home-made jeans

[Canada_Steve]

www.dot-gas.com has a great selection and customer service.

[JohnWilkesHuth]

is that your first own pattern? or was it a bought pattern?

looks great if its your own from scratch (Y)

 

Thanks Awesome.  Yes it's my own pattern.  I'm still working out the kinks.  I worked as an apparel designer (Industrial Design Degree) for 8 years but I mostly just drew flats and let our technical designer/factory do most of the patterning and fit adjustment.  This is my first project on my own out of the basement.  I'm still trying to decide on hardware and dies from Dot-Gas.  As soon as I get them I'll post some photos of how that goes.    

[501XX]

ra....thanks for sharing. u are selfless and generous for sharing, especially in such detail steps.

[Goominim]

What are some disadvantages for using a lock-stitch on the entire jeans? I don't have a chain-stitch machine.

[oranswell]

Anyone know where you can find high quality denim buttons. I remember finding a place that had doughnut laural leaf buttons but cannot rememer where it was.

 

Was it Citron Jean? http://www.citronjeans.com/j_1/order.html

 

 

What are some disadvantages for using a lock-stitch on the entire jeans? I don't have a chain-stitch machine.

 

The only disadvantage is that you will have to change bobbins. 

[Goominim]

The only disadvantage is that you will have to change bobbins. 

thanks

wasn't sure if it would all fall apart or something

[oranswell]

thanks

wasn't sure if it would all fall apart or something

 

There's a lot of hype and misinformation about chainstitching.  A chainstitcher is a specialised industrial machine that does not require a bobbin, meaning it can run off 10,000m cones instead of bobbins equalling a time saving in a factory setting.  It is inferior to a lockstitch in terms of durability; compare ripping out a lockstitch to doing the same with a chainstitch for instance.

[JohnWilkesHuth]

I sold my Bernina 830Record.  It just wasn't quite strong enough and I found this Pfaff 145 for an absolute steal.  I'm starting my "first pair" (using denim this time) today.  I'll take more photos as I go through it.  I had some cops I know "police up" a few rounds of .45 and .40 cal. ammo for me.  I'm using the shells to punch little leather pads out so I can place them between the tacks and the denim behind all the hardware.  

 

 

 

[501XX]

Keep it coming!

[JohnWilkesHuth]

I am creating a Hidden Crooked River (Cuyahoga River) stitch between the pocket lining and the back right pocket.  As I wear the jean the river should slowly wear into the denim.  Kind of like the condom rings from back in the late 70s early 80s.  Here's how I made the template.

 

 

Trace Through Template

 

ZigZag on back of Lining

 

Attach to Right Back Pocket

 

 

I hit it with a hammer a few times to make the river show up for the photo.

[JohnWilkesHuth]

I still need to hem the cuffs but they're pretty much done.  

 

I basically learned to use the Pfaff 145 while making these so some of the inside doesn't look all that great, with me trying to figure out the tension and speed of an industrial machine.  The pattern still needs some adjustment but over all I'm pretty pleased with my first real pair of jeans.  

 

I screwed up the front rise...  I'm still trying to figure out exactly how to draw that part of the pattern.  You can tell because the button fly is pulled to the left side about 1/4 to 1/2 an inch when looking at the front.  Also my back yolks were too high and for some reason I got a little off of center when making that flat felled seem.  

 

I'll add photos of the inside today when I hem the cuffs.  I seriously think the only way you could do a pair of jeans on a domestic machine would be to serge the rise turn it and top stitch the outside.  The Felled seam on the back rise over the felled seam of the yoke had trouble going through my industrial...  I may need to raise the walking foot a bit if that's even possible.  It was as if the fabric was getting shoved down into the feed dogs at that thick point.  You can see int this first photo that I chose to serge and turn the inseam, instead of using a flat felled seam (One Cover Stitch Instead of Two).  I think it's more comfortable without the bulk in the crotch.

 

 

 

The Arcuates are a little to big and a little to high and they don't look exactly the same.  Does anyone have any tricks for getting these to match better???

