Kwik Sew 3504 - second try

 Here are Simon's jeans, Kwik Sew 3504 in a size small.The first time Simon insisted he was a size medium and not a small. So I made the medium against my better judgement. They were so large that it would not have been worth it to take them in. So here come try #2.

 I am happy with the results. The first time I did them, they were too big. You can see them Here and Here. The second time you do a project, you just don't have the same steam. I planned on getting these done by Tuesday of my vacation, and I completed them Saturday night. I would sew the jeans while Simon drove the kids to daycare, then when he got home we worked on the valance and curtains. I was not in a rush.

 Then we he tried them on for fitting, they were TOO SMALL!!!! Ok, either he porked out in the last month or their sizing is wacked on this pattern. I ripped out my seams and make them 1/4 inch seams. Now it fits well.

A new pair of jeans just in time for Easter.

Jeans Kwik sew 3504 Completed - but too big

 So I have (almost) completed Simon's Kwik sew 3504 jeans. I have the buttonhole to do and hem them. Seeing as my Singer is the pitts, I will wait for my sewing class to do the buttonhole. I will use my teacher's machine.




 If you want to know how good your machine is, just make a pair of jeans. Putting to layers of denim together is nothing. Try sewing the 2 layers plus the pockets. Or try the 2 layers and 1 loop carrier that is folder 3 times and then folded again at the end. When I sewed the carriers I practically had to crank the wheel by hand. Yes, I need an upgrade (SIGH)

 I am rather proud of the work I did. I really hope that they fit Simon. If not, he needs to eat a lot more, lol!

 Don't look too closely at the fly topstitching. The next pair will be perfect. This is my first attempt at it and I am 90% happy with my results.

Now, for the fly. It is so simple, so easy, so perfect that it confused me. The instructions that I am used to are confusing and the illustrations not so layed out. Kwik Sew makes it so easy that if you are used to it, you are reading it, reading it again, and re-reading it to see what you are missing. Just read the instructions and follow them, you will get there.
It took me my whole 3 hour sewing class to do the fly and zipper. I printed off
Peter Lappin's blog post and read through it. He had done a Jeans sew-along in May 2011. He used Kwik Sew's 3504 as well. He did a great job of posting the fly portion with pictures and further instructions to complement Kwik Sew's. I read through a few times (my norm when I approach a new technique). The only problem was that I forgot it at home!!!! I was stuck on one step and I could not figure it out. The picture did not show you if you sewed to the left or to the right of the zipper. Eeks. It took me 3 hours, but I followed the instructions one step at a time. I think I did a good job. It all fits together and in the proper place! Thanks Peter for the help. It gave me the confidence to plunge forward! Really, check out his blog. Really great help. He also had a men's short sew a long. Seeing as I will be making Simon's shirt really soon, I will check it out.
Tonight I will have Simon model them and I will post pictures for you! I hope he enjoys the jeans!

UPDATE

There will be no pictures. The pants are WAY too big. i should have listened to my instincts and made him a size small. They are ridiculously too big. I guess his coworker will get a new pair of pants.All that time wasted.

Kwik Sew Jeans 3504, Wide leg Size Medium - a Work in Progress

After finally completing Simplicity's 4760, I was not happy with the results. The fit looked nice, but it wasn't what I was looking for.
What I wanted was a REAL pair of jeans for Simon. One where the pattern was easy to follow, clear and fun to sew. After all my research, it appears that Kwik Sew is the only company that still makes patterns for men that are relevant for today. The Big 4 seem to believe that men only wear pajamas or scrubs, or are Big and Tall or Husky.
So off to Kwik Sew I go. Seeing as I am in Quebec, I can not buy the patterns in store as they are in English only. I could drive to Cornwall, Ontario to buy one, but that would cost me $30 in gas, as opposed to $4 shipping. I waited until they were on sale on line, so not to pay $12. Kwik Sew will ship all their orders once a week bulk to their office in Ontario, then ship it out from there. This was we do not pay duties, but it takes 3 weeks to get here.

MenKwik Sew's 3504 are jeans that have a fly zipper, waistband with belt carriers, back yoke, back patch pockets, front pockets, a coin pocket, and
topstitching detail. View A legs are straight cut and View B
are boot cut.
I am making these is a size Medium with boot cut leg. Simon is in between a small and a medium, so we will make a medium. These pants have a proper waistband with belt loops, so he should be ok. He needs the boot cut to fit over his construction boots.

I am using a size 16 needle, with dark denim fabric we picked up on St-Hubert street this past Summer. I am using Gutermann's Jean thread, the navy blue and Gold. The Gold is what I am using for the Top stitching details.












 Look at what arrived. I emailed, no response. I called and the lady was not very helpful. She said she could send me out a new one, no apology, no show that she was shocked this happened. NOTHING. I email again, I get a VERY apologetic call that very same day, and they will refund me. I wanted to have this pattern for my sewing class starting that Friday, so I had to have someone pick one up for me on their way in from Ontario. Looks like you can't always avoid it.

I am used to the BIG 4 patterns, so the detailed explanations of Kwik Sew appear confusing at first. 
See the pattern piece shown here. "Place printed side of pattern piece UP on RIGHT side of fabric" On the explanations the diagram showed the piece greyed out as well.
Wow, extra explanations!
























One difference I DO NOT like is the fold placement indications. On the regular patterns you have the arrows. Here it is only "PLACE ON FOLD" I missed that the first time. You have to read everything on all your pattern pieces. They took the time to detail EVERYTHING!

 
The coin pocket was SO easy to complete and sew on. I was nervous of the pockets. They look like they have so much detail. But you know what, the pattern is kinda idiot proof! The instructions as so detailed and complete that my instructor and I took about 5 minutes to understand ALL that detail!

I am so pleased with my efforts. After these pants I think I will have the topstitching down pat! I love the look the yellow jeans thread gives. I am using Yellow jean thread for the top and blue jeans threads for the bottom thread.

Simon had asked that I make his pockets extra secure. He feels that the pockets on his other pair may not hold up to the demands of construction work. He wants me to double sew the pockets again.
Pauline told me to sew the pockets twice, then we Overcast the seams with the serger in our class. They are SOLID, SOLID AS A ROCK!

Before moving on to the Fly construction, I decided to see if there were any tutorials on the Internet for this pattern. Everyone who reviewed this pattern said how easy the fly construction was. I found a very detailed step by step blog by Peter Lappin.. Check out his blog post about his Jeans sew-along here. I looked it over, and I printed it off to read over during my lunch break.

After a full day out and about, 2 active kids, my brain is tired. I decided to skip the fly for today and concentrate on less taking things, like the back pockets! Tyler woke me up at 6am, that's sleeping in for us. So I had lots of time to work on the back part of the pants this morning.

I took my time. I did my best to have the 2 rows of topstitches straight and equal. For my first attempt, I am satisfied. 

The I sewed the 2 back parts together and now I just need to do the fly. Do I wait until I get my serger this week, or do I bring them into Friday's class and use the serger there? Decisions decisions. I will read the fly instructions and see if a zig zag stitch will suffice.

I put the pants up to Simon and they may be a little too large. I went against my better judgement and cut the pattern at Medium, as per Simon's request. I told him he's wearing them regardless, lol!