Well, I managed to get 2 things finished for Kids Clothes Week. 1 Pair of Jeans and a dress. Argh! I felt a bit like I was wandering around in slow motion last week. But – they are finished and I’ve started on the second Easter dress. So we are getting somewhere!

I have wanted to make my youngest some jeans for a while. She wants to “match mommy” but her proportions make it hard to find a properly fitting store-bought pair. So I thought I’d give the PeekABoo Patterns Skinny Jeans (affiliate link*) a shot. I’ve had this pattern since the Sew Fab Fall Pattern Bundle, so it was nice to have it on hand when my daughter started asking! This is also the main reason they have a “random” green button on the fly. Everything she loves must have green on it!

The details and instructions in this pattern are great. It went together well and the top-stitching and mini-pockets are so cute. It even includes instructions for using button elastic for an adjustable fit. I used some stretch denim that I already had on my shelf – destashing, hooray! I added pockets in an embroidered denim that I bought on a deep sale a few years ago. I have no idea what I will ever use the rest of the embroidered denim for – there’s about 2 metres of it and it’s super flowery. Thankfully it looks great in small doses!

When I sized the jeans I was torn about how to go about making them. My daughter has a size 4 leg length and a size 6 or so hip/thigh. In the end I decided to make a size 6 and re-work the next pair. I’m glad I did. Otherwise I would be so disappointed! They are pretty big on her – so the back elastic gathers quite a bit, and the rise is a bit high at the front. I know it was a lot of work to top-stitch everything and finish it properly, but I didn’t want to make a muslin, so here we are!

I think the next time around I will make a size 4 with a bit lower front rise and bit higher back rise. I tried them on my six year old (who flat out refuses to wear jeans – no help there!) and the rise fit really well – so it is definitely not a pattern problem.

The only thing I changed was the method for hemming the back and mini pockets. I much prefer to turn the top edge of the pocket rather than fold it under twice and hem it. The edges turn out a bit cleaner. Here’s how I finished my pockets:

  1. Fold the hem to the wrong side by 1/4″. Fold the hem to the right side by 1/2″. Stitch around the sides and bottom of the pocket with a 1/4″ seam – to attach the top hem and mark the fold lines for the rest of the pocket. Clip the top edges of the pocket to remove bulk before turning.
  2.  Turn the top of the pocket inside out and press. Turn and press the sides and bottom edges to the wrong side following the seam lines you made. Finish the pockets, hemming the top edge and stitching the others as indicated.

 

Overall I’m happy with the little details on the pants. The pattern includes super tiny cute belt loops as well, but when I made the pants too big I decided not to spend the time stitching them on. Either way – my youngest was quite upset that I even tried to get my oldest to wear them as capris instead and has now claimed all rights to them. We will have a bit of a saggy bum when she wears them unless I decide to take off and redo the rise and waistband. It’s almost worth it, but I think I’d rather start over. What would you do?

If you want to get the pattern you can find it here: PeekABoo Pattern Shop Skinny Jeans (affiliate link*). Thanks!

*This post contains affiliate links, which means that I receive financial compensation for any sales made through these links. I bought this pattern and made the jeans before I found out there was the possibility of compensation for the affiliate link.