Cargo Ginger Jeans & Fashion Revolution

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Today I’m sharing a project that has been on my mind for months.

When I first graduated college, and was still living at home, I was able to save some money to spend on clothing. I’ve always been very careful about spending, and take time to buy something I really want. I found a pair of green cargo pants that were made with sustainable materials, from an eco friendly fashion site just starting out. They were around $50, so I was pretty happy to purchase. A month after purchasing, I didn’t receive my pants. I was somewhat devastated – I saved all this money, carefully found the perfect pants and now I don’t get them? I contacted the company and the CEO called me trying to explain. She didn’t really apologize, didn’t really say much of anything, just that the order was on the way. So you could say I was pretty turned off by the entire experience.

Eventually I got my pants. And they were too big. It was such a hassle to get them, I figured if I returned, it would take forever to get my money back. So I kept them, and wore them even though the waist was way too high and large. I don’t wear them very often, but always had a vision of making my own pair- that actually fit. And as far as I know, the company is no longer selling apparel.

With this dream of making cargo pants, I bought Kauffman Stretch Twill from Fabric.com back in December. I didn’t want to attempt these pants until I finished a second pair, so I would have a little more experience. Jeans sewing is still very new to me, and with each pair I make, I’m getting closer to the perfect fit. My last pair was pretty close because I was able to lower the rise and take some inches out of the waistband. The fit came out SO MUCH BETTER than my first pair, but I took a little too much out of the rise, and the waistband was still a little large. For this pair, I added a little more to the rise, and took an extra inch out of the waist.

Clearly these are very tight. I’m pretty sure it’s because the fabric is twill, not denim and there wasn’t as much stretch as my previous pairs. But even with that, they are comfortable and over time I know they will be worked in. I wanted to add some detail to the pants, but didn’t want to make them too overdone. I added some textured pockets in back, and a pocket to the leg.

For the back pockets, I pretty much stole the idea from Suzy Bee Sews. Her pockets came out awesome and I had to have them for my own behind. I made up the pockets as I went, so I’m sorry there’s not a guideline for doing it yourself, but it’s rather easy to play around with.

For the side pocket, I roughly followed the tutorial on Imagine Gnats Site from Dandelion Drift. I used the shape of the pocket, but added a center pleat for interest. The original pocket was too large to sew onto my thigh so I cut it down a few inches all around and closed it with a few snaps.

I still have a fear of installing the grommets on my jeans. I had an issue installing the button and needed Drew to hammer it in, so grommets freak me out. Since they are the very last step, the LAST thing I want to do is make a hole I can’t cover. I’m actually looking into grommet hardware because I want to add grommets to some handbags, so eventually all my handmade jeans will have more hardware.

If you follow me on Instagram (@trishstitched) you would have seen my pretty floral pockets! The fabric came from a stash I found when cleaning out my grandparent’s house. They were napkins, and now they will line the pockets to my favorite pants.

In other news, it’s Fashion Revolution Week! I wrote a post about it last year, which is still very, very relevant- feel free to read! This is a cause very near to my heart. I am still on my way to a 100% me made wardrobe and have come pretty far within a year. I’ve been working hard on my handmade jean collection, and my basics like t-shirts as well. I’ve made a bra, but still need to work on undergarments. It’s a long process, but well worth it to me.

{Pictured here are my Cargo Ginger Jeans, Kelly Anorak, and Copy & Paste Tank}

If you are interested in learning about the subject, I recommend watching The True Cost on Netflix. It is an informative and eye-opening documentary, and a good place to start to learn about the real fashion industry.