I am on a quest . . . .

To either find or make jeans that fit. I went shopping yesterday for new jeans. I could probably end the post here. Enough said, huh?

So I tried on 7 different pair, in varying cuts. Only one pair fit me, the Tommy Hilfiger boyfriend jean, and it was a bit too loose and I really needed a size smaller, which they didn't have in stock. The problem I have with jeans is not that I'm a fluffy girl, or one with really unusual proportions. Yes, I'm petite, but leg length has nothing to do with the fact that if I can fit my thighs in the jeans the backwaist could be taken in anywhere from 3 to 6 inches. If I fit my waist - there's no way on this planet my thighs will even remotely be able to fit into the legs of the jeans. I tend to be a little on the hippy side, with more of an hourglass figure. I am coming to terms with this. I work out and watch my diet, but the truth is, if I diet down and get my butt and thighs to where I am happy with them, my upper body will be pretty skeletal. Needless to say, I am not sacrificing the years of heavy lifiting to get my upper body bigger and stronger by dieting away what muscle I've earned.

I refuse to wear Mom jeans.

Joann's was my next stop. I picked up Sandra Betzina's jeans pattern. Its Vogue 7608 , almost everyone is pretty familiar with it. Its the one with the silver haired model whose golden jeans are too short for her boots ala early Star Trek. (My opinion, but I've always thought this, my apologies to the Vogue photo shoot stylists.) I think this is a good starting place. I can use the GAP jeans that I am currently wearing that I like and adapt the pattern. They are slightly straight cut, but with a low rise. They're great, but are starting to shred in the absolute worst of places - at the pocket rivets in the back, the crotch and the crease where the thigh meets the leg. Wouldn't you know it, they don't carry this style anymore!

I know I have denim in the stash and once I complete the black vintage dress and the little faux fur vest, I will work on a muslin for the jeans.

On the bright side, I stopped at Peggy Anne's since I was in Concord, and bought some Kaffe Fassett fabric for $6.50 a yard on sale. Peggy herself also told me that she's is going to be carrying HotPatterns in her shop! I had mentioned HotPatterns to her last fall at a quilt show where she was a vendor and I was a competitor. Since then, Jeremy and crew have decided sell not only through their website, but through other avenues. Bonus for me!