Denim Repair

[FreeCharlesManson]

1 minute ago, FreeCharlesManson said:

maybe more appropriate for the long dead denim repair thread but here are my 20's after some repair.

I tried to repair them slightly last summer when the holes first started to get big. but it was a kinda sashiko hand stick repair and i'm no professional, plus a couple months of bike riding thrashed the already damaged jeans. This summer having access to a sewing machine and large scraps of denim i wanted to fix up my favourite jeans, started by removing the old patch and then ripping up the back seem which connects the two leg panels and then ripped up the inside leg seam for better access. the idea was basically de-construct and re-construct the jeans with more denim to reinforce the weak areas.

I got my mum to help me with the the complex jobs like properly sewing on the patches so they wouldn't bulge and re- sewing the seams that i ripped up to get access to the denim. I basically only sewed some extra reinforcement on the patch so the old holes would lay flat and hopefully not pull apart any more. It likely isn't a re-production accurate sewing job regarding thread colour and technique but that's the real coal miner spirit isn't it? wear and re-pair. 

Hopefully i'll get another year or so before i need to do any major repairs. there's still a bunch of tiny holes and threadbare areas which may open up. 

I'll post fade updates soon but today i was doing some gardening and i think i accidentally rubbed poop on my jeans instead of mud so back in the wash they went.

 

 

 

rise like lazarus

guess this thread wasn't as dead as i thought 

Edited June 16, 2020 by FreeCharlesManson

[81611]

Anyone ever use Williamsburg Garment Company’s (Brooklyn) mail in repair service?

I’m looking to repair the knees of my older son’s pair so my younger son can wear them. Not sure if holes like this can be darned or not.

I also have a few pair needing work.  Appreciate any recommendations.

[chicote]

You can totally darn those! I’ll show you my technique real quick:

Unpick the side seam, slip a patch underneath, and then sew “N”-shaped zigzags over the whole thing, following the direction of the warp on the edges and sitting in the valleys of the twill on the diagonal. If you’re able to find a light-blue thread (this was some old silk blend I got at an estate sale, but it does the trick!) the patch goes on super strong and is practically invisible! Here’s it from the back:

[81611]

Thanks @chicote that patch looks really good! I’m not very sewing machine savvy maybe my wife can try it. I’d rather do it at home and save the money on repairing since my kid will just blow them out again in 4-5 months. 

[chicote]

For sure, it’s worth a try! Even if the stitches aren’t lined up exactly, it doesn’t effect the integrity of the patch.

One thing I would say is to avoid future repairs, do a good stretch test around where the holes are and make your patch 3-4cm past the end of the compromised fabric. The edges of the patch will wear on those weak points and you may end up having to make a new patch again. Case in point with my sugar canes, which I patched the knee of about a month and two washes ago:

All the fraying at the top and bottom was thin but solid fabric at the time of the patch! What a waste of time 

[428CJ]

Have some jackets on my table to repair, that some tailor really screwed up. Very sad. This guy did a real hatchet job on these jackets, and supposedly he's a denim specialist. Yikes. Real hack work on a beautiful $300 jacket, and on a less expensive, but still nice, jacket as well. I'll see what I can do to save them, but it ain't pretty, especially the work on the expensive jacket.

Edited June 30, 2020 by 428CJ

[Spiraltoy]

Get some pics up @428CJ! 

[428CJ]

On 6/30/2020 at 12:29 AM, Spiraltoy said:

Get some pics up @428CJ! 

Might dig in to them this coming weekend, at which time I'll snap some pix. On of the jackets is messed up, but not horribly. The other one is nearly ruined, but it's such a nice piece that it's worth a stab at saving.

[chicote]

I started blowing a hole in the back pocket of my tenders and thought I’d document the repair process using the technique I shared last week! im getting rid of my smartphone in a few days, which is the cause of all my pocket blowouts, so hopefully this will be the last time this is necessary.

Hole in the bottom of the left pocket there - I’ve had to repair pretty much all the stitching in this area over the past few months as you might be able to tell.

Here’s the pocket after unpicking the stitching! The lining has stayed pretty well intact. I love seeing the original colour of the denim in these sorts of spots.

The original ecru thread (on left) picked up quite a bit of indigo dye over the years so I chose a 100% cotton thread that sort of matched the colour. My camera sucks but it looks close enough to me lol

Stitching over the hole - down following the twill, two stitches down the warp, then back up the twill and repeat! This is a super easy technique because you just line up the machine foot with each line in the fabric and try to sew as straight as possible. I’m not very good at sewing perfectly straight lines but it helps a lot to have these as a guide.

