Bell bottom jeans Burda Style 11-2009-125

My younger daughter has been clamouring for jeans for at least 6 months. I did try sending her to the shops, but she would not play - she wanted bell bottomed jeans, and picked out the pattern from Burda 11-2009-125. These are not actually jeans, merely denim trousers, but this did not deter her.



Despite appearances, I did make a toile, and fitting changes, prior to construction of these trousers. The fitting changes were 1. Shorten trousers by 12 cm. 2. Narrow side seams from about mid thigh to the knee (those are 13 year old legs under those baggy trousers). I also used the toile to make a pattern for the jeans style front pocket, where Burda has a buttoning patch pocket instead. There is no back pocket on the Burda trousers. I borrowed the pockets from Jalie 968 for a more jeans-ish look.
I was quite happy with the trousers when they were first finished. I like the shape of the trousers, most of the topstitching ( done on my vintage Singer, size 100needle, with purple YSI topstitching thread - completely ignoring the off centre Burda instructions), the gentle godets and the cute pretend-button-on belt tabs.
I had not used the Singer for topstitching before. It makes a lovely even straight stitch, and purrs through multiple layers of denim, but unfortunately I found it difficult to use at the waistband, and over the button tabs - I am too reliant on a transparent foot, the automatic up/down needle feature, and the edge foot on my modern machine. I am not showing you a close up of the waistband topstitching because it is desperately wonky. Hopefully, use of the Singer will improve my technique on future garments.


(this photograph is intended to draw attention to the bell bottoms, with purple topstitching, my daughter's favourite feature)

Unfortunately, I failed to allow for the stretchiness of even non stretch denim. I am not prepared to fix the fit after all the topstitching. These trousers were worn all Monday evening (hot from the sewing machine)and by the photographs at crack of dawn on Tuesday, are rather looser than originally intended.


Fortunately for me, women usually gain 50% of total adult body weight during adolescence, so these may fit a little better next year. I did suggest that they be tried on by the older sister, but daughter the younger refused to take them off.

These, she says, are her own, one-of-a-kind designer jeans (she claims total designer credit due to her pocket and topstitching requests). I felt smug.

Now to prepare for the sister fight clothing disparity and variety discussion when I make a pair for daughter the first anyway.