 

 

 

See how high my yokes were?  I don't know how I messed that up on my pattern... but it was an easy fix.  I just trimmed it from center back down to meet up with the front at the side seam.  My coin pocket was too high also.  All of these should be easy fixes.  Well see how the lower leg looks when I hem them.  That will be the true test as I'm pretty picky about how my jeans fit through the lower leg.

Edited March 1, 2014 by JohnWilkesHuth

[JohnWilkesHuth]

I've been trying to hem the CF in front of my button holes.  I am struggling with how to hem the top portion of that seam and flat fell the lower portion.  These jeans are wearable but the CF is off because I hemmed the top but still flat felled it over again to get it to match up with the other front panel.  You can see my first hem stitch on the inside...

 

 

 

I've tried to do this twice but I can't figure out what's going on in the pattern.  I purchased a commercial pattern and tried to read it to see if it would give me a better idea of how to construct this part but it only made me more confused???  Does anyone have any words of wisdom that might help me get this right on my next try?  Here's the pattern I've got but I'm really not sure what's supposed to be going on here.

 

[oranswell]

Anyone know where you can find high quality denim buttons. I remember finding a place that had doughnut laural leaf buttons but cannot rememer where it was.

 

 

Citron Jean mentioned above is your best bet for small quantities. http://www.citronjeans.com/

 

Ed- Bollox! double post from re-reading this thread.

Edited March 14, 2014 by oranswell

[onehundy]

This thread is great, keep up the good work guys. I am interested in making a pair of jeans but where do I start? I know I need to draw the pattern, have the fabric,the hard wear and a rivet and sewing machine? What else? thanks guys

[ringring]

Start by deconstructing an old pair. It's a good learning.

[JohnWilkesHuth]

One Hundy, definitely deconstruct a pair of jeans. Take your favorite pair of jeans and a seam ripper ($2.00 at Joan Fabrics) and carefully take them apart. Study how the denim is folded and turned as you do it. Study the seam allowances on different parts of the jean. Go back through this thread and look closely at Raworkshops posts and some of the books I've bought.

Be careful though... Some people work on cars or bikes as a hobby. Some raise and ride horses. This can take over your life and your money if you're not careful. I'm about $2,300.00 in the hole and now I'm hooked... I haven't touched my PS3 in 8 months... I could care less about the Xbox one... I love my first pair, but there are 1000 things I'm going to do differently on pair 2. Also the jean obsession quickly runs into a combined denim and leather obsession. I'm now ordering whole sides of Vege Tan to play around with on aprons, wallets & belts. Thank God I have a flexible day job!

I have an industrial Pfaff 145 walking foot from the 60s?? I love it for the heavy lifting on denim and leather. I have a domestic Janome DC2014 for pocketing, Arcuates & other light accurate work. And a domestic Janome Serger which I was surprised to find out will breeze right through flatfelled seams at the crotch. Currently I am using the DC2014 for my One Step Button Holes. But sometimes it has a hard time around the waste band attachment area. That will be my next big toy. A used buttonholer... Hopefully under 2 or 3 grand. Any one out there have one?

Edited March 20, 2014 by JohnWilkesHuth

[JohnWilkesHuth]

Not exactly jeans but I've seen a few others post some shirts and jackets on here so I thought I would share.

 

First Apron:

 

Self edge at top and bottom with hemmed sides.  2 denim pockets and a leather tool patch.  Two leather straps with size holes, post buttons and denim belt loops.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 28, 2014 by JohnWilkesHuth

[501XX]

Not exactly jeans but I've seen a few others post some shirts and jackets on here so I thought I would share.

 

First Apron:

 

Self edge at top and bottom with hemmed sides.  2 denim pockets and a leather tool patch.  Two leather straps with size holes, post buttons and denim belt loops.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

dude, your workmanship has become much better and improved. Did u have a background for leather crafting?

[JohnWilkesHuth]

dude, your workmanship has become much better and improved. Did u have a background for leather crafting?

