Perfect for a jeans sewing novice!

I bought this pattern in December 2018 and it’s taken me almost an entire year to overcome my fear of sewing jeans! If you’re a confident seamstress, but have never sewn jeans before – the Ash pattern is a great place to start.

I used some beautiful bright blue 8oz stretch denim from Sew Me Sunshine for my jeans. I made sure I checked the stretch percentage very carefully after reading a cautionary tale on the Megan Nielsen blog!

I’ve used Megan Nielsen patterns before to make the Tania culottes and Flint pants and I knew I would be in safe hands. The instructions are very clear, detailed and thorough with accompanying diagrams. There is a whole wealth of further information on the Ash ‘sew-along’ online, but I only really referred to that when it came to installing the hardware right at the end of my project.

I decided to make the size 28 after reading all of the detailed guidance within the pattern. I followed the basting advice and decided to make a few small adjustments to improve the fit. To create a bit more space for my thighs I used a 1cm seam allowance between the hip and the knee at the side seam instead of 1.5cm. I also removed 1″ from the waistband and pinched out 1/2″ from each side seam to give a better fit around the waist. I rarely make changes to fit while sewing, but these minor tweaks were within my level of expertise and made all the difference!

I’m absolutely thrilled with the fit I’ve achieved on my first pair of jeans and I love how well the bright blue works with the top-stitch thread I chose and the copper hardware. They’re super comfortable to wear and I know they’re going to be worn until they fall apart!

If you’re thinking of sewing jeans, but have the fear – just go for it!