home-made jeans

[Sleazy P]

love the progression of your work raWorkshop, the last pair looks really good.

[dralfonzo]

hi guys, i bought some denim to make jeans with, it was quite a wide roll, bought 3 meters. Im not sure if it's selvedge though, i know it has the white edge, but it still has the thread coming off, there was some selvedge at the same shop that didnt have any of the threads?? any ideas?

[ringring]

hi guys, i bought some denim to make jeans with, it was quite a wide roll, bought 3 meters. Im not sure if it's selvedge though, i know it has the white edge, but it still has the thread coming off, there was some selvedge at the same shop that didnt have any of the threads?? any ideas?

That's the cut (selv)edge of a modern jet loom. It's not 'selvedge denim' in the way most people on here consider selvedge ie. woven on narrow shuttle looms.

From what's visible from the back side, it looks fine though.

Interestingly, there are now wide width denims available with closed, woven selvedge

[denimdestroyedmylife]

Interestingly, there are now wide width denims available with closed, woven selvedge

:eek:

What?

[ringring]

"not a lot of people know that" *said in a Michael Caine voice*

Yes. It's out there.

[denimdestroyedmylife]

how very insidious

that makes it all the more important to know the provenance of your denim

only buy from trusted sources

if it looks too good to be true...

[dralfonzo]

That's the cut (selv)edge of a modern jet loom. It's not 'selvedge denim' in the way most people on here consider selvedge ie. woven on narrow shuttle looms.

From what's visible from the back side, it looks fine though.

Interestingly, there are now wide width denims available with closed, woven selvedge

ok thanks. as i said the same shop had selvedge that was probably about 30 inch width, this one i've bought is about twice that I think... I wanted more as it's the 1st time ill have made jeans and wanted to have more just incase.

it seems to be quite nice quality though, its a nice indigo as well.

[ringring]

ok thanks. as i said the same shop had selvedge that was probably about 30 inch width, this one i've bought is about twice that I think... I wanted more as it's the 1st time ill have made jeans and wanted to have more just incase.

it seems to be quite nice quality though, its a nice indigo as well.

30" is about right for shuttle loom selvedge ( a bit narrower usually). It just means you would need twice the length of fabric than you need with the double width.

[ringring]

how very insidious

that makes it all the more important to know the provenance of your denim

only buy from trusted sources

if it looks too good to be true...

Insidious? Only if you think it's narrow, shuttle loom denim. I don't think it's meant to con anyone. lt's clever if anything. It's definitely good denim, and definitely true.

[andewhall]

Wide rolls would be good for cutting jeans as half selvage, fronts cut along the selvage and backs in the middle using one length instead of two. With 30" there is a fair amount of denim left over even after cutting parts.

Edit: Would also be good for jackets as there are not to many exposed selvage edges, depending on style, just the front 2 facings and possibly waistbands, cuffs and collar...which isn't to common. Using 30" the selvage is either discarded or in some cases sewn into felled seams, never to see the light of day again.

[raWorkshop]

hi guys, i bought some denim to make jeans with, it was quite a wide roll, bought 3 meters. Im not sure if it's selvedge though, i know it has the white edge, but it still has the thread coming off, there was some selvedge at the same shop that didnt have any of the threads?? any ideas?

It's not "true" selvedge, but that looks like a nice uneven weave, dark color. Post your project when you finish!

[DeltaZ113]

Wide rolls would be good for cutting jeans as half selvage, fronts cut along the selvage and backs in the middle using one length instead of two. With 30" there is a fair amount of denim left over even after cutting parts.

Edit: Would also be good for jackets as there are not to many exposed selvage edges, depending on style, just the front 2 facings and possibly waistbands, cuffs and collar...which isn't to common. Using 30" the selvage is either discarded or in some cases sewn into felled seams, never to see the light of day again.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure the 60" selvage has been around for a while... didn't Lee used to use half selvage on their jeans?

and please Baeyer-Drewson, please act like an adult and just neg rep scotty and ignore. theres no reason to double the shit in a thread just because you're pissed. Try to let go whatever grievances you have with the guy and let him get negged to hell and go away

[andewhall]

Yeah lee did/does half selvage but wide looms still didn't come until the 80's. The lee's still would have used 30" wide, they would have had a shaped back leg which can't be cut along the selvage...fronts cut along the selvage and backs not. Selvage edge didn't mean anything back then because there was no alternative.

[the bandanna almanac]

selvage waistband:

I like this label you made here, you even got the kanji for indigo on there. Nice touch!

[pomata]

^I think that patch is of the fabric producers in JAPAN

[the bandanna almanac]

^I think that patch is of the fabric producers in JAPAN

Yeah I figured that out after i posted. Oh well cool patch anyways.

[Paul T]

Yeah lee did/does half selvage but wide looms still didn't come until the 80's. The lee's still would have used 30" wide, they would have had a shaped back leg which can't be cut along the selvage...fronts cut along the selvage and backs not. Selvage edge didn't mean anything back then because there was no alternative.

