Back to School “Jeans”

I can’t do it.  Can’t call ’em jeggings.  But they’re pull on jeans.

E wears almost only leggings when the weather cools off.  The only pants she will wear are skinny jeans.  She had a couple pairs but she’s outgrown them.  I told her I would make her some new ones.  I was going to make the real deal at first but when this Jalie pattern popped up, I knew they were just the ticket.

I took E shopping at Mood for some fabric.  She picked two shades of this denim, turquoise and neon coral. (Hopefully, this link doesn’t die too soon.  In any case, it’s 75% cotton, 23% polyester, and 2% spandex.)   It’s perfect for this pattern.  Nice bottom weight, good stretch.

I had a hard time picking a size.  E’s hips put her in a G, her waist in an I, and her inseam in a K. And there’s one tiny detail I don’t get about the smaller sizes in Jalie. Looking at a size J, which is supposed to be about 6 years old, there’s a 4″ difference between hips and waist.  Is that actually normal for children?  Because mine are certainly way more straight up and down than that! Whatever.

The pattern isn’t actually drafted as a truly skinny leg.  You have to take it in after the fact. I figured I could take in the hips at the same time as the legs.

I started with a size K to match the inseam and cut out the coral.  Once I’d gotten most of it constructed, I put it on E, and pinned her legs to her desired skinniness. (Cue comment from her dad saying he’s jealous that he doesn’t get bespoke jeans.)

I ended up shaving two full inches from the side waist (1 inch on each side) and then another inch from the center back.  In retrospect, I think I should have left that center back as is.  The jeans are great once they’re on but she has a hard time getting them on and off.

I used a decorative stitch on the back pockets for a touch of fun.

Those size K jeans ended up too long so for the turquoise ones, I went down to a size I with J length (and hemmed those ones a smidge too short…)

I thought I might not need to take in the waist but I did, just a little less. Though again, she does struggle to get them on and off so maybe they needed the extra ease?  That or the waistband elastic I used doesn’t stretch enough.  She had no issues getting either pair on and off before I added the waistband… The fit is much better under her butt though, isn’t it?

These ones don’t have the decorative stitching but I did do all the topstitching with beastly silver thread!

And that’s it for back to school!

 

PS: Didn’t I do a rockin’ job with the seam matching? And both jeans have a 2″ hem so I can lengthen them if needed. And please pretend you don’t notice how bubbly the waistband seams are.  I swear I pressed them hard.  Apparently not hard enough.