I made the Au Bonheur jeans a third time. The first time, I tested the pattern in black ponte. The second time, I made a pair using stretch indigo denim.
This time I wanted to make a pair that showcased the funky aspect of this pattern. For this pair, I made the following changes:
- The original pattern calls for contrasting fabrics for several of the pattern pieces. For the first two pair, I used the same fabric for the entire pants. For this pair, I created my own contrasting fabric using my needle felting machine (also called an embellishing machine).
- I changed the back pockets. I started with the pocket shape from the Jalie Jeans and made a pocket design that incorporated a contrasting element and echoed the angle of the yoke.
- I made this pair 1" longer.
- I used white top-stitching thread.
Materials and Notions:
- Stretch black denim from FabricMart, purchased a year ago. I don't remember the lycra content, but 5" of the fabric stretched to 7". I prewashed the denim many times.
- White Guterman top-stitching thread (color #20).
- Scraps of lining and double-faced cotton to finish the lower edge of the front knee gusset and the front and back pockets.
- Frixion pens. I used these to mark the back of the denim to mark the darts, where the pocket backing would be exposed, etc. These worked GREAT! After I was done with the markings, they were easily removed with steam from the iron.
Conclusion:
I LOVE these jeans! I have been wearing the blue pair quite a bit and they are SO comfy. And they STAY UP! I just barely managed to get them entered into the jeans contest on Pattern Review. I had to drive to my DD1's place yesterday to use her Mac and struggle with an unfamiliar environment where I didn't have my tools or my passwords. It took me two hours, but I managed to get it done.If you are a member of Pattern Review (either free or paid), you can VOTE, if you wish.
Pictures Galore!
