Jeans made in our Japanese selvedge antique blue denim

After making a few pairs of Heroine jeans by Merchant and Mills I decided to give the Helene jeans pattern by Anna Allen Clothing a go as it's designed to be used on selvedge denim. On the Heroines pattern, the outside leg seam is curved so I had to adapt it to use the full selvedge. It worked for me but it took a little bit of hacking. You can see how they look here. This blog has become more of a comparison between the Heroines and the Helenes.

There are a couple of things I must point out, I don't make muslins or spend too much time worrying about the fit, I'm happy with a relaxed style and my main objective is comfort. I also don't pre-wash this kind of denim. The quality is amazing and I prefer the uncreased and unwashed feel that is pliable and happily glides through my old 830 Bernina sewing machine.

With the Anna Allen Helene jeans, I could tell straight away the waist was too high for me. I opted to take out one inch on both the front and back rise, probably could have done with more but I didn't want to disrupt the shape too much. I cut a size 10, which are more loose than I thought they'd be but I always like to keep plenty of ease when sewing with denim for future washing and possible shrinkage. Also decided not to use interfacing for the waist and fly as instructed, the Heroines don't include it and I'm not a fan of stabilising unless it's vital.

I thought our 10oz Antique blue denim would suit the Helene jeans pattern, it's features are based on the classic style of American heritage jeans, like jeans used to be. I like how it comes with 3 leg styles, slim, straight and wide, I opted for the straight leg.

On cutting out this denim, the colour was just gleaming with so many tonal blues. The fabric is truly stunning but very hard to photograph as it shows so many tones! It's precision made by Kuroki Mills in Japan and is such a joy to handle. It was so exciting watching all the classic jean details coming together. Due to the slightly lighter weight, I've already named these my Summer of 2024 jeans!

To be totally honest, I scrolled obsessively on Instagram as I set off making these. I started to feel a little intimidated by the attention to detail and 'fit' I was seeing on other people. These were 'proper jeans' made to fit your body, with rivets and all! (which I also didn't bother with). To add to this, I found the instructions a little disappointing, I winged the zip/fly installation, the right side/wrong side of the fabric not being clear, and I felt there were bits of instruction missed out. It's quite an advanced pattern but just generally I didn't feel the same joy and ease as I did when making the Heroines. Maybe I'm not the right target audience, and yes, I started to feel a bit old!

My go-to items for making jeans are:

• Denim jeans-specific machine needle.
• Quality jeans topstitching thread.
• Bulky seam aid (I made my own with whatever I had handy!)
• Two lots of threads depending on which stage I'm doing.
• Patchwork clips, I've slashed my fingers on pins while handling denim!

I'm now used to regular tweaking of the thread length, tension and constant bobbin changes as I go. Annoying I know but worth it to avoid jammed threads and lots of swearing and sweating! This is possibly my neatest top stitch, I've been practising not to overthink it and reminding myself that no one is going to look that closely! I've decided to leave these jeans this length for now and not go in for a crisp turn-up just yet. I'd like to keep these very clean without creasing ready to bring out next Summer.

I am very happy with how these turned out I knew I was making these loose fit and I will definitely wear them but personally, I'm not so sure about the yolk depth and the high waist, naturally, jeans sit on my hips so I get a lot of excess fabric in the crotch area. I do feel that this is designed for the longer very 'female' torso but I feel like I'm pulling them up to my armpits! I'm not normally a 'tucked-in' kind of person but I styled these this way for the photos and to show the classic features and shape of the jeans. Really, this pattern is giving me hourglass, "show your shapely ass" kind of vibes when I'm more wear it lower on the hips "pass me my men's 501s" kind of gal! As for this denim, whatever is made in it, it will look fab, I think it will fade beautifully over time just like you would expect from authentic Japanese selvedge denim.

On a final note, I think many people are afraid of making jeans, I know I used to be but they are the main item in my wardrobe. I got fed up with trying to find affordable decent classic denim jeans, so I took the plunge to make my own. Unless you pay for high end, many jeans are cheaply made with thin mass produced denim, horrible dyes and they don't last. Now I only buy pre-loved and pre-2000s or I make my own. I'm obsessed with Japanese denim and sewing with it is very rewarding and worth the cost. It feels very premium and although rigid it is also soft, making it easier to sew with.

Things I like about the Heroines:

• Relaxed, like a trouser pattern but are jeans
• Perfect if you've never made jeans before.
• Very good instructions (but lacking a rise adjustment guide).
• Doesn't require interfacing.
• Designed with a domestic sewing machine in mind.

Things I like about the Helenes:

• Rise shortening/lengthening adjustments line is useful.
• Designed specifically for selvedge denim.
• Different leg options