Chain stitching in DC

[FoolioABC]

Hi,

Does anyone know where I can get my jeans hemmed with chainstitching somewhere in DC? On a similar note, is it really even worth it to seek out a place that does this specifically? What advantage/disadvantages in appearance/durability does this type of stitching actually provide?

[FoolioABC]

Bump bump bump?

[poly800rock]

my understanding is that chainstitching is near impossible to find outside NYC and LA.

[FoolioABC]

I just emailed Denim Bar in VA, and the email back said they do chainstitching here, although I have yet to actually go there and have my jeans hemmed. Anyone have experiences with this place (aside from shopping, there are ample posts about that on this forum.)

[sell veg]

They are cool there, but I'm a bit curious about them chainstitching. They send out for lockstitch hems, and I gotta say, the person they use can be a bit spotty. My wife's jeans were hemmed two inches too short. They were cool though and exchanged them. If they don't even lockstitch on site I doubt they have a chainstitch machine.

[FoolioABC]

Interesting...

I did email the guy and am in the process of figuring out pricing and stuff like that. He did specifically say that they do chainstitching though. Do you have a place you could recommend for getting jeans hemmed in the DCM area (doesn't have to do chainstitching)?

Thanks!

[Dangydang]

Parkway Custom Drycleaning on Connecticut in Chevy Chase does very good work. I've had them repair some stitching on my jeans before and the work was flawless. Like some others have said already, I'm just about positive that Denim Bar does not offer chainstitching. If you really want the chainstitch then you should try emailing the guys at BIG. You might be able to mail them up there or you could just go there and make a weekend out of it.

[FoolioABC]

Hi,

Thanks for the info. I've just moved to the area so don't really know anything at all. About BiG, I toyed with the idea, but I'm really not that set on getting chainstitching done. It seems all it does is make the hem fade in a "slanted" fashion as opposed to a straight up fashion, right? Since I cuff my jeans anyway (don't want them bleeding all over my shoes) it won't make a huge difference anyways. Thanks for the info! Further input/discussion would of course always be appreciated!

[ang_kangkong]

I've noticed that a lot of jeans no longer chainstitch the hem. I don't know what jeans you're going to be chainstitching, I'm assuming it's high end, otherwise you wouldn't even care.

About BiG chainstitching. Gordon is almost geeky about it. He'll even "twist" the denim in the hem as he's chainstitching it so as to accentuate that roping thing that happens with repeated washings. He's also said, after I had a pair stitched, to get that pucker back, soak just the hems in boiling water (take them off the range, of course) for ten minutes and maybe, depending on how obsessive you are about these things, blow-dry it.

[zk4025]

I got a chainstitch sewing machine,if you

world pay the postage and i can do the hemmed with chainstitching

for you.

[zk4025]

I got a chainstitch sewing machine,if you

world pay the postage and i can do the hemmed with chainstitching

for you.

you also can choose

http://www.wretch.cc/blog/zk2006&article_id=2556385

A,B,c,d,e,f,g

[denimdestroyedmylife]

i had no idea that there were so many options for chainstitching

i want to ask if they have different names, but i'm not sure if that is too difficult to translate

that's very very very kind of you

you are a sharp claw in the future paw

[dismalfuture]

A and F look serious....

[masuerte]

someone earlier talked about a certain type of chainstitching that would twist the denim and such... which one is that on the KURT site?

[ang_kangkong]

I think I did.

This is part of what it says on the BiG site:

Why use a Union Special machine? Union Special sewing machines were the machines that constructed the original jeans of old, most notably the Levi's 501. These old vintage machines are still some of the strongest machines out there and are highly sought after by jean afficionados worldwide. Because of the unique characteristics of the machine, it has a special "pull" to the fabric while stitching. This creates a slight directional pressure in the hem. As the jeans shrink after several washes, this tug will develop a pronounced "roping" effect in the hem. This effect is most pronounced when the hem is stitched with a vintage Union Special--just like the one we have at Blue in Green!

You can read about it here: http://blueingreensoho.com/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6&Itemid=34

I'm sure zk knows what to do, though. We've seen his collection.

[FoolioABC]

Lol thanks for all the replies.

Yeah, I'm not so serious about this as to ship it to Taiwan to get them hemmed. I'm probably going to go to this guy Denim bar recommended, Hamza Simrick, to have them hemmed. I did a quick google search on the guy, and he's apparently written books and ish, and I called him and he claimed he did have a chainstitching machine. Sooo... I'll go check this out and let you guys know!