FWIW, I think Draper brought out wider selvage - or, I should say, shuttle, looms in the 1960s. THey were apparetnyl little different from their predecessors, and some have even been reportedly adjusted or even cut down since to produce narrow selvage denim

THe fact the farbic is wider shouldn't affect the look or the quality, and in fact a half selvage can look great... I think it's shortcuts in terms of the yarn (ie move to ring/OE in the 80s) and dyeing that caused a downturn in quality in the 80s.

I don't know for sure, but I believe that even in the 80s Levi's were using selvage fabric, it's just that the selvage edge was no longer used.

[dralfonzo]

ok guys, here's a mini photostory on the jeans i've been making. I'm missing some of the shots from the beginning of the construction of the front but theres a few here of the back and the back pockets etc. I'm not finished making them yet, i'll post up all the other photos when I am but for the time being here we are.

where im working;

gots me some denim..

drafting out a pattern based on a set of old shitty jeans I'd ripped up. The jeans I was basing them off were far too baggy so I had to try and work out how much to size down

missing a few from there which ill try and find later, but for now, heres how it was looking when i got to making the back;

not exactly aligned very well but it'll do. Purple stitching, heavyweight nylon thread on a longstitch machine.

overlocked the edges to keep it tidy on the inside.

cutout the pockets

mmm checkout the home made denim pencil case...

the material im using for pocket lining. Same material as the front pockets.

press that motherfucker.

[dralfonzo]

stitching the back pockets down

looking good.

decided to only have the 'X' stitched onto one side, i dunno why dont ask me

stitching the front pocket bag down after attaching one side together

which leaves us as to where we are so far, here's a shot of the back layed on top of the front;

and a shot of the front. still have a bit left to do but they are coming together. I'm pretty pleased so far for the 1st pair i've ever tried making.

the denim looks darker in that last shot, it's more blue in person.

any comments/suggestions?

[raWorkshop]

stitching the front pocket bag down after attaching one side together

Nice looking denim, and a good job on your first pair. This stitch however, is actually kind of a structural stitch, and should be on the back panel. It's meant to stitch the pocket bag material, pocket inset, and front panel to the back panel for several inches. If you have a selvedge outseam, you can press it open after that. Here's an example from one of mine,

It's not that big a deal, but something to be aware of, might get annoying when you're putting them on, or if they shift, flip and bunch with your boxers.

[dralfonzo]

ok thanks for the heads up. can i ask you what type of machine did you use for making button holes? the only machine i got access to is a button hole machine for shirts etc, not denim style button holes

[rodeo bill]

ok thanks for the heads up. can i ask you what type of machine did you use for making button holes? the only machine i got access to is a button hole machine for shirts etc, not denim style button holes

great stuff dralfonzo! really nice to see someone else having a go! I like your X pocket stitch too.

I'm assuming you're in London (cloth house;))- go to DM buttons down the end of Wardour Mews (just round the corner from Kleins and the Cloth House in fact). They'll do you a full garment buttonholes for I think 3quid, and they're nice quality. They also do rivets and jeans buttons, but I've not used them. better than nothing though.

looking forawrd to seeing finished & fit pics!

[dralfonzo]

hey bill, im in newcastle but end up in london quite a lot. I got rivets and buttons from kleins, but not sure how soon ill be back down, ill just ask around the alteration places up here, hopefully ill find somewhere! shall post more flicks soon.

[dralfonzo]

found the pictures of the front off my mobile. In no particular order;

[dralfonzo]

[raWorkshop]

Oh man that's a nice serger, wish my serger didn't make such a hoopty mess of the stitches.

For buttonholes I'm just using a mechanical domestic from the 1970's with a 3 step button hole setting. Nothing special.

[rodeo bill]

very nice! like your denim front pocket inside edges.

are you doing a button fly or zip? don't forget you need to do the fly buttonholes before you put the waistband on, and it's a lot easier before you've put the fly on too...

[dralfonzo]

thanks man. im doing button holes, yeah I knew it would be easier to put the holes in before attaching the fly but got a bit carried away with putting them together! got a bit caught up in the fun of making them i think. I'm thinking about just using a normal button hole machine (like shirt buttons holes) but im afraid that they'll just come undone with use.

[amlai]

So does everyone have both a single needle and a multi-needle machine? I've been thinking of trying this, but it's been years since I've used a sewing machine.

Next dumb question... for the parallel stitches, you're just making two passes right? No special setting / machine?

[raWorkshop]

So does everyone have both a single needle and a multi-needle machine? I've been thinking of trying this, but it's been years since I've used a sewing machine.

Next dumb question... for the parallel stitches, you're just making two passes right? No special setting / machine?

For multi-needle, do you mean the finished edges, like they yellow stitching on the fly pieces just posted? That's a serger/overlock machine, they have one or two needles and use three-five threads to make that kind of stitch.

For the parrallel top stitching (for the flat felled/lapped seams) you can make just 2 passes but sometimes that gets ugly. The better way to do it with a single needle machine is to make 4 passes. The first two will be hidden as you fold and press, then the last two are the parrallel top stitching. It takes quite a bit of time but you can get some really good results as you learn to do it.