so, i'm having a pair of jeans made . . . .

[mizanation]

i was wondering why the chemical makes the water look dirty, but i think i know now.

since it looks brown, you can tell that the chemical is in the water. otherwise, you wouldn't know if you put it in or not.

he says it comes out of the iron clear, so maybe at a certain temperature the coloring goes away?

[mizanation]

ok, some people were asking why the japanese waistband chainstitchers can't chainstitch all the way to the end. kuniyoshi-san explained it to me.

below you can see the gap between the roller and the fabric. on a standard machine, the fabric has to be under the roller or you can't sew the chainstitch.

you can see why the chainstitch wouldn't start from the end.

[mizanation]

but, with his modified machine, it will pull the fabric even when it's not under the roller.

here he is sewing the waistband for my jeans below:

[Sayword]

this one is for sayword.

the legendary roy ayers

I HATE YOU SO MUCH! For the simple fact that I may never get to see him!

[salaami]

i just went by a store and checked out the lvc47s, and they didn't have any of the artisan's marks. flat-ass belt-loops, no bulge between rows of stitching, etc. in general, the whole of the sewing looked very sloppy when compared to my FC and WH, which i had in the store with me today. both of the okayama jeans had all of the details. they sold for $185, which is a serious rip since they sell for $80 across town @ the levis store. no one buys lvc here, so they had em' for $40 on clearance, and then when my dude copped a few pair they went back up to $80...btw they were Made in the USA(it matters).

[benzak]

hey miz, can you maybe ask kuniyoshi-san how he does the ends of the waistband? is it different as well since the waistband is fully chainstitched at the bottom?

[raWorkshop]

i was wondering why the chemical makes the water look dirty, but i think i know now.

since it looks brown, you can tell that the chemical is in the water. otherwise, you wouldn't know if you put it in or not.

he says it comes out of the iron clear, so maybe at a certain temperature the coloring goes away?

For industrial steam irons you can either use distilled water or you have to use some kind of filter. My guess is that "chemical" is that kind of filter, which means it's closer to a fine sand than a substance to get mixed into solution. This gets all the little algae etc that might be kicking around in the water before it goes down the tube. He's probably had that tank for years and it's picked up color on the way, not to mention the chemical filter stuff isn't the best looking stuff in the world.

[erk]

i just went by a store and checked out the lvc47s, and they didn't have any of the artisan's marks. flat-ass belt-loops, no bulge between rows of stitching, etc. in general, the whole of the sewing looked very sloppy when compared to my FC and WH, which i had in the store with me today. both of the okayama jeans had all of the details. they sold for $185, which is a serious rip since they sell for $80 across town @ the levis store. no one buys lvc here, so they had em' for $40 on clearance, and then when my dude copped a few pair they went back up to $80...btw they were Made in the USA(it matters).

flat ass?

[mizanation]

I HATE YOU SO MUCH! For the simple fact that I may never get to see him!

never say never, sayword. man, the show was great. they are going to make a dvd of the show that i was at. phil woo got on stage and played with them too.

[mizanation]

For industrial steam irons you can either use distilled water or you have to use some kind of filter. My guess is that "chemical" is that kind of filter, which means it's closer to a fine sand than a substance to get mixed into solution. This gets all the little algae etc that might be kicking around in the water before it goes down the tube. He's probably had that tank for years and it's picked up color on the way, not to mention the chemical filter stuff isn't the best looking stuff in the world.

when i look at the picture of the tank, the brown stuff is at the bottom and the pipe leading out to it is clear. so, it probably is some kinda filter.

BUT, the water is not brown because of algae. why would a guy who spends this much attention to detail use a water tank with crappy brown algae in it? come on, man!

he says he goes through the water so frequently that he really doesn't need to use the chemical, but he does it anyway to be on the safe side.

[mizanation]

hey miz, can you maybe ask kuniyoshi-san how he does the ends of the waistband? is it different as well since the waistband is fully chainstitched at the bottom?

he folds the end of the waistband in and then finishes the chainstitch over the fold. oh, and he tucks in the left over chainstitch into the fold when he single stitches it.

[mizanation]

banzai!

btw, it doesn't take this long for him to make a pair of jeans.

it really only takes him a day to make a pair.

the reason why it's taking so long to document the process is because i haven't had the time to upload all the pics, etc...

so, anyways, back to the story. last week, kuniyoshi-san came by to take measurements for hemming.

[mizanation]

this how the back looks.

[mizanation]

marking the line.

now, marking the cutting line.

[mizanation]

kuniyoshi-san takes a couple extra steps when chainstitching the hems on his jeans.

here he shows how a seam can come apart after you cut the pant leg to length.

[Mogli]

this how the back looks.

The belt loop looks crooked is there a reason he does it like that instead of off setting the top of it? I hope this makes sense...

[mizanation]

to remedy this, he uses a single stitch to reinforce the seam.

now, it won't come apart, even when he pulls on it hard.

[mizanation]

chainstitching on the union special.

[mizanation]

after he's done, he does another step.

the problem with a chainstitch is that if there is a cut in the stitch, the whole stitch can come undone with one pull.

to demonstrate this, he cut the chainstitch and pulled on the thread which quickly unraveled the chainstitch.

[kino]

not sure if there's an advantage for a crooked belt loop but i've seen other brands does it as well

[mizanation]

to prevent this, kuniyoshi-san puts in what he calls a "brake." he cuts the stitch at a certain area and pulls one of the threads through a loop--or something like that. anyways, the result is that the chainstitch will not come undone, even when you pull on it hard.

here, he is putting in the brake:

[mizanation]

after the brake has been put in, even if he pulls on the end of the chainstitch, the stitch doesn't unravel.

[mizanation]

after he's done chainstitching the hem, he likes to iron the selvage seam down. after the first wash, the seams are usually crumpled up.

ironing.

[mizanation]

then, he cuts any stray threads.

[mizanation]

first time wearing my new jeans. they still have some shrinking to do, but the fit is exactly what i wanted. not too tight, not too loose.

[opethrapture]

Fit looks awesome Miz..

[thaiison]

congrats miz, awesome!

[lenn]

fit looks amazing. have fun wearing those, miz!

[Skeese]

awesome fit, will definately look even better as the denim softens...

[Charlie Delta]

Without a doubt the best fitting pair of jeans I've seen you wear!

(Obviously, captain Obvious Duck...)