After a rather one-sided instagram poll, I’m making these McCall’s (M8408) jeans for my first monthly pattern review! I was drawn to this pattern at my local Joann’s because of the three-tone fabric detail. I absolutely love a pieced look (I do love my quilts) and it’s so unusual to find a store-bought pattern with unique details like these. I also had this ADORABLE Canyon Poppy canvas from Cotton + Steel fabrics leftover from recovering my ironing board- I knew it would be perfect pop of pattern in these jeans.

So let’s dig in: right away, I noticed a problem with the waistband. The waistband pattern was split into THREE pieces- meaning it would haven seams at the side. I don’t really like an unnecessarily broken up waistband, but I liked it even less considering the pattern calls for denim. Taking into account the self fabric and the lining (also of denim), I would need to sew through FOUR layers of denim at the seams and SEVEN layers when sewing on the belt loops. I don’t trust any home sewing machine to do that easily- at least not without breaking a needle or two!

So what’s the solution? Make my own one piece waistband pattern! This is done by marking the stitching line on the tissue patterns and taping them together in a row, matching up the stitching lines. I traced the outline, as well as any notches, to a piece of dotted pattern paper, and voila! Here’s my new one piece waistband pattern!

Another big change I made was altering the front pockets. The pattern called for the pocket linings to be cut from the denim as well. Again, my thought was: that’s way too much denim. I want the front of my jeans to be nice and flat, no weird lumps or bumps from overly bulky pocket linings. Instead I cut the pocket linings out of a cotton muslin, to keep that area nice and flat. Once cut, I flat-lined a small portion of the pocket in denim, so the visible area of the pocket lining appeared to be fully denim (you’ll notice this is standard in your own store-bought jeans).

The last big alteration I made to this pattern was the back pocket. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the original back pocket, but I thought these cute jeans deserved a little more unique styling- so I made hearts! It took a little maneuvering to find a heart shaped that wouldn’t fold down after a little wearing and washing (and also big enough to fit my phone- that is a MUST).

What I didn’t like: the pattern as written has the fly reversed from standard jeans (the pattern is right over left, most jeans are left over right). While this isn’t a dealbreaker, if I remake these in the future, I will definitely reverse the pattern. Also the thickness of the pockets and waistband didn’t seem well thought-through, considering the fabrics suggested for use.

What I did like: The unique quality of the pattern! These aren’t your basic jeans, and there are many alternate versions you can make with this one pattern. Also they are a SUPER wide leg. This sets them apart even further from the standard store-bought jeans, and I love it!

My rating: 4 out of 5 stitches- while the look is stunning, I’m bummed at how much pattern altering I needed to do.

What do you think of the alterations I made? Would you have done the same? Let me know in the comments!

September Pattern Review- McCall’s M8408

An Introduction