great, can't wait to see the third rendition. I know on me I liked the shaping as is but I wouldn't make the pockets exactly as drafted more than once. It's surprising that they are still such a fitted pant, but still enough different from the Jamie to fill a wardrobe hole.
You're onto a winner here! Good work persevering for a perfect fit.
Funny! I have two sisters and I know what you mean about brutal honesty! Daughters are pretty good at that as well! I should be able to make perfect pants with three lots of opinions but I am not quite there yet, but working on it. Your sister has certainly helped you improve your finished product. I really like the bigger pockets and the secon pair look great. It is nice to have the choice between rolled and unrolled. I would say up for summer with sandals and down with ankle boots!
Great work. You certainly have a talent for making jeans.
I love these! I just purchased this pattern and can't wait to make them up!
Thank you, I certainly looked very closely at your review when tweaking these.
Sometimes the fiddling about is so rewarding it's all worth it, even though it seems a pain at first!
Two sisters, omg I don't think I could take more than one! I'm pleased you agree with the direction of the changes.
Thank you. I'm not sure it's a talent, more of a dogged perseverance, but I'm getting there!
Fantastic! I'll look out for them.
These turned out great! I agree that the new pocket placement is better, and will make a mental note to check that for when I get around to making these myself. Your Named jeans (these AND your Jamies) have been super inspiring and I hope mine turn out even half as good!
Hahaha... thinks you can only say to another sewer: "I would really like to see your camel toe." But seriously, I saw the pattern correction you made for your lovely linen pair and am wondering what issue it corrected. It seems like there are several different crotch problems referred to as camel toe, with competing instructions on how to fix them.
lauraborealis (from patternreview.com)
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