I’ll admit, I’m a bit blessed in the general hips and butt area, so jean shopping is always a bit of a dreaded task. So what is a crafty girl to do? Of course, I decided it was time to make my own jeans.
I chose to sew the Helene Jean by Anna Allen Patterns, which was highly recommended by many of my sewing friends. I’d also made the Persephone Pants previously, and they fit me so well that I decided the Helene Jean would be a good first pair.
Pattern Details:
Designer: Anna Allen Patterns
Name: The Helene Jean
Size Range: 0-22, 14-22
Fits available: Wide Leg, Straight Leg, Slim Straight Leg, Shorts
Inseams Available: 28”, 30”, 32”, 34”, (3.5″ and 5.5″ shorts)
Sizing and Fit:
If you’ve also made the Persephone pants, you might note that the Helene Jean measurements are quite similar to those of the Persephone. Maybe it was my fabric choice, but I found that the Helene Jean fit just a bit tighter than the Persephone pants. As such, I sewed a size 12. (I made a 10 in the Persephone.)
While I probably should have measured the best inseam for myself, if you’ve read any of my pattern reviews before, you know I’m a bit of a lazy sewist. Generally, I order a 32″ inseam from the store, so that felt like the safest inseam to start with. For how I want my jeans to fit, I think they are maybe 1″ too long. My next pair will be a 30″ inseam, mainly because I do want them to fit a bit shorter. (For my shorts, I chose to sew the 3.5″ inseam and arguably could have gone shorter too.)
After going up a size to the 12, I am so happy with the fit. I will say, the denim I chose does stretch out a bit while wearing (even though it’s non-stretch), so it fits a bit loose by the end of the day. I’m not a huge fan of tight denim, so I do like the fit by the end of the day.
If you don’t like high-rise denim or have a shorter torso, you might find that this rise is too high for you. I’m about 5’7″ with a regular to longer torso, and I love the rise. They hit me right at my natural waist, which is exactly where I like them.
My Fabric Choices:
For my first pair, I used a blue non-stretch corduroy I had purchased for another project. This pattern calls for approximately 2 yards of fabric, so I had plenty.
Shop here: Robert Kaufman Fabrics Corduroy 14 Wale Ocean
For my second pair, I used a 10 oz. non-stretch denim. I really worked to maximize my fabric uses, so if I played all my cards right, I should have enough leftover for a second project: maybe shorts, maybe a scrappy pair of overalls, maybe a bag, who knows?
Shop here: Merchant & Mills 10oz Organic Denim Military Green
For my third “pair,” I finally made a pair of shorts. I, wildly, had enough fabric leftover from a previous project to use in this pair of shorts. It was a 12oz nonstretch patchwork black and grey denim.
Personally, I prefer to make shorter shorts, so I chose to make the 3.5″ inseam. If I made these again, I might trim off another inch or so for a 2-2.5″ inseam.
Shop here: 12 oz Patchwork Denim
What’s in progress?
I’m currently working on another pair of straight-leg jeans (in a slightly shorter inseam) in another 10oz ivory denim. I want to add some fun pops of color to this pair, including embroidered pockets, but I’ll share more about those soon. I might think about tweaking the space in the hips a bit, but I’m always happy with the fit after wearing the jeans for an hour or so.
I also have a 5th(!) pair cut out in a solid heavyweight nonstretch classic blue denim; I’d love to add a pair of knee patches and some contrast stitching to these.
I’ve definitely learned a lot from sewing these jeans and look forward to making the next few pairs! Have you ever made this pattern before? What were your thoughts? If you have another favorite denim pattern, please let me know!