 

Thanks 501,

 

 

But I feel like my Craftsmanship still has a long way to go.  Part of it is just getting used to the Industrial machine.  It's a lot faster than my domestic.  I also have to consciously hold onto the bottom thread while starting a stitch.  Otherwise it will get caught up in the bobbin case and create a mess on the back side of the fabric.  I might look into getting a speed reducer to mount above the motor but for now I'm just trying to learn to use the machine as is...   The other thing that bothers me is my placement of the Rivets on the Leather Patch.  I'm trying to put leather pads on the back side of the fabric between the Tack and the Denim but it's really hard to line up the pad underneath the garment and get the pad to center on the tack while still placing the Rivet exactly where you're aiming on the top side of the fabric.  My press really isn't set up well for that at all and I may just ditch the idea of leather pads all together as I keep missing my placement on top or I’m not exactly centered on the pad underneath.

 

 

I have no background in leather.  I have friends at some of the big commercial tanneries in Boston and around the US so I can usually get whole sides of Chrome Tan for free as long as I don't mind getting random colors.  My friends are footwear designers so I try to tag along when the Leather Salesmen spring for a nice dinner.  Usually I can bum a side or two from them while they're in town. 

 

 

The two straps and patch pocket I made for this apron are Chrome Tanned, and all I really did was cut it with an exacto blade.  I'd like to learn how to stamp and dye Vege Tanned leather here in the near future.  I know they usually dye and polish the cut edges of belts but I'm not sure what they use or how they do it...  My straps & pocket are just raw flesh out on the back side and on the cut edges, with the full grain facing out.  I know you can’t stamp Chrome Tanned leather...  not sure why?  I guess the tanning makes it too soft to hold the shape of the stamp?  Right now I'm using Chrome Tan Patches on the back of my jeans without any real branding message.  I'll get to that later when I really start making jeans for other people.   

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 29, 2014 by JohnWilkesHuth

[JohnWilkesHuth]

My first "true" Shrinkage & Fade Test!
a 12.5" axis is used to easily calculate % of shrinkage. 1/8th inch of shrinkage is exactly 1%. The cut edges are serged to keep the denim from disintegration over the 5 Wash Cycles. The Axis is repeated 3 times across the 1yd cutting, bottom left, middle & top right. The average Shrinkage is taken from all three.

 

I think I'm going to just soak the denim in cold water for about 20min. then line dry it to see how much if any shrinkage there is after that.  Then I'll actually run the 5 wash cycles to see what happens to it.  I'm trying to figure out how much to adjust my patterns for shrinkage and I think most people who want Raw/Dry denim know to just pre-soak before wearing, and then only soak every so often to clean.  I don't think I really need to worry about what happens after 5 wash cycles right?

 

 

[JohnWilkesHuth]

So I'm soaking my denim in water for 20 min, then I line dry it, but I do not see any shrinkage at all??? Has my denim been pre shrunk? I was under the impression that I had bought RAW Denim/Dry Denim, but I could be totally wrong I guess. This is the first time I've ever purchased denim from Pacific Blue Denims. Also, I soaked the denim in a clear tub and the denim did not turn the water blue like I was expecting??? The denim does however turn my hands blue when I work with it dry (cutting/sewing). I'm confused, and I suspect that I did not buy RAW denim. Any thoughts?

[oranswell]

My first "true" Shrinkage & Fade Test!

a 12.5" axis is used to easily calculate % of shrinkage. 1/8th inch of shrinkage is exactly 1%. The cut edges are serged to keep the denim from disintegration over the 5 Wash Cycles. The Axis is repeated 3 times across the 1yd cutting, bottom left, middle & top right. The average Shrinkage is taken from all three.

 

I think I'm going to just soak the denim in cold water for about 20min. then line dry it to see how much if any shrinkage there is after that.  Then I'll actually run the 5 wash cycles to see what happens to it.  I'm trying to figure out how much to adjust my patterns for shrinkage and I think most people who want Raw/Dry denim know to just pre-soak before wearing, and then only soak every so often to clean.  I don't think I really need to worry about what happens after 5 wash cycles right?

 

 

In order to truly test shrinkage you should test the cloth at the more rough ends of its likely treatment, this would be repeated hot washing and tumble-drying wouldn't it?  I would also recommend you use metric measurements as in use they tend to be more accurate.

