As mentioned in my Fancy Pants intro post, having read Allie Olson’s review of the Liana stretch jeans I knew I had to try them. So I used my November UpCraft credit to purchase the pattern and started setting aside fabrics and inspiration images.
When one of my favorite sewing buddies, Jen, visited in December, she gave me this incredible green RL brushed twill.
GAVE.
I asked her 3 times if she was sure, because it is so good.
So I cut into that scrumptious stuff almost immediately. And I’m here to tell you I really like the Liana pattern.
The mid-rise is perfect for me. I love that the pocket stay feature means the pocket bags don’t constantly need to be put back in their place. The Liana pattern does come with 3 leg shapes, but I’m a major skinny leg fan (so I’m not sure when I’ll be trying the straight or boot cuts, but I love that they are included).
thank god for sew alongs
One very interesting part of the construction was the waistband. The instructions call for twill tape to be basted into the seam allowance of the band’s upper edge. I was a bit baffled and needed to consult the sewalong for more images.
Now, I didn’t see interfacing anywhere in the instructions, but I was concerned about the stability of the button and buttonhole so I fused a couple small pieces inside the band before closing it.
I did adjust the back of the pants at the center back seam to eliminate the gape I always get. I’m a fan of basted-fitting every pant since stretch and behavior of every material varies quite a bit.
My favorite hardware comes from Citron Jeans on Etsy. I noticed the washable paper patches in Kenji’s selection and decided to give them a try too. They come in a pack of 5, but I found cutting them in half still maintained a good size patch, so I’ll be able to make 10 patches from one bundle.
Ultimately, I’m really happy with how this muslin pair turned out.
I had my doubts about the waistband method. I can say, though, after multiple wears and washes it’s great. Maybe you already knew Kennis was a genius? I’m (regrettably) slow to catch on.
I also wanted to talk about my Anthropolgie-inspired pair.
I decided to rise to the Fancy Pants challenge and cut into some Cone Mills denim for the first time.
velvet ribbon source- SuchGoodSupply on Etsy; denim sourced from LA Finch Fabrics
I added the narrow strip of velvet ribbon to the pants front pieces 1” from the the outseam raw edge before assembling the front pockets.
Then I joined the fronts and backs (with yoke) at the outseam. This is a slight departure from the pattern’s construction order. I wouldn’t recommend this construction order if you haven’t first sewn and made any necessary fit adjustments to the pattern since the outseam is a common seam to adjust for hip and waist fit.
With the side seam finished, I added the second ribbon just behind the side seam.
My edge stitch foot was my ally here.
Finish assembling the pants and voila! FANCY.
I honestly wasn’t sure about the velvet ribbon when I was in the thick of making these jeans. But I reasoned it would be easier to remove the ribbon later than to add it after the fact.
And the fact is I love them. Lots.
Certainly, you all were right that Cone Mills denim jeans are the fucking best. THE END.
Post edited February 3, 2020 to add affiliate links for Itch to Stitch.
