I always wanted to reuse old pair of men’s jeans. Thinking of those details you can not get from a new pair of freshly sewed jeans. Like different parts of worn out fabric, the color contrast of fabric exposed to light over time. My boyfriend was getting rid of a few pairs of jeans he was no longer wearing for various reasons so I housed them all in my sewing room with a plan to alter them into jeans for myself. So far I only got to do it with this pair of his old Levi’s and I am pretty happy with the final result.

Pattern Name: Hellene Jeans

Pattern company: Anna Allen Clothing

Size: 2

Personal highlights: recycling, overall fit of the pattern

There are several aspects I like about this project. On one hand it is green because I saved a pair of jeans from the landfill. On the other hand, which suits my sometimes lazy persona, I got to skip the fiddliest of steps in sewing jeans! I kept original front pockets, the button fly and the back pockets which I re-positioned. So sewing part felt like a breeze. This does include seam ripping almost whole jeans first but I did it over a few nights in front of the TV so it was not too bad.

There were a few holes in the jeans near the seams where they ripped over time. Mostly in the crotch area and at the side seams around hips. I was not able to fully cut around them so mended them prior to sewing them back up and it worked perfectly fine. It adds more character to the jeans so I am a fan. It is visible mending but since I used grey thread which does blend in nicely with the fabric those who do not know about it won’t really notice. I think it would look cool with a vibrant color thread actually, like red for example, if I were to make a more “loud” pair of jeans. And I just might 🙂 

I used the Helene jeans pattern by Anna Allen Clothing. One thing to note is that the old jeans I cut out had slightly more curve in the legs than the pattern so I slightly manipulated them when I was cutting it out. I think this is why the legs curve a bit but I don’t mind. It kinda looks intentional. It is something to take into account next time and maybe use jeans with a slightly wider leg to accommodate the pattern shape. I guess the difference in size of these jeans and my size was not big enough to accommodate for the pattern without any manipulation, but in the end it turned out fine. Also, another thing is how this jeans pattern should be cut on grain vs how the original jeans I was using were cut, which affects the final shape.

The crotch feels a bit on the snug side and for my next pair I will need to raise the crotch length. That is one part I find is limited when working with old pair of jeans that are only a few sizes bigger than mine. The fabric amount is limited to play with and make the right adjustments. I have a few more pairs to recycle so will see how I can improve this bit on the second run. But men’s rise in jeans is different compared to women’s so depending on how high a waist I want to get might be limited. That is why for a true pattern review I would need to sew them from a new fabric or cut out from a much bigger men’s jeans. But this is not so much a pattern review as it is a recycling process review, I guess. So the crotch fit here is no fault of the pattern as it is actually drafted with  a more generous crotch curve then your regular jeans. 

I removed all the belt loops with intent to add them back later to new positions but decided against it since the fabric is thick and making my machine go through all those layers felt like a no go. It might have worked, but I do not wear a belt ever so it felt like an extra step that did not really have a function so I skipped it.

When I reattached the belt and tried on the jeans the fly was gaping out weirdly between the top hidden button on the fly and the belt button. To prevent that gaping I sewed on a snap that helps to keep it neat and snug and it looks amazing. Great little trick!

I reused the back pockets but had to reposition them. I love how the darker part that shows the original position of the jeans pops, it is my favorite feature on these jeans. I seam ripped the pockets off, trimmed them to the right size using the pocket pattern piece, ironed the new seam allowances and positioned them in the new spot.

I love the looser leg fit and even though there are some improvements to be made with the next pair I really love these jeans and wear them a lot. They are casual yet have more character then regular jeans with visible mended patches and back pockets discoloration. I cut them out extra long to have enough to play with for hemming but ended up never hemming them. I turn them up as needed to match the shoes I am wearing so length changes with each outfit. I really love that flexibility!

This is a very popular pattern in the sewing community and I can see why. It has great instructions and step by step you end up with comfortable jeans. And the recycling part on top of that makes this one of my most favorite makes ever. I have a soft spot for recycling and reusing things where it makes sense and maintains the quality of the original. And with this project it really does.

Thanks for reading and happy sewing!

Ana