Legato Jeans by Love Notions
Hello! Okay, I am back today with a very exciting announcement… well, not really an announcement, but it is exciting! I made my very first pair of Jeans! I have been sewing clothes for over 10 years. I have made so many things over the years. I even made a wedding dress earlier this year, but for whatever reason I never thought I would be able to conquer sewing jeans.
Well, when Tami with Love Notions announced that she was going to be releasing the Legato Jeans pattern, I decided to give it a go. I have made so many Love Notions patterns over the years, so I am very familiar with the fit of the patterns and they always suit me well. So, I figured if ever there was going to be a time – now was it!
I have to tell you, this is one of the most rewarding sewing projects ever. I kind of wished I added a patch or something that says “I MADE THIS,” I want everyone to know 😊
Okay, enough about my own personal excitement, because I know that is not why you are here reading this post. I wanted to document a bit about the creation process.
I thought it may be helpful if I included my measurements and sizing
Height: 5’2”
Natural Waist: 26.5”
Hips: 37.5”
I sewed a size 4 in the waist and graded to a size 6 in the hips.
I made the petite pattern. I used the Curvy waistband. And some of the Full Seat Adjustment (I will explain this).
I used 12 oz stretch denim from Cali Fabrics
First, the sizing. I have a few typical pattern adjustments that I make for pants. To my surprise, Tami included a lot of those adjustments in the pattern, making it very easy to prep the pattern.
One of those adjustments is the petite option. I am rather short-waisted, meaning the distance between my natural waist and my hips seems to be shorter than most pattern blocks. When I buy store bought jeans, I often have extra fabric folding over in the crotch area. I usually have to reduce the length between the waist and the hip area. However, the petite rise in the Legato pants accommodated for that, so I did not have to make that adjustment. However, I did need to add length to the pant legs, since my leg length is longer than the drafted length for the petite version. I just added 1.5” in length.
The only other adjustment I made was to the “Full Seat”. In the pattern you have the option between a Flat Seat and a Full Seat. I chose to do the Full Seat option, but I found that it gave me a bit of excess fabric in the back, right below the crotch area. I simply unpick that area and took some of that excess fabric away. In the end, I fall right between the full seat and the flat seat, which is a very easy pattern adjustment to make.
As for the actual sewing. I went pretty smoothly. I had a lot of fun with the topstitching. I just took my time. I slowly worked on my final version over about a 5-day timeframe. I just tried to enjoy the process and I had so much fun topstitching.
A few of my favorite tools:
Edge Joining/Stitch in the Ditch foot (for topstitching): https://amzn.to/3zpGepk
Tailor’s Clapper (to help reduce bulk): https://amzn.to/3zlZunC
Jean-a-ma-jig: https://amzn.to/3Dific0
Denim Sewing Needle: https://amzn.to/3FoFnZU
Topstitching Thread: https://amzn.to/3DnSUy3
I hope this helps give you the confidence to just jump in a try it! The more pants I make for myself, the more I learn about my body. These patterns are not always meant to be perfect straight from the paper, for every single person, we usually have to make little tweaks and adjustments, based on our own bodies. I know it takes time, but it feels great when finish!
Check out the Legato Jeans, and do not forget to use the code “JEN10” for an additional 10% off.
If you are still a little intimidated Tami did release a Legato Jeans Course, walking you through the process.
