jerrylee

 

A homage to the Union Special 43200G:

 

Love it!

 

Here are a pair of cinch backs that I made for a friend last year, with about 8 months of wear. I loved this denim and wish I had more. It was a Cone 12.5 oz. that I bought 40 yards of from Premium Denim Outlet. How the hell did I go through 40 yards of it?

Hey everyone! I've been doing chainstitch embroidery for several years and I just started making custom embroidered patches. Let me know what you think!

In my attempt to be self employed I am offering an affordable chainstitch embroidery service. If you're interested you can find more info here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/150732361/custom-chainstitch-embroidery-service?

I've decided to take a break from jeans and focus on my western wear projects, so hopefully you won't mind me posting a couple of photos of the most recent western shirt I've made. The embroidery was worked on my Singer 114w103 chainstitch embroidery machine. The olive fabric is wool gabardine and the navy pinstripe is an Italian wool suiting. The pocket arrows are hand embroidered.

A 20u for $50?! Sounds like a steal!

theres also this one........but suuuuper far away from me

That's a Singer 20u which does zig zag and straight stitch. I think the blue head 20u's were produced in the 60's. I've used those machines and they are great, definitely tough enough for denim. The 20u is regarded as one of the best Singer machines and there are plenty out there so parts are easy to find. I think Singer still makes this model.

thanks for helping me with questions that ill ask the person selling

its a brother DB2-B755-3

are you asking me or telling me that it has reverse?

The black lever above the model number is the reverse. I've never used a Brother industrial but I understand they are relatively good machines. I'm guessing they have a low resale value considering that they are fairly inexpensive new. I would say $150 would be a fair price.

Canada Steve, Love the jeans! I recently bought the book Jeans Of The Old West and have been anxious to make a pair of jeans utilizing some of the details from the Victorian examples.

Jan, I'm glad the jeans fit well! I'm always nervous to see them on a person since each pair is essentially bespoke. I work in a theatre costume shop where we have the luxury of fitting a person two to three times before completing the garment but through the mail I have to rely on four or five key measurements and build a garment accordingly and usually without ever seeing a photo of the person.

thanks for all the knowledgeable info jerry!

hey how do you tell if a machine is an industrial machine?

guy selling this says its a 306k and industrial but some research says that its hard to find needles for it

The 306k is not an industrial machine. A lot of people will call older machines that have all metal construction "industrial strength". This is a misnomer. True industrial machines require a power stand (a table fitted with a motor or other drive source) and are designed to perform one specific function, i.e. straight stitch, chainstitch, bartack , etc. Industrial machines are often heavier and larger than their domestic counterparts. They are well built because they are meant to be used all day, every day for many years. Here is a great blog post about the difference between industrial and domestic: http://vssmb.blogspot.com/2012/04/difference-between-domestic-industrial.html

What do you guys think about a singer 99k?

It's a great older domestic machine. I prefer machines that have a front loading bobbin rather than machines like the 99k which have a drop in bobbin. Just a personal preference. If you get a machine with a spoked balance wheel you can attach a repro hand crank which is nice for sewing leather and heavier fabrics. Keep in mind that the machine will only straight stitch, however it would be a great machine to learn some basic techniques on. Be sure to have a technician tune it up since most older domestic machines need to be re-timed. You can find the instruction manual on the Singer website: http://www.singerco.com/uploads/download/1177_99k.pdf

Good luck!

-Jerry

Thanks

so the minimum would be 3 machines? a straight stitch, a serger, and a chainstitch? how much do they usually run for?

if i were to practice/learn, would a straight stitch machine be good for now?

I wouldn't recommend buying three industrial machines with no sewing experience under your belt. Aside from learning to sew there is learning to pattern and all of the other tasks related to constructing a garment. Buy a basic sewing machine, preferably something older as the economy Walmart machines are junk and will cost you endless frustration. Get yourself a copy of the Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Sewing and basic shirt pattern. Start small... make a shirt, find out if you even enjoy sewing.

is it possible to make a pair of jeans with one machine that can do all the stitches?

i know some stitches arent requires but are nice to have. so is there a machine that can do top stitching, surging, lock stitches, button holes, bar tacking, chain stitch? any stitches im missing?

No, there is no machine like that. Some domestic machines can do many of those stitches, however you will not get satisfactory results sewing denim with a domestic. Get a good older industrial straight stitch like a Singer 31-15. As for serging you really need an industrial overlock for the denim, there really isn't an alternative.

