Clover "Skinny Jeans"

I ended up dyeing my white stretchy denim "redwood brown". I love dyeing fabric, watching it magically change colour. My kids have been known to crouch in front of the glass door of the washing machine, transfixed as the fabric floods with colour ... more often than not, you'll find me right there with them ...

My denim was a 72% cotton/25% poly/3% spandex mix, but because I used a regular washing machine dye, not one specifically for polyester fabric, the colour turned out more washed out than pictured on the box. That's fine - it feels cheery and bright. A call for spring :) I decided I needed a little surprise to keep things interesting and you might recognise the peek of pocket lining as leftover Liberty print from my Outfit 1 dress.

It's the first time I've used a Colette pattern. They're pretty neat. Everything comes in a fancy booklet with a pocket at the back for the pattern pieces. The instructions for the Clover trousers were comprehensive and Colette have also produced a series of blog posts for a Clover sew along that you can refer to every step of the way. My only niggle was that the pattern was printed onto tissue, included a ton of sizes and it was a bit tricky to descipher the size I needed to trace. I'm undecided about whether I prefer my sewing instructions printed in booklet form or on one large sheet of paper. The booklet kept flipping shut on me, but on the other hand, it was a handy size to grab.

Clover is aimed with the beginner in mind, although I suspect someone without much sewing experience might find some of the instructions a little confusing. That's where the blog posts would be helpful. On the plus side, the zipper (which gave me so much trouble!) is an invisible one, and with the right foot, it's easier to install than a regular zip. Good for a first zipper experience :) 

Okay, that last photo feels a little like I'm flashing you my knickers. That is one sorry zip. Look how the yoke seams don't meet and one side is higher than the other? Oh deary me. You'll have to believe me when I tell you my original zip was better. Remember, it broke? Well, take it from me, if you're cross, you perform sewing repairs at your peril.

So what was the problem with my first zip? Admittedly, as I've adjusted them (and no thanks to Mr Myrtle's recent batches of delicious chocolate chip biscuits) these trousers are on the fitted side. But, I don't think it was that. My original zip was stiff as it passed over the seam for the yoke. A few hard yanks and the teeth gave in at that spot. While my new zip is better (I tried to cut out some of the bulk from my seams underneath and stitched my facing farther out so that it'd have a smoother run) it's still not great.

Has anyone else made these trousers? Or some like it? Did you have this problem? Do you think it might be the bulk of the denim that's creating it? Or just me?

Well, we're nearly at the end of Outfit 2 - photos of the whole ensemble coming soon... I'm doing a last minute jewellery thing, rapidly knitting half a sleeve of my Flowing Lines sweater, and then we're done :)