tailoring selvedge denim without cutting the selvedge

[dawei94]

I am also going to recommend Steven for this. I sent mine out last tuesday, got them back just now. The fit is now just right. He did a great job on them. He is also cheaper than either Schaeffer's garment hotel or denim doctors, and has better service too. I emailed them both weeks ago and they're super slow to respond. Steven responds extremely quickly.

[midnightheorist]

Just got my APCs back from Steven and I have to say his tailoring is impeccable. Truly something to behold. I entrusted him with one of my nearest and dearest pair of jeans, as someone butchered the selvedge some time ago. He restored the proper selvedge line, fixed the hem, chainstitched, proper height, etc... Excellent correspondence throughout, and prompt shipping back. Couldn't have asked for more. I'll surely be sending some other jeans his way, highly recommended.

[shinobi2000]

No one mentioned Schaeffers Garment Hotel? Their work on my PBJ 005s was spotless. You couldn't tell there had been anything done.

While I understand the purist argument that jeans shouldn't be altered this way, I would also offer as a counter-argument that sometimes the uniqueness of a certain kind of denim is enough motivation to buy a pair. Sometimes you want just the denim, not the cut.

[Steven RFG]

Just got my APCs back from Steven and I have to say his tailoring is impeccable. Truly something to behold. I entrusted him with one of my nearest and dearest pair of jeans, as someone butchered the selvedge some time ago. He restored the proper selvedge line, fixed the hem, chainstitched, proper height, etc... Excellent correspondence throughout, and prompt shipping back. Couldn't have asked for more. I'll surely be sending some other jeans his way, highly recommended.

Thank you!!

Just got my APCs back from Steven and I have to say his tailoring is impeccable. Truly something to behold. I entrusted him with one of my nearest and dearest pair of jeans, as someone butchered the selvedge some time ago. He restored the proper selvedge line, fixed the hem, chainstitched, proper height, etc... Excellent correspondence throughout, and prompt shipping back. Couldn't have asked for more. I'll surely be sending some other jeans his way, highly recommended.

And thank you!!

[unouomedude]

I recently had my NSF raw straight leg jeans tapered at Steven's shop. The execution was spot on, however I am only partially satisfied. Railcar Fine Goods only offers tapering service and no seat adjustment, so the thighs were essentially unaltered. I thought that full leg tapering meant tapering + seat adjustment, but I guess I was wrong. My goal was to turn a pair of straight legs into skinnys and I only have myself to blame since I didn't think it out thoroughly. I might try schaffers garment hotel since they offer a more expansive range of services..the next time I attempt to transform my jeans.

[goki]

finally decided to get my samurais tapered with Railcar's service, really glad I did. they did a fantastic job and I got the jeans back in a little over a week of mailing it off to them... lightning quick.

extremely happy with the way everything turned out... and on top of that, communication was pleasant and quick. very professional service.

trust them with your jeans! thanks again steven

[jmiller]

^

I second that! Steven tapered my Samurai 710's and they turned out perfect - exactly was I was hoping for. I absolutely love the denim on these jeans but I never wore them because I prefer a slimmer, more tapered cut. Now I have the best of both worlds!

Thanks Steven!

[Steven RFG]

Thanks guys for the kind words! I really enjoy doing what I do and I hope it shows.

Thanks again.

[beautiful_FrEaK]

Excuse me for reviving this old thread but I did it...the blasphemy...I recently got 2 jeans tapered!!! 

A pair of Samurai S5000VX and Sugarcane SC40601.

 

Here in Germany, there lives a young passionate tailor who offers bespoke jeans. His name is Johann Ruttloff and he lives in Dresden and started in 2010. I got to know about him through another German denimhead.

If you want to check out his work, take a look at his Facebook page or at his homepage (FB offers more pics though)

 

https://www.facebook.com/RuttloffGarments?fref=ts

http://ruttloff-garments.com/

 

 

And now to my jeans. He usually doesn't offer this service but he was willing to try it on my jeans. I just wanted him to taper them from the knee. Since I knew he works with raw Japanese selvedge I was sure he would pay attention to all the right details.  And he did! Take a look at the pictures (first 3 from him, the last from me)

 

 

 

 

 

 

The jeans came out great! The leg opening is a bit smaller than I requested but I can live with that (only 0,3 cm smaller). The overall leg got a bit slimmer but that is inevitable.

 

 

edit: fit pics to follow soon

Edited January 17, 2015 by beautiful_FrEaK

[S-Town]

Really nice stitching!  A German Roy Slaper in the making???

[Maynard Friedman]

They look really good b_F, I'm sure he's an excellent craftsman. I'm going to have a pair of LVC 37s tapered soon. I assume you have to have the taper done first and then have them re-hemmed.

Why are they all scrunched up on the machine in the first couple of pictures? I don't understand that.

Edited January 17, 2015 by Maynard Friedman

[oomslokop]

i'm not of the opinion that tapering is blasphemy, but as i remember it b_F, your slack weave sc fit quite nice. please do post new fit pics of the tapered version so i can compare. the new green inseam is cool, i imagine even though he only tapered from the knee, he had to redo the inseam all the way up from the crotch?

[beautiful_FrEaK]

They look really good b_F, I'm sure he's an excellent craftsman. I'm going to have a pair of LVC 37s tapered soon. I assume you have to have the taper done first and then have them re-hemmed.

Why are they all scrunched up on the machine in the first couple of pictures? I don't understand that.

 

I really don't know. He tried to explain but half the way through we both realized it doesn't matter. I  think as he had to stitch it in one run continuously heput the whole jeans on the "arm" of the sewing machine and through sewing the chainstitch inseam he pulled them from the "arm" and the jeans were free again. So either way: he put them on the machine first or if he would have done it the other way 'round, the jeans would have ended up on the machine (ok..no I know and realize the whole process )

 

 

@ooms: yes the whole inseam had  to be replaced

[rodeo bill]

^ as I understand it, when you make a pair of jeans from scratch with a topstitched inseam, you sew the fronts to the backs through the inseam first, then topstitch it, then you sew up the side seams with the jeans inside out, then turn them the right way out (that's why the selvage outside leg seam is pressed open, because topstitching onto what is by then a tube requires the kind of scrunching seen above) then you put on the waistband etc. When you're altering the inseam on a finished garment, unless you want to take off the belts loops and waistband, you have to do it this way. 

 

Generally western style jeans have a topstitched inseam and a pressed open/pressed over outseam (Wrangler have a topstitched outseam and a pressed over inseam, but it's the same principal). Wider worker style jeans often have topstitched inside and outside seams, which means sewing the seam on an arm (as above) but they're a lot wider, so easier to get into.

 

Hope that makes sense!