The countdown is finally over—fall is officially here! After teasing us for weeks in August, we are finally getting those quintessential fall days here in the PNW. Leaves are changing, apples and pumpkins are ready to pick, and the sun hasn’t disappeared behind five months worth of clouds.
While I’ve been trying to enjoy the last few warm days out in the garden before the dreaded first frost, I am itching to spend more time in front of the sewing machine! My wardrobe is in desperate need of some new staples, and I’m excited to jump-start my fall sewing with two new makes for our stop on our Fall Style Tour.
First up, time to revisit a project I started earlier this year. Toward the end of winter, I cut out a pair of corduroy Ginger Jeans and got about halfway through construction before I abandoned them for some other priority. But as the weather changed, I lost the motivation to go back to finish them until now. With the front and back each fully assembled, it only took a few more hours, and they were done and ready to enjoy all this fall/winter!
Still trying to nail down the perfect pair of handmade jeans, I’m trying a few new things with this pair of Gingers. First, the fabric—jeans aren’t just for denim! Really, any stretch bottom-weight will do, and it never hurts to experiment with new options. This soft stretch micro wale corduroy ended up being a great choice and SUPER comfortable with its extra 10% stretch. Nothing says fall like a soft pair of corduroy pants in a great autumn color! Notice I went with the deep evergreen and paired it with copper topstitching thread and hardware to keep with the season.
I also tried NOT interfacing the waistband as recommended by Lauren, the Jeans-Making Queen, during the jeans workshops we hosted this summer. For me, the jury is still out on this. I need to really wear them a few times, but right now, I’m leaning toward preferring the interfaced waistband with a bit more stability and structure.
Lauren also recommended NOT hemming your new jeans right away so that you can 1) judge the length with wear and 2) wash them a few more times for shrinkage. She mentioned your jeans may shrink up to an inch over their lifetime, so you should factor this into your decision on length or sew a bit extra into each hem, allowing you to lengthen them in the future. For now, I have the hems folded under—a rolled-up cuff just doesn’t seem right on the corduroy.
With my finished corduroy jeans in hand, I just needed to decide what to pair with them. I had lofty goals to try the Heather Blazer or Ilford Jacket in a cozy flannel or wool, but time got the better of me. It was probably for the best anyway; I pretty much live in jeans and knits, so a fall pullover will likely get a lot more wear. I settled on the Page Hoodie from Chalk & Notch in one of our fall statement knits, the Saturated Marble Dye French Terry in rust, and I love the results!
The Page Hoodie went together really fast, just a few hours from the cutting to the final press. I used a combination of my regular sewing machine and serger, and this French terry sewed up beautifully. This was my first Page Hoodie, so I studied the different sizing and finished measurements to ensure I got the right fit. I ended up cutting a size 12 and lengthen the body six inches and the sleeves 3 inches. Both adjustments were the perfect amount, and I actually have sleeves that hit mid-palm and a hem that hits at my hips! Usually, I don’t lengthen garments quite enough…
The marble dye fabric was a bit of a leap for me. I’m not usually a big tie-dye person, but the rich saturated colors in my color palette were just too good to resist. It is also available in a Wine/Evergreen colorway and each cut of fabric is slightly different, so no two hoodies will be alike!
This French terry isn’t too thick or too heavy, making it a great transitional piece to wear on its own or to layer with other fall favorites for extra warmth. I paired it here with one of my favorite RTW puffy vests. They are a staple here in the PNW, and it is exciting to see the rest of the fashion world jumping on this must-have this season!
I’m thrilled with how both of these garments turned out and hope this is the start of other great pieces I will add to my handmade wardrobe this season. I am in desperate need of new denim jeans, and I think there will also few more Page Hoodies in different types of sweatshirt fleece. Maybe I’ll also finally get to that flannel Ilford for a toasty “shacket”!
That wraps up my stop on our Fall Style Tour! Thank you so much for joining for Day 3, and we hope you follow along with us over the next week. There are so many amazing fabrics coming up, and we can’t wait to see what they become. Jamie of Sew the Story is up next with her own version of fall jeans! To make following along super easy, check out our Style Tour landing page on our website. This is updated daily with links to each post and the fabrics highlighted each day for easy reference. Take a look HERE, and be sure to add it to your bookmarks! We’ll also be posting photos from each stop on Instagram and Facebook if you’d like to follow along there!
Happy Fall!
—Michelle
Thanks for posting:) It’s getting harder and harder to find blog posts these days with everyone transferring to Instagram which definitely doesn’t give enough information! Your jeans are amazing. I’m on a trouser fitting journey at the moment and hope to be able to churn out a few jeans at the end of it. And your hoodie complements it perfectly. Just the ticket for Autumn.
Perfect fall outfit, Michelle. You will enjoy wearing this and the RTW vest is the perfect layer.
Love the hoodie with your perfect vest! Could you please give me info on where to find the vest? I have the tie-dye french terry and imagine it with a vest, but not finding one I like for both warmth and style.