The design for the halfmoon 101 JEANS pattern has been on my mind ever since I started thinking about designing patterns. Releasing this pattern felt a bit like summiting the highest peak of a mountain range after training for so long. I’ve made it! Of course, I never could have made it without the work and dedication of my amazing pattern testers.
In the past, I’ve had a larger group of testers and have tested nearly every size, with several sizes having more than one tester. They have been a loyal group who have come back to test time and time again, but I’ve never compensated them financially, paying only with the final pattern. I really wanted to pay my testers this time around, so I worked with a much smaller group, some of whom tested two rounds (and were therefore paid for two rounds) and dove even deeper into the technical details with feedback forms and video calls, to get this pattern to where it is now. I am immensely proud of this pattern and eternally grateful to my testers.
Below are photos of my second-round testers (and me) in their final garments, in descending order based on size sewn to help you in choosing the best size for your own body.
Sierra | @sierraburrell
Sierra has tested a couple of patterns with me and I am so happy to have her on my testing team! She is skillful and patient and the feedback she provides has been crucial to getting the pattern to this stage. Thanks in part to Sierra's feedback, the back rise on the final pattern is 2.5cm (1") higher than the jeans she is wearing in these photos.
Final size(s) in photos: 13, no adjustments
Lysanne | @goddesseyeam
Lysanne is not a sewist, but she was kind enough to work with me as a fit model. This was my first time working with a fit model, and I am not particularly skilled at fitting other people (I sew almost exclusively for myself). That said, we were thrilled with how the jeans turned out! They fit her really well. Lysanne had lost some weight between our last two fittings, and I did a terrible job at documenting final body measurements and pattern adjustments, rather pinning adjustments out on the muslin and scribbling illegible notes on my pattern pieces.
During our last fitting, we realized Lysanne needed a knock-knee adjustment, which lengthens the inseam and reduces the side seam a bit. Again, I didn’t document this very well, but Anne (next tester below) will be doing this adjustment and writing a blog post on how to do this soon. (I will link this when it’s available.)
Final size(s): 12 at the waist (and front/back rise), grading to a 10 at the hip and a 10/11 at the thigh.
Anemone | @sewanemone
Anemone is a loyal tester that loves to get into the nitty gritty. During the process, Anemone realized that she may benefit from a knock knee adjustment and is working on creating a post for my blog that might help you if you also want to try this, too.
Another adjustment post she’s working on with these jeans is to shorten the jeans between the full hip and the low waist (there’s a lengthen/shorten line on the pattern). This is a standard adjustment Anemone makes when sewing and has become an expert at it.
Final size(s): Size 8, blending to a 10 at the thigh
Meghann | @halfmoonatelier
Meghann... that's me😊 This pattern development process was such a long one that my body even changed a bit during the process. So, for the first time in my own patterns, I needed to grade just a bit between sizes.
The blue and grey jeans were both made repurposing old jeans. I'll link to the blog post here once I have it ready. (The black jeans were made with amazing 9oz. bull denim from Blackbird Fabrics.)
Final size(s): directly between 3 and 4
Kten | @jinxandgunner
Kten has been testing with me since my very first pattern! She’s studied at FIT, and I love receiving her expert feedback.
Kten found that she preferred to switch around some steps, making the button hole at the waistband just before finishing the top with all the belt loops. Other than grading, Kten didn’t make any adjustments. This second pair, from the second round of testing, are made from coffee sacks. YES! COFFEE SACKS! How amazing is that!?
Final size(s): Size 2 waist, grading to 3 at the hip. Size 2 length. Size 3 rise.