Denim Repair

[chicote]

Thanks Lance! Here's another really lazy one from this morning, after I ate it on some ice:

It looks pretty absurd given the jeans are so lightly worn otherwise, but what can ya do.

[kiya]

hey denim heads,

anyone have a good tailor to recommend? I need to repair my denim but i have no idea where to go. I'm in New York.

 

 

We (Self Edge) do a full range of denim repair and we're in the Lower East Side in NYC, here's more info on our repair rates/services:

http://www.selfedge.com/index.php?route=information/repair

[Foxy2]

Anyone knows if Mr Handy Denim Repair in Groningen is still active?

His website is down and so is his IG account it seems.

He just came back to me the other day - he's finishing a project for me after much delay...

[oomslokop]

did u do the stitching on the edges with a machine @chicote? they look tight. looks great the whole thing.

[lance]

Looks like hand stitched edges, too, oomslokop, nice, patient work whoops!

Edited January 3, 2017 by lance

[chicote]

Yeah, the edges were done with a machine--the patch behind the hole is circular and I was using those machine stitches to hold the patch in place so I could embroider on top of it a bit. But the small-ish leg opening + heavy fabric made using my machine untenable, plus (as lance pointed out) the stitches looked really wonky, I think cause my chainstitch machine (an old willcox and gibbs) has an automatic tension that gets sort of freaked out when sewing through multiple layers of heavy fabric. but thanks! this was my first hand-repair in a while so it's nice to hear good things about it

[dggsf]

Nvm

 

Edited March 7, 2017 by dggsf

[cottonskinblues]

Elbow repair on my Flat Head Type II. Still needs some work. Seems to be a never ending story.

[chicote]

Some quick sashiko/boro repairs to my roommate's vintage 501s (non-selvedge):

 

Edited March 12, 2017 by chicote

[Mojique]

My neighbor/friend is a professional seamstress who says that it's harder to do a denim repair than make a pair of curtains from scratch!

she altered my 3x1, but they still don't feel right, in the past she's done lots of repairs and even acid washed a pair (?), and tomorrow I'm taking round an unfinished pair of Japanese selvedge jeans from 2015(long story ), but I very much doubt she can do anything with the top block, although the legs are fine.

what a waste of good denim...sigh-I'll write if she can do it, but I think it's more work than it's worth, better to buy a new pair(s)

[itsbenhere]

I just got my 3009 back from rain at darn it... so damn expensive! But seriously, I don't think there is a better repair service out there.

[Cold Summer]

Nice Ben, I wasn't aware you still had those jeans/had worn them enough to need repairs!

[vgadjo]

Hey,

the 24oz denim from PBJ is quite stubborn. And it seems the hardware was not really modified to account for the sturdiness difference.

The belt button popped out after a few month. I fixed it with another nail. Then it broke again. So I bought a "regular" button. It last one day.

At that moment I thought "screw this". So I did.

 

Using my wife's jewelry equipment:

• bought some screws and bolts.
• made a hole in the button. That was the longest part as I had no real piercing tool.
• polished the button, screw and bolt to get the proper length and make the surface smoother.
• added some denim to cover the bolt and quickly sew it..

This should finally last!

 

Cheers.

PS: Be careful if you plan to size down on these.

 

[lance]

^ Nice repair, should last a lifetime!  I get my sewing supplies from Home Depot too . Had to use a c clip on the top button of a pair of Aihiko jeans because 45RPM did a less than perfect job (read lousy) on replacing the stock buttons with sterling silver and I was afraid the top button would pull through the denim.

[Mojique]

On 12 March 2017 at 5:33 PM, Mojique said:

My neighbor/friend is a professional seamstress who says that it's harder to do a denim repair than make a pair of curtains from scratch!

she altered my 3x1, but they still don't feel right, in the past she's done lots of repairs and even acid washed a pair (?), and tomorrow I'm taking round an unfinished pair of Japanese selvedge jeans from 2015(long story ), but I very much doubt she can do anything with the top block, although the legs are fine.

what a waste of good denim...sigh-I'll write if she can do it, but I think it's more work than it's worth, better to buy a new pair(s)

She says she can, so my jeans appear to be salvaged, but until they're done I don't believe it, and I think jeans are better unrepaired anyway!

