Isle Jeans by Chalk and Notch

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When I saw this jeans pattern I knew immediately that I wanted to make them.  This pattern reminded me of a pair of "sailor" pants.  Third time is a charm because it took 3 makes for me to get it right and it was all my fault.  

I have come to realize I am well beyond age of starting to sew at midnight and staying up all night thinking I will end up with a garment that is pleasing to me 😂.

Isle Jeans Version 3

How I did It

I had cut this pattern out months before I actually starting sewing it.  To say this pattern was a journey for me is an understatement.  

This was my first time sewing a Chalk & Notch pattern and because I am a lazy sewer, I refused to do a muslin.  Besides, I had made jeans before and I knew I could apply my prior yoke and waistband adjustments to get a perfect fit for me with this pattern also.

  • The Journey

    • Version 1 had me in tears and I almost threw this pair in the trash and admit defeat.  Why - I started sewing when I was already tired and kept pushing forward even though I could barely keep my eyes open and could barely think straight.  I made tons of mistakes and they are too big in the waist.
    • After I got over my self made trauma of Version 1, I loved the pattern too much not to try it again.  Version 2 was over fitted and somehow in my desperation and a serious effort to use my fabric stash, I convinced myself that the denim I chose was a stretch denim - it wasn't. This pattern calls for stretch denim.
    • After I got over the self made disappointment of Version 2, I was pissed and determined to make this pattern and have it fit properly without mistakes.  I knew if I didn't get Version 3 right I would have to throw away the pattern because I would "rehearse" the self made hurt each time I looked at it.  I had no more stretch denim and I wasn't willing to wait for an order, so I went to my local fabric store and bought some.  It wasn't what I wanted, but I needed to be done with this pattern 😂.
    • With Version 3 I went back to 10-20-30 minutes to sew (a book by Nancy Zieman) and took my time.  I primarily sewed in 1 hour increments.

  • Version 1

My first big mistake on this version was making a back rise adjustment on the side seam rather than in the back curve 😭.  I didn't realize this mistake until I was sewing the sides seems and couldn't figure out why the back leg was longer than the front leg.  After removing this adjustment from the pattern piece I layed it on top of the back leg that was already cut and recut without the back rise adjustment.  I don't remember if I had enough fabric to recut the back leg, but even if I did I refused to waste more fabric.

    • Fabric

      • Fabric came from my stash a purchase from Fabric Mart called a railroad striped stretch denim.

    • Pattern Adjustments

      • Shortened the length 2"

  • Version 2

Somehow I convinced my self that this non-stretch denim was a stretch denim - NOT.  This pair is over fitted (too tight for my comfort, but they actually don't feel tight)..  I got confused because this pattern did not have a traditional waistband.  I ultimately chose to apply my waistband adjustments to the back waist area.

    • Fabric

      • A non-stretch 12 oz denim from my stash that I bought at my local fabric store.

    • Pattern Adjustments

      • Raised the back rise 1" (it was done properly this time)
      • Version 1's length was still too long for my preference, so I shortened the length 5" on this version (Version 2).
      • Removed 3 1/2" from the back waistband by adjusting the darts

  • Version 3

I was desperate for a successful make of this pattern and I finally had a light bulb moment.  I realized since this pattern did not have a traditional waistband, I needed to apply my yoke adjustment to the back waistband area.

    • Fabric

      • Purchase a stretch denim from my local fabric store

    • Pattern Adjustments

      • Raised the back rise 1" 
      • Shortened the length 5"
      • Removed 2" (should have been 2 1/2") from the back waistband area

  • Some Construction Pictures





























  • Some Finished Pictures

Version 1





Version 2



Version 3




Conclusion

I love this style of jeans and all the pockets, but again it was a self made painful journey.  Version 1 has so many errors but they are still wearable.  The one thing I did not like is the zipper was finished in different parts of the construction, I understand why, but I prefer to do the zipper installation without having to come back to it at a later step.

What's Next

I signed up to test a pattern for Sewing Patterns by Masin, so that is what I will be working on next.  After that it will probably be a Love Notions pattern.

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