Edited April 1, 2014 by oranswell

[oranswell]

So I'm soaking my denim in water for 20 min, then I line dry it, but I do not see any shrinkage at all??? Has my denim been pre shrunk? I was under the impression that I had bought RAW Denim/Dry Denim, but I could be totally wrong I guess. This is the first time I've ever purchased denim from Pacific Blue Denims. Also, I soaked the denim in a clear tub and the denim did not turn the water blue like I was expecting??? The denim does however turn my hands blue when I work with it dry (cutting/sewing). I'm confused, and I suspect that I did not buy RAW denim. Any thoughts?

 

JWH, I addressed some of your points in relation to pre-washing above, but just to clarify things:  Raw or dry as a description from a jobber or cloth merchant will mean that the denim is undistressed or treated/bleached.  Almost all fabrics produced in the 1st world are sanforised and have the majority of shrinkage removed from the cloth, that said it is variable and even sanforised garments can shrink 2%-3% and you will see warning labels on old workwear etc. warning of that.  It may not seem like much but it can mean a half or whole size when taken over the entire garment.

 

In unsanforised cloth you will see more dramatic shrinkage of 10%-12%.   

Edited April 4, 2014 by oranswell

[Goominim]

You may have gotten some of them there sanforized denim.

Edited April 1, 2014 by Goominim

[JohnWilkesHuth]

Thanks for the info guys.

[bradl]

Someone over at /r/rawdenim is starting to weave his own denim. Going to be interesting to see how this turns out.

 

Here's a small album of him just setting up. http://imgur.com/a/iMVW1

[Maynard Friedman]

JWH, I addressed some of your points in relation to pre-washing above, but just to clarify things:  Raw or dry as a description from a jobber or cloth merchant will mean that the denim is undistressed or treated/bleached.  Almost all fabrics produced in the 1st world are sanforised and have the majority of shrinkage removed from the cloth, that said it is variable and even sanforised garments can shrink 2%-3% and you will see warning labels on old workwear etc. warning of that.  It may not seem like much but it can mean a half or whole size when taken over the entire garment.

 

In unsanforised cloth you will see more dramatic shrinkage of 10%-12%.

Good post oranswell, I think JWH may wish to refer to his desired fabric as loomstate in future to ensure there is no ambiguity about the denim he wants. Of course, that will still be open to interpretation!

[oranswell]

Someone over at /r/rawdenim is starting to weave his own denim. Going to be interesting to see how this turns out.

 

Here's a small album of him just setting up. http://imgur.com/a/iMVW1

 

 

Looks interesting, although I would worry about the beat-up with a handowoven cloth like that.  It would be absolute murder on the wrists and shoulders to do that all day.

 

 

Thanks for the info guys.

 

No bother pal.

 

Good post oranswell, I think JWH may wish to refer to his desired fabric as loomstate in future to ensure there is no ambiguity about the denim he wants. Of course, that will still be open to interpretation!

 

Loomstate or unsanforised aye, but again its all down to the jobber as to what you get.  For obvious reasons mills don't want to let unsanforised cloth out there and with the huge operations like Cone it probably costs them to interrupt a process to let out a loomstate cloth [or maybe not that much seeing as they do it for Levis]

[JohnWilkesHuth]

Well, here's pair #3 in SANFORIZED SELVEDGE denim.      I still need to adjust the center front and a bit at the upper thigh but the rise and yokes are much better.  This pair did shrink up a bit after a hot wash and 70 min in the dryer, but not enough to make any real noticeable difference in fit.

 

Normally I wash my jeans cold and line dry anyway.

 

I used Red and Blue thread in my serger to get a Red White and Blue Half Selvedge leg on this pair.  I also hemmed the leg quite long so I could do a double cuff roll.  UP 2.5" first then a second 1" roll that stops just bellow the Hem Stitch.

 

PS.  All of the Top Stitching was done on an old Clutch Motor that's either on or off and that damn Pfaffsquatch is a fast SOB.  I'm getting much better around the pockets and waistband with each pair.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 11, 2014 by JohnWilkesHuth

[raWorkshop]

 

PS.  All of the Top Stitching was done on an old Clutch Motor that's either on or off and that damn Pfaffsquatch is a fast SOB.  I'm getting much better around the pockets and waistband with each pair.

 

 

 

 

 

Pull it apart (there's only 3 moving parts inside), strip and regrease everything, see if the cork needs to be replaced.  Look for a smaller pulley too.