(Crotch blow outs exceptionally of course!)

[Chubacca]

On 3/12/2017 at 5:07 PM, itsbenhere said:

I just got my 3009 back from rain at darn it... so damn expensive! But seriously, I don't think there is a better repair service out there.

Ridiculously how long it takes to get the repairs done.  

[cungster]

Sashiko style repair on an old paint stained Sugar Cane kakishibu denim. This little patch took a while but I am pretty satisfied at my own work. Totally would repair my own garments in the future.

[chicote]

Sashiko pocket bag repair:

Edited July 28, 2017 by chicote

[bartlebyyphonics]

great repairs going on in here

I wish I had that needle skill!

having posted about this fella's IG account [naritabby / brown tabby works - collaborates with bandana almanac on some things] in waywt re: smocks, I just wanted to share one of my favourite repairs by him... it is like a sculpture in itself!

 

and then a little ol' bandana almanac sashiko for extra stitch loveage

 

 

[chicote]

Some more updates on @kss447's SDAs — spent the last few days repairing the seat and back right pocket.

This is how the jeans were when I received them—the back pocket was totally blown out and there were some sizable holes in the warp threads just below.

I didn't document the early part of the repair, but here's more or less what I did:

- Unpick the stitching on the lower half of the pocket.

- Cut all the loose threads and generally flatten the pocket blowout.

- Measure a new piece of denim (taken from some Tender Co. cutoffs) to fit the pocket, so that the edges of the fabric run between the inner & outer pocket stitches (if that makes sense), and sew it around the edge of the pocket hole.

- Measure a piece of denim from some vintage Wranglers (bit lighter weight) and affix it behind the worn-out seat with some basting stitches.

I think here is where I can start documenting with photos...

This photo was taken around five hours into sashiko stitching the patch onto the seat, starting with the worn-out area and working outwards. This is more or less my last line of stitching in the photo. You can see a rough outline of where the denim runs via the basting stitches.

Here I'd run a stitch across the top of the back pocket patch fabric, so that you can put your hand in the pocket without getting caught up in the extra fabric. Tried to keep it parallel with the lining stitch below, which had mostly worn off. I should mention that so far these repairs have been entirely done by hand and without any measuring, marking, guiding or ironing—sort of a challenge to see how accurately I can freehand this kind of stuff, I guess.

After the lining stitch, I redid the original navy stitch that runs across the back pocket, mostly as a second line of defense in case the top one wears through. With the extra thread, I did some little reinforcing stitches on the two smaller holes that were starting to form on the middle and lower-right parts of the pocket. Now I'm starting to go over the original pocket stitching itself with a replica 'copper'-coloured topstitching thread.

And here's where I'm at now! You can see the pocket is a bit misshapen on the left side, from where I pulled it in too far while stitching the hole closed. But otherwise I'm pretty happy with how it's turning out. Going to do the outer topstitch tomorrow, or soon, as I have some friends in town and can't quite spend as much time sewing at the moment. Anyway, thanks for looking!

[Maynard Friedman]

Marvellous work chicote, that's very impressive. 

[Niro]

Great repair work as always!

[Bobbo]

Fantastic stuff Chicote. Very inspiring seeing neat repairs like this.

[bartlebyyphonics]

super work

super generous

thanks for sharing skills and images

[chicote]

Sorry for so many individual posts... added some patches on the cuffs today.

[Doogan]

Has anyone had the seat and waist taken in before? I'd like to know if it can work or will ruin the jeans? I have a pair of Orslow that are great everywhere except a bit saggy in the top block. I'd only really take them in by 1 inch. 

I'd probably send them to Denim Dr as he mentions this type of work on his website:

https://www.thedenimdoctor.co.uk/gallery-of-previous-denim-alteration-repair-restoration-work/

[Iron Horse]

I have pair of TCB '50s that the previous owner had the seat taken in on; it certainly didn't ruin the jean but the seat is very snug. I can't comfortably put my (admittedly thick) wallet in back pocket without it feeling like the jeans won't spontaneously combust. YMMV though.

[redragon]

Small buttonhole repair of wabash I got recently...

Hope it holds up for awhile...

[lance]

^ nice work, redragon - this is one of my favorite threads!

[Iron Horse]

Looks good Redragon! The tailor I went to could have at least bothered to do that