by Cristina Bernardi Shiffman and
Kay Gardiner

These unisex baby jeans knit up quickly. They are comfy as PJs, and get more faded and jean-like with every trip through the washer and dryer. An added benefit is that the baby wearing them will look like James Dean (or Marilyn Monroe) in the movie 'Giant'.

The fun here is in the knitterly details. The jeans are constructed of two mirror-image pieces, one for each leg, joined in the center. The cuffs are knitted in a lighter shade of true denim yarn to mimic the wrong side of denim twill fabric. The inseams, sewn in orange cotton yarn, use a flat, overlapping seam for a realistic look. The seat shaping lends authentic cowpoke chic (and makes room for the cowpoke's diaper). Faux side seams give you a chance to try Elizabeth Zimmerman's ingenious 'phony seam' technique, which prevents the legs from twisting with wear. Easy embroidery recalls riveted pockets.

The final touch is an optional handmade label. Too crafty for ya? No worries: you can still rock the baby shower by recycling a label from an old pair of jeans, or snagging the one that comes in a pack of Rowan Denim.

model: Taro Higashi Zimmerman photos: Kay Gardiner & Cristina Shiffman

MATERIALS

Rowan Denim [100% cotton; 103yd/93m per 50g skein]
[MC] Nashville #225 (dark indigo): 2[2, 3, 3, 3] skeins
[CC] Tennessee #231 (light blue) 1[1, 1, 1, 1] skein
Small amount of Rowan Handknit Cotton [100% cotton; 93 yd/85m per 50g skein]; color: Mango Fool #319 (orange) for embroidery
(Cotton embroidery floss will also work)

1 set US #6/4mm straight needles
Smooth cotton waste yarn
18 inch length of three-quarter inch wide elastic
Sewing needle
Dark blue sewing thread

Optional:
Small piece of wool felt for label
Small amount of blue embroidery floss for label
Button

[Knitty's list of standard abbreviations can be found here]

step 1^

step 2^

step 3^

step 4^

Embroidered jean details: It is easier to do the embroidery before seaming the jeans. Use orange yarn throughout.

Referring to the photo as a guide, embroider the fly and the front slash pockets, using running stitch. At the beginning and end of the lines describing the pockets, layer 3 backstitches for the rivets.

Sew on button, or embroider a faux button, at the top of the fly as shown in the photograph.

Referring to the photo as a guide, embroider the back pockets with a running stitch.

Felt Label (optional)
Cut out and embroider the felt label as desired. Use sewing thread to attach the felt label, or other label of your choice, to the back waistband.  Small whip stitches or blanket stitches do the job nicely. 

Sew rise and inner legs as follows:
Start by joining the rise (the center front and back seams). To orient the edges, lay the left and right pieces flat, right sides facing, with both crotch edges meeting in the center. Slightly overlap the left side over the right side at the rise. With a piece of orange DK cotton, sew a backstitch seam, starting at the turning ridge of the waistband and working down to the crotch in the front. Now turn the piece over, with the front seam facing down, and seam the back of the rise, working in backstitch, from the turning ridge of the waistband down to the seat. (At this point, the crotch is still open.)

Next, join the inside portion of the waistband seam. To reduce bulk in the waistband, use regular sewing thread to join the remaining section of the waistband (the short section above the turning ridge, which later will be folded to the inside to form an elastic casing). 

Next, join the inner leg seams. With the front of the jeans facing, slightly overlap the front leg edges over the back leg edges, and sew the inner seam with backstitch in a single seam from the bottom edge of one leg to the bottom edge of the other leg. This will make a flat, visible inner leg seam that looks like a classic blue jeans seam. 

Elastic Waist:
Create a loop with the elastic by laying the ends over one another and running a few rows of hand or machine stitches through the overlap to secure.  (If possible, try the elastic on the baby to check the fit; it should be secure and flat, but not tight, around the baby's waist. If you can't try it on the baby, make sure the loop of elastic will fit inside the waist of the jeans without either gathering the waist in or stretching it out.) Turn the pants inside out and position the elastic inside the waist band.  Remove the waste yarn from the live stitches and use blue sewing thread to sew the live stitches down to the inverted ridge of stitches that marks the bottom of the waist band. 

You're done! Put jeans on baby and take baby out in public immediately. Collect oohs, aahs, and requests to knit jeans for other babies.