The Schnittvision Saga

Like many of us, I was tempted when the Selfish Seamstress posted about Schnittvision, a German software program that yields a series of chic, versatile, contemporary patterns based on your particular measurements. And it was even on sale!

In the end, I succumbed. I had to have it. But getting it was not easy. First, I had to navigate the order form in German. To avoid the hefty surcharge for international shipping, I recruited my mother-in-law, who works for a large multi-national corporation. She contacted a German colleague, who agreed to carry the software over from Germany on his next business trip. Once I got the disk, installing it on my computer was a little tricky, since important locations like "Program Files" have different names in other languages. Fortunately, the Mister is a genius, and he figured out a solution that worked like a charm. (NB: if you have Schnittvision, and get error messages about libraries that cannot be found, let me know, and I'll share his fabulous workaround with you!)

Today, I write to tell you that it was all worth it: I'm almost done sewing my first Schnittvision pattern, and I'm thrilled with the results. I decided to buy Volume 7, "Neo-Chic," in large part because it included a pattern for flared jeans. Well, here's a sneak preview of my jeans:

With the exception of adding a little room (like a quarter of an inch) through the thigh, and increasing the width of the waistband a bit, I've made no adjustments to the fit of the jeans, and they're perfect! (I've put the jeans together since these pictures were taken, so I have in fact tried them on.) I also increased the flare below the knee, purely for aesthetic reasons.

I'm totally gobsmacked by the fact that I'm sewing my own jeans, and even more so by how good a fit I got from the Schnittvision pattern. They're almost done and ready to be worn, although I won't be able to pick up any rivets until next week, and I'll be doing a full write-up of the project soon.