Kitchen Table Cropped Jeans – Burda 12-2009-116

I love these jeans! Starting with Burda 12-2009-116, I made several changes to the pattern. First, the horizontal seam below the front waist was eliminated. Next, I changed the front pockets. The flaps just looked like too many needless layers. Arguable, but huge, hip-level pocket flap lumps riding under a top isn’t a good look for me (I haven't worn a tucked-in shirt in a very long time). For that reason, I opted for a traditional front pocket. Yes, you assumed correctly – the pocket pattern from OOP Simplicity 7581.



Burda Style 12-2009-116



Before cutting the denim, I cropped the leg by folding the leg pattern pieces up several inches. The back leg pieces of this pattern are drawn as one with a vertical line marking the division. While tracing, I ignored that line, fearing that seam might make the jeans too busy. I reconsidered right before attaching the back legs but there wasn’t a prepared (pre-shrunk) piece of denim to cut new pieces. I continued with the original plan and it was fine.

I like the side cargo pockets but decided that one was sufficient. I used the Burda pocket but skipped the bellows treatment. Also skipped was the pocket flap; a tab was substituted. The pattern for the tab came from page 32 of Sewing Menswear – Pants. This book is available as a free download on Google Books.

Though it is an easy thing to draw a tab and add seam allowance, I had downloaded this book about the same time that I started the jeans and knew I wanted to somehow use that tab. It is intended to be sewn into a back welt pocket. I copied and enlarged it. Sorry, can't tell you by how much – just until it looked like it belonged with the pocket.

As is becoming my typical approach, I didn’t read the Burda instructions and sewed these jeans as I wished. The pattern is very distinct but since it is already traced, I intend to get some mileage out of it. Once I’ve made the effort to trace, fit and sew up a new pattern I want to be able to use it again, albeit in a different configuration.

The Snowflake skirt for DD#1 is coming along. To broaden my newly acquired single-welt pocket skills (where’s that merit badge?), I am sewing a matched pair onto the skirt back. Well, matched is the goal but there may have to be a loose interpretation...