Sewing a Pair of Jeans Using the SOS Knit Pants

I think sewing the perfect pair of jeans is on every sewist’s list. I’m no different, and it’s taken me a while to work up to it. It’s not so much the execution as it is the fit. There is so much to learn about fitting and I’m still blazing a path through those woods. It’s even more complicated since I’ve become very particular about how I want my clothes to fit, especially pants. So there’s the challenge of finding the right pattern, and then tweaking that pattern to my liking.

I finally bit the bullet with the SOS Pants  and some close-out True Religion denim.

About the Fabric

About the Pattern

Patterns for Pirates SOS Knit Pants

I have no major complaints with this one. I did make one or two comments on certain steps: the most significant regarding the notches on the yoke. Because of the seam allowance, I lined up the crotch curve edges rather than the notches. This makes the side seam edges of the yoke extend beyond the side seam edges of the legs, but once you press the seam allowance down, it lines up way better than matching the notches.

The Muslin

I had never worked with this pattern before, so step one before slicing into my True Religion denim was a muslin. I chose to make a pair of shorts to test the most vital areas for fit, and I used left-over jersey jegging knit from Fabric Snob with a similar 25%-30% stretch.

• Size L
• 3″ inseam +2″ for double-fold hem
• Cut elastic at 33″

What I learned:

• I truly loathe elastic, so I lowered the front waistband 1.5″, meaning I redrew it and cut 4 total pieces rather than 2 on the fold to account for the contour, and ditched the elastic. I had to unpick the original waistband, but it was totally worth it.
• The original pocket placement looks a little wonky on my body shape, so I used a pair of RTW shorts that look pretty amazing in the butt area and made some notes to move the pockets outward, down, and reshape them.
• Even though the jersey knit has a similar stretch percentage, it behaves quite differently than the True Religion denim. It has a looser recovery and actually “grows” throughout the day with wear, leaving me with a pair of slightly too large shorts that I like way more than I thought I would. They’re really comfortable.

The Final Make

• Size M
• NO elastic
• -1″ at waistband front (cut 4 pieces vs. 2 on the fold)
• Reshaped pockets to taper at bottom
• Move pockets outward (1.5″ from center topstitch) and down 0.5″ from original placement.

What I Did Differently

• Sewed the outer side seams and inseams at 1/4″. Trying on for fit after basting at 1/2″ was too tight.
• Cut at capri length and self-drafted cuffs. I sewed those around the bottom of the legs while they were inside out, flipped the cuffs down and folded over the right side, pressed, and anchored them along the side seams.
• Added a denim facing to the pocket.
• Tacked the front pockets near the waistband to help stop gaping.
• Unpicked and completely redid the waistband. The fit was atrocious; too low, too tight, all the things. I used my edited contoured waistband from the Peg Legs pattern in a very stretchy athletic knit:
  • M.5 at raw edge graded to L.5 at top
  • -1″ at front
  • -1″ around entire waistband

Notes for Next Time

• Maybe size the whole thing up to L? Or…
• Grade the waistband from M.5 at the raw edge to XL at the top.
• I love the fit from the yoke down to my thighs. I think from there I need to grade out to a large. The knee area and cuffs are snug.
• Topstitch the denim facing on the pocket to keep the raw edge from flipping out. Probably extend the facing a bit further down the pocket, too.

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