Tweedi, I would highly recommend the book Making Trousers for Men & Women by David Page Coffin. Make a pair of pants following the guidelines in the book just to get a better understanding of how pants go together. It looks like you're on the right track and your work is definitely getting better. I've always found sewing books to be helpful when learning new techniques. Have fun!

Here's a pair of cinch back jeans that I made as a custom order. They are made from 13 oz. Cone Mills denim. The customer wanted a pair of jeans with a long rise, wide legs, rounded back pockets and triple stitched seams. I'm pretty happy with the way they turned out!

Looks better than my first sewing projects many years ago! Check out some sewing & tailoring books from your local library and practice techniques. Sewing is a skill that takes many years to develop. I've been sewing professionally for several years and I still feel as though I know very little. Keep at it and you'll continue to improve!

Dare I ask what you're hoping to get for these machines?

Any tips on getting the waistband on? I'm trying now and after it twisted around itself I've had to take the bugger out again. Do you sew the top of the waistband first to stop it twisting? Also I'll have to do my waistband in two pieces due to the amount of cloth I had, I couldn't cut it on the grain. Please help! It's driving me nuts, I was up until 3am the last night trying to finish it.

I usually baste the waistband on by hand before stitching it.

I finally have jeans for sale on my web store (and more coming soon). I've scheduled a photo shoot with a photographer friend so I can replace the washed-out product photos that I took. Photography has never been my strong suit but I was anxious to get the ball rolling on the web store. Feedback is highly appreciated, i.e. what information needs to be clarified, etc.

http://www.jerrylees.bigcartel.com/product/pyle-slim-straight-leg

Nietenhosen, that is a really beautiful shirt! Great work!

Oranswell, Perhaps you could find several people to place a bulk order and split the price. I've always been pretty open about where I source my materials but it seems with so many people getting into the boutique/high-end denim business I think a lot of folks are guarding their sources. I've personally spent many frustrating hours on the internet searching for materials, calling wholesalers, etc. I know it's a huge pain in the ass, but ultimately it's rewarding when you find that piece of the puzzle you've been searching for. Anyway, good luck, be sure to post your work!

I'm curious if these were produced by a garment jobber or if 1791 has an actual workroom. In the video Mr. Beck specifically mentions that it is a company that is putting people back to work but the stitchers in garment manufacturing houses already have jobs and there is no shortage of young designers to keep them in business. This is all very...odd.

Wow, that's excellent!

I'm looking to source some higher quality buttons and rivets as my construction gets a little better. Can anyone recommend a good supplier or company that I could contact?

Tandy leather has a good selection of rivets. As for buttons I searched long and hard (as in more than a year) for the right buttons so I would be doing a disservice to myself to reveal my source. Part of the fun (at least for me) is research and development of my product and hopefully others who are interested in starting their own denim lines enjoy that aspect of evolving their product.

Nice shirt and jeans , would like try to make a my own someday.

Any book that you'll can recommend for beginners ?

Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Sewing, Shirtmaking by David Page Coffin, Tailoring Suits the Professional Way by Clarence Poulin.

Honestly selvedge jeans aren't the best place to start for the beginning sewer. I've been sewing for over ten years and four of those professionally. Sewing is hard work that requires a great deal of personal commitment and for those of us trying to start our own lines, financial and social sacrifice. But I encourage everyone to learn how to sew, just be warned that it ain't all fun and games!

I just finished my first pair of jeans after many test pairs. For these I used Cone Mills 13.5oz selvage denim. I'm pretty happy with the outcome. This first photo was taken before putting the front button on and I had some trouble with my machine and the button hole, but it turned out. Another problem was a twisted inseam, which I am unsure of how to fix, perhaps someone could chime in. It isn't really noticeable since they are long and the twist is slight, but it happens to every pair of jeans I try to sew. The fit is good, they're a little loose around the waist (I had to add a second button to keep them from falling off) and I plan on soaking them tomorrow. I hope to solve the twisted inseam problem before starting on my next pair.

In your patterning, when you measure the inseam, are you accounting for the seam allowance in the front crotch and the felled center back seam? If you add in your inseam and outseam lengths after your seam allowances are added in you can end up with a one inch or more surplus in the outseam resulting in twisting. Consider that the 5/8" felled seam on the CB takes away at least that much from one side and adds it to the other since it's a lapped seam. After a while you'll start to see how everything is connected and where different seams affect other parts of the jeans and it will click. But hey, you're pretty far along. Yours look much better than my early attempts. BTW, what machines are you using? I use an industrial straight stitch Singer 31-15 from 1927.