Eleonore, je t'adore!

Lets start by stating the obvious: I love Jalie patterns!  27 sizes in each pattern, great directions, clever construction, and modern wearable designs.  My latest Jalie creation is the Eleonore pull on jeans (#3461)

Jalie 3461

I started by tracing a size Z and then compared the pattern pieces of the Eleonore jeans to my beloved Jalie 2908 which I have made several times.  I needed to add quite a bit to the hip area of the Eleonore since the widest part of my hip is lower than the pattern's.  I also shortened the leg at the knee since I am 5'-2" tall.  I then added length back to the bottom of leg to be sure they would be plenty long.

I made a muslin out of some low stretch cheap knit and one thing was clear right away...I needed to raise the back up quite a bit, the yoke was barely covering my butt!  (I skipped the waistband on the muslin).  I lengthened the back crotch length up 1.5" at the center back tapering to nothing at the side seams.  I then made the yoke more curved so that it would come in where I curve in. 

My fabric was a thin stretch denim with 3% lycra.  I used it previously on this dress, and had plenty leftover.

And now...photos!

Front view (complete with odd facial expressions):

I have only done a temporary hem at this point so that I can decide exactly how long I want them and allow for any future shrinkage before committing to a length.

Side view:  You can see that is a good place for the back waistband to sit.  (Everything is covered!!)

I do need a little more room across the front of the thigh.  You can see diagonal wrinkles pointing to the front of my (athletic) thigh.  

Based on the excellent review by Manju of the Eleonore jeans, I compared the pocket size of the Eleonore pattern to my Jalie 2908 jeans...and the pockets of the 2908 were larger so I used those.  Since I made adjustments to the back, I needed to check the location of the back pockets.  For the first time ever, I entirely basted the jeans together so that I could try them on before determining the best location for the pockets.  Smart move:

Based on Manju's advice, I also tightened up the elastic on the back waistband.  The instructions tell you to cut the elastic the exact length of the waistband.  I cut it 1" shorter and stretched it to fit.  That was another wise move, although I could have made the elastic even shorter.

 

I am very please with how these turned out, and I anticipate making more in the future.

I would like to thank everyone for the kind words, comments, & messages of sympathy about the loss of my dad.  I truly appreciate it.