After going over the hole I went over everything again, moving one warp thread over so the pattern overlaps. This is from my single needle chain stitch machine which has a bit of a faulty tensioner, hence the loose stitches at the end of each line. Doesn’t look too good, but so far I haven’t had one break on me!

And here’s everything closed up and sewn back together. Like I said before, if you match the colour of the fabric (ideally with an indigo dyed thread) this repair can be pretty well invisible. I hope this is helpful to you all - it’s about the easiest machine repair I’ve ever done and always gives nice strong results!

[Broark]

Awesome @chicote, thanks for sharing. Those Tenders look really good.

[Hopethisoneisnttaken]

Inside and outside of my tcb 20s crotch repairs. Don’t own a sewing machine and trying to keep the repairs as practical as possible. 

[BrownMetallic]

Here’s what I did on the s710XX LOT9, putting cutoffs into good use ... 100% hand-sewn.

 

Edited July 21, 2020 by BrownMetallic

[Broark]

In all my years of denim this is the first time I've had a rivet pop off.
Any suggestions? I'm guessing just hammer down the front facing part so that the post locks the front piece in.

[BrownMetallic]

@Broark Find a cylindrical tool that corresponds to the circumference of the washer.  Drive the washer down with a tap from a hammer to see if the washer locks in place.  
If it doesn’t fasten securely,  then u can proceed with your plan to hammer down the rivet pin.  Good luck! 

[Broark]

Thanks @BrownMetallic, that seems like a good plan. I’m guessing I could buy a tool like that a hardware store?

[BrownMetallic]

@Broark U prolly have a bolt w/ nut or small close wrench in ur tool box ... the thing in the photo is just a changeable screw driver handle.

Edited August 9, 2020 by BrownMetallic

[Broark]

Oh perfect, I’ll give that a shot! I thought that was some sort of rivet setting tool. 

[BrownMetallic]

No, anything u can find that has a hole in the middle [for the pin]

[Broark]

Unfortunately no dice on just punching it on with the end of an interchangeable screwdriver. Going to try hammering it in tomorrow. 

[Maynard Friedman]

I’d contact Warehouse and explain what happened (with photos) and ask them to send you some spare rivets as you may need a few attempts. This happened to me with some LVC 1915s 10 years ago (rivet fell off when I took them out of the packaging) and they were happy to oblige.

[Double 0 Soul]

6 hours ago, Broark said:

In all my years of denim this is the first time I've had a rivet pop off.
Any suggestions? I'm guessing just hammer down the front facing part so that the post locks the front piece in.

If you do the exact opposite of what you're suggesting you should be fine

Place the front part of the rivet over the pin, holding it in place and turn the jeans over onto a solid, flat piece of wood and twat the rivet from the back with a hammer, for added security, turn the jeans back over and hammer the pin flat from the front.

Edited August 9, 2020 by Double 0 Soul

[Broark]

4 hours ago, Double 0 Soul said:

If you do the exact opposite of what you're suggesting you should be fine

Place the front part of the rivet over the pin, holding it in place and turn the jeans over onto a solid, flat piece of wood and twat the rivet from the back with a hammer, for added security, turn the jeans back over and hammer the pin flat from the front.

That's what I get for writing this up after many beers yesterday by the pool.  I'm going to give this a try later.
I've emailed Warehouse directly to see if they have any spare rivets, let's see what they say.

[Double 0 Soul]

Yup give it a go, you've got nowt to lose... it would also be handy to put a drift punch on the back of the rivet so you get a nice clean strike, a piece of 8-10mm metal bar would do the trick. If you're not happy with the results simply drill out the center of the rivet with a 3mm drill and it will just fall off and you can have another go with the replacements from WH, if they sort you out.

[chambo2008]

My good friends girlfriend is really good with a sewing machine and has done this for me, for ten pounds I can't complain. 

[rockon99]

Felt pretty lethargic today after receiving my second vaccine dose yesterday, so I decided to drink tea and mend this back pocket. With the help of a more experienced needleworker who did the actual patch. 

[shredwin_206]

These three pairs were all repaired by rhe denim master Mike Hodis. This isn’t a service he offers but he’s a good friend so helped me out. Very happy with the repairs 

[el padre]

Pre emptive strike to stop my ass falling out 

[julian-wolf]

Different jeans, same repair

[ColonelAngus]

Same thing happens to my right front pocket as well, like clockwork. Usually the top starts to fray and then I get a hole in the pocket lining. From taking my keys in and out daily 

[ColonelAngus]