Fabric choice, construction methods or fitting issues, if you have any doubt: ask us! We will update this very post with links to our tutorials and answers to frequently asked questions 🙂
We have been compiling here the most common questions from your comments and messages. Check back during the month as we will update this list with more answers!
You can find the measurement chart on the pattern page, below the description, in the “Details” tab. Safran being designed for stretchy fabrics and having a lot of negative ease built into it, we ask you to choose your size based on your measurements, and not the finished garment measurements.
The measurement chart indicates the high hip measurement. Safran is drafted with the same measurement for high hip and low hip, but the stretch factor in the fabric means that the pants will accommodate different hip shapes. In any case, we recommend making a toile first, or going up a size if you are in between two sizes, so that you can adjust the legs to your morphology.
Safran was designed for very stretchy fabrics to ensure it is comfortable to wear! Though you can go up a size or two (only in width, not length) to use fabric with less stretch, keep in mind the pants would become much less comfortable, especially given the high-rise cut. We recommend using a pattern suitable for more stable fabrics instead.
Yes! The back pockets are graded to be flattering in every size 🙂
These two patterns were not drafted from the same block, so they are necessarily different! Design-wise, the most salient elements are of course the high waist (which hits the natural waist, as opposed to the Ginger sitting a little lower), the front pockets, and the ease and fit which are different (the two patterns being drafted for different morphologies and fabric with different stretch levels). Check out our reviewers who have sewn both patterns, they will give you more details about how they compare!
If you are short, the pant legs might be too long: in this case, shorten the legs. It is also possible that the legs are too wide at the knees, but be careful to leave enough ease to be able to sit down! How much ease depends of the elasticity of your fabric, so we recommend basting before taking the legs in. That said, it is perfectly normal to have some folds at the knees: they are on RTW jeans as well!
Other requests have come up in your messages, and here are the ones we won’t fulfill:
Safran is drafted with a lot of negative ease, and requires a very stretchy fabric. Generally, these fabrics tend to have a more fluid drape. Flares, on the opposite, need fabric with some body, so that the legs don’t “collapse” on themselves. To get a satisfying pair of flares from Safran, one would have to redraft the pattern entirely to get rid of some of the negative ease.
If you are set on sewing flares or bootcut jeans, we recommend using a pattern designed for suitable fabric, such as the Birkin flares by Baste + Gather or the Ginger flares extension by Closet Case Files.
It took us months of testing to make sure that Safran‘s high waist was both comfortable and flattering, that it wouldn’t dig into the stomach or ride down in the back when sitting down, that the pockets were at the right height and the fly’s proportions were good. Changing the rise of the pants wouldn’t just be hacking off the top of the pattern piece and shifting the fly downwards. It would require many changes in the way the pattern is drafted, which go way beyond a simple tutorial. If these are the type of pants you are looking for, you’d be better off starting with a pattern that already features a lower rise, such as the Jamie jeans from Named Patterns.
