The (Hello Yellow) Helene Jeans by Anna Allen Clothing

Not sure what made me want to make a yellow pair of jeans. Pinterest possibly, Instagram probably, harmoniously combined with a deep affection for this bright but not too bright Mirren Honey Denim. And once the idea had settled, that was it.

I promptly did some jeans pattern hunting/research/stalking and settled on the Helene Selvedge Jeans by Anna Allen Clothing. Also a fair endorsement were the 1600+ outstanding makes, shares, feedback and reviews on Instagram. Love (and appreciate!) that!

The pattern is for non stretch denim and comes with four style options  – wide (mine), straight, slim straight and shorts – as well as providing instructions for button or fly front (I went fly). The description states:

This pattern is based on heritage denim jeans from the 1930’s-1960’s. It has traditional 5 pocket styling including two front scoop pockets, a coin pocket inside the right front pocket, and two pointed patch pockets on the back. It also features slight hip shaping while keeping the side selvedge seams unaltered from hip to hem. It has a V-shaped back yoke and a traditional straight waistband with belt loops. The instructions include how to install a concealed button fly and a zipper fly. The leg styles included in this pattern are as follows: View A – Straight, View B – Slim Straight, View C – Wide, and View D – Shorts.

Instructions were clear and everything came together nicely although I did miss a couple of overlocking steps at the fly insertion stage, not because they weren’t there but because I’m prone to instruction skimming. Yeah, don’t do that. Also, if and when I do make these again, I’ll lengthen the crotch and size up for more comfort/less tight – important considerations when it comes to high-waisted, non-stretch jeans.

I tested a few final lengths and found this slightly cropped length worked best for my height, my preference and the shoe styles I’ll be wearing these with.

In my sewing room, I have a cute little ceramic bowl filled with old and new sewing labels. It delivered this Kylie & The Machine (discontinued) ‘Original’ side label and with its golden lettering, made for the perfect match for my new golden pants 💛.

This fabulous Mirren denim fabric is 305gsm, 9oz and also comes in Navy, Red, Khaki, Black, White and Natural.