Prepping & Cutting Denim for Ginger Jeans

And heeeeeere we go! It's finally time to get cracking on our Ginger Jeans. First things first, you'll want to print out your pattern and assemble it. If you'd like help doing that you can check out my pdf printing guide. I highly suggest you cut your sheets with an exacto knife and a ruler - it shouldn't take long at all. Remember that you only need to cut the right and bottom edge, since you want an edge to glue or tape your pieces to. Please note that I have organized the pattern so that everything fits on two columns of paper, two sheets wide. You don't need to glue or tape along the centre seam since there is nothing dissecting that line - should make the process much faster to assemble!

To figure out your size, take a look at the sizing chart. The Ginger jeans have approximately 1" negative ease in the hip, and I would say that the fit is somewhat generous in the bum and thigh, but quite snug around the calf for version 2. If you are in between hip sizes, you shouldn't have a problem simply going down a size unless your denim isn't very stretchy. Be mindful of the waist - I would not suggest going down a size here. It occurs to me that despite my exhaustive prep for this sewalong I haven't prepared any photos for grading between sizes. Just keep in mind that the widest part of the hip is at the crotch pivot point if you need a reference for grading.

If you'd like to make the stovepipe leg skinnier for View A, rather than printing both versions and tracing the leg shape, check out Betsy's post on properly drafting a skinny leg. Basically you want to take an equal amount off of all seams. Taking approximately 1/2" off each seam, grading to just above the knee should give you the desired effect.

PREPPING FABRIC

Before we get started, make sure you have washed and ironed your denim (see the post on sourcing denim if you need more advice on how to care for your fabric). Once you have your pattern pieces cut out and ready to go, it's time to start a cuttin'.

I highly suggest taking the time to cut your leg pieces on a single layer of denim. It's less critical for the smaller pieces, but it really helps avoid leg twist. If you've never bought a pair of jeans that twist around your calve, consider yourself lucky. It's a pretty common issue with twill, since the fabric wants to pull in the direction of the weave (unless you are sewing with broken twill, as we discussed). To help prevent leg twist, the best way to layout your pieces is front leg, back leg, front leg turned 180 degrees, back leg turned 180 degrees (make sure these last two are also flipped wrong side up so you're not cutting the same leg twice!) There is a complicated technical reason for this you can read about here, but suffice to say, I have not had a single issue with leg twisting since implementing this style of cutting.

It is really hard to visually spot the grainline on denim since the weave is diagonal. I've found the simplest way to find the grainline is to use a quilting ruler and line up my selvedge and the grainline on the pattern piece.

Hold your pattern down with some weights or soup cans or whatever you have, and trace around the front and back leg pieces with some tailors chalk or a Clover Chaco Pen (I will never stop raving about how amazing this tool is, especially for pattern tracing!) I extend the notches onto the outside denim so I know where to cut later. Make sure you note any other construction markings like so:

Once you have your first front and back leg traced, start on the other side of the denim and line up your pieces again, this time turned 180 degrees and flipped upside down. Depending on your size and the width of the denim you may be able to squeeze these all in next to each other. I use a yardstick and a pen to trace the grainline on a hard surface. When you turn it wrong side up you should be able to see the grainline depression on your paper.

Once all four pieces are traced, you can cut out your legs with rotary cutters or scissors - make sure you clip 1/4" into each notch.

With your legs cut out, use the leftover denim to cut your remaining pieces. Facings and pockets can be cut on doubled fabric if you'd prefer to just weigh them down and zip around with a rotary cutter. The waistband should be cut on the fold - ignore what it looks like below because I updated the pattern piece after shooting this. Remember you only have to cut one each of the fly shield and coin pocket.

WAISTBAND OPTIONS

Traditional wisdom says that the lengthwise grain is the most stable and thus the best option for waistbands. I've come to disagree after reading this excellent post on Fashion Incubator. Basically, denim shrinks more on the lengthwise grain, so it is better to cut it on the crosswise. If you're stabilizing it with fusible, it doesn't make that much difference in the end. Cutting it on the fold ensures your waistband will shrink at the same rate as your legs (which shouldn't really shrink at all if you're washing them in cold water and avoiding the dryer, ahem).

I've always been finicky about how waistbands feel in jeans, so I've experimented with a few options. If you want something soft and non binding, use two layers of denim and don't stabilize. If you want something that will hold it's shape and stay put over the course of the day, stabilize with a medium weight fusible and use lining or denim for your facing. If you want something in between, don't stabilize at all and use a non-stretch cotton lining. This is my preferred choice for the high-waisted version where I want a little stability but don't want anything really digging into my tummy when I sit down.

LINING

You can use any non-stretch, lightweight fabric you want for your pocket lining (and waistband facing if you are going that route). This is the perfect time to pull out your scrap bag and have fun with colour and texture.

FUSIBLE INTERFACING

For your fusible interfacing, use something medium weight. I always just use whatever I have in my stash; as long as it's not too lightweight it will do the trick. Since the point of the interfacing here is to prevent stretching, you don't need a knit fusible interfacing.

Once you've cut your interfacing, let's take a little time and apply it to your pieces now. Apply the long strips of interfacing to the top edges of your coin and back pockets, and your waistband if you are interfacing it.

We will also press our pocket edges so we are ready to go when it's time to sew them. Using a seam gauge or ruler. press the top edges of your pocket down 3/4". Press the raw edge under about 1/4".

Attach the crotch extension interfacing to each front leg. Ensure your mark for the crotch pivot point is visible on each side.

And that's it for today! All your pieces are now cut and ready to be assembled.

If you’d like more help sewing professional looking jeans, consider taking our online video class. The Sew Your Dream Jeans Workshop will give you the tools and techniques to design, sew, and wear your very own custom pair of jeans with confidence.