
Pattern: Persephone Pants by Anna Allen
Fabric: Non-stretch denim from Joann’s
Size: 14
Started: March 2, 2020
Completed: March 5, 2019

Ever since I made my first pair of Persephone Pants in a twill I knew I wanted to make a pair in denim, too. I love the fit of these pants and wanted a jeans-like pair for everyday wear. I learned quickly that my first pair ended up roomier than I would prefer, especially with the stretch that happens with wear, so for these I went down a size. I think ultimately it was the right choice but I am not enjoying the breaking in phase at all.

When I immediately finished the jeans I could just barely get them zipped up. They were definitely not the easy daily wardrobe staple I had been imagining. A friend recommended the old trick of taking a warm bath in the jeans to stretch them out, and then letting them air dry. It was not my favorite bath (and actually the fly facing ripped out of its stitching and had to be redone) but it worked wonders in getting the jeans to be comfortable enough to start wearing. As I have worn them I am finding they are stretching out where I need a bit of extra space (the hips) and are more and more comfy to wear.

Overall I do really love the whole these pants fill in my wardrobe. They are so perfect with my new Pamplemousse sweater and I can picture a ton of other tops they will be great with. The only modification I made was to remove 2″ from the length, and I am happy with the just cropped length I ended up with. If I made another pair I would grade out a bit at the hips. I think I have enough of this fabric left to make some shorts for this summer, so I will keep that in mind. These are well on their way to being tried and trues for me. Do you have any patterns that you can see sewing up and perfecting more and more? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!