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

[benzak]

i love those LHT/RHT samurais. BUT, my only problem with them is that (if i remember correctly) they put the LHT on the left hand side and the RHT twill on the right hand side--which is completely logical. however, if you are looking for maximum whiskers, you would want to switch them, so that the LHT is on the RIGHT side and the RHT is on the LEFT side. if you notice, LHT jeans whisker more on the right leg and RHT jeans whisker more on the left leg. can someone correct me if i'm wrong on this?

you are correct, and it has all to do with the direction of the weave: you get sharper whiskers when they are cross on the direction of the weave

[rnrswitch]

I noticed that my samurais and omnigods were not chainstitched till the end at the waistband. both ended with a single stitch. but my evisus ended with a chainstitch though. wonder why..

Wow, when I originally responded to this same post I was wearing my S0510 21ozs and they have a chainstitch all the way around the waist, but I just looked at my S0505s from 2005 and they don't and then I looked at my S526s they don't as well and they are from 2008. The 21oz jeans are from 2007. Kinda weird.

[hurhur]

maybe samurai got a machine in 2007-2008 that could chainstitch the waist band all the way? but decided to keep with the original type of sewing for older models? hmmm

[mizanation]

so, i talked to kuniyoshi-san about the chainstitching on the waistband. he says some factories have the machine and some factories don't. different companies will use different factories for different models of their jeans. that's why you might see different details on different jeans from the same company.

not having the chainstitch all the way on the waistband doesn't mean the jeans are inferior. it's just a detail that kuniyoshi-san likes to have on his jeans.

[hurhur]

oh. this clears everything up. this is certainly the most interesting denim thread around.

[stewiegriffin]

okay, very noob here and i have one simple question.

i realize that some jeans are LHT, however i personally never found jeans listed as RHT (maybe i did but i couldnt think of one now).

so i came up with conclusion that any jeans that dont listed as LHT are RHT.

in my case, one of my non-LHT jeans have strong whiskers on the right.

is it because they are RHT instead? or maybe because of i put my cellphone on my left front pocket?

--

edit: maybe i should post this at misc question thread, but i personally want mizanation to explain me more about this

[moykky]

I use this thread to prove (to my household boss) that they are NOT "just jeans"!

[PandaDenim]

The way you explained it was a bit confusing...but I think this should answer it...

basically...

1/ Most jeans are RHT, LHT is more rare.

2/ Whatever the twill, the opposite leg has more wear because of the disparity between the direction of the weave and the extra friction it causes.

3/ It may also depend on how you sit, I know that sometimes I tend to learn forward onto my right side especially if I'm taking notes in lecture or something, which causes more fades to form on whatever leg you are causing stress on,

[benzak]

The way you explained it was a bit confusing...but I think this should answer it...

basically...

1/ Most jeans are RHT, LHT is more rare.

2/ Whatever the twill, the opposite leg has more wear because of the disparity between the direction of the weave and the extra friction it causes.

3/ It may also depend on how you sit, I know that sometimes I tend to learn forward onto my right side especially if I'm taking notes in lecture or something, which causes more fades to form on whatever leg you are causing stress on,

exactly...

[Newman]

This is why we love Japan and their jeans, the passion!

[ville alfa]

great thread.

it's always nice to see an artisan at work, no matter what his trade is and seeing all the work that goes into making a pair of jeans makes me appreciate my own pair even more.

thanks for this, miz. looking forward to see more pictures.

[salaami]

i still intend only to wear MIJ for life. it makes a difference to me personally , for the same reasons miza mentioned. i didn't intend to mock the japanese. ive always felt the best products come from japan, especially the ones that take expertise, and artisanal skill. whenever someone tells me''they dont make them like they used to'' i always say '' somewhere in japan im sure they do''. no diss to the chinese, but everything ive ever owned is MIC, so i refuse the same for my jeans!

[jimbok]

that's so right, in my personal opinion, MIJ are made with great workmanship and passion, whereas MIC is rather otherwise. Being an asian myself, i really appreciate how MIJ products are so well made.

speaking of the jeans, mizanation i believe your jeans should be finished already? i wonder how the fit is like?

[selaviso]

love the whole japan vs china talk but everytime i see this thread popped up i hope miz updated...sadly he did not... continue my friends.

[mizanation]

sorry, guys. have been very busy over the past couple days. yes, my jeans are finished and they are GREAT! couldn't be happier.

i still want to go over the final details of the jeans that he was making, so i will put those up hopefully today.

[rnrswitch]

i still intend only to wear MIJ for life. it makes a difference to me personally , for the same reasons miza mentioned. i didn't intend to mock the japanese. ive always felt the best products come from japan, especially the ones that take expertise, and artisanal skill. whenever someone tells me''they dont make them like they used to'' i always say '' somewhere in japan im sure they do''. no diss to the chinese, but everything ive ever owned is MIC, so i refuse the same for my jeans!

I don't know, I think this is a bit over simplified. There are plenty of places that make nice stuff. I have to admit that when the Japanese make something it is usually done with a sense of pride in craftsmanship. This can also be said of the swiss. But there are many nice things made in the west. How about nice leather (horsehide from horween), nice shoes from Alden, work boots, etc. I am sure Japan makes crappy stuff too, we just don't see it here, because we don't want to import it.

[jimbok]

I don't know, I think this is a bit over simplified. There are plenty of places that make nice stuff. I have to admit that when the Japanese make something it is usually done with a sense of pride in craftsmanship. This can also be said of the swiss. But there are many nice things made in the west. How about nice leather (horsehide from horween), nice shoes from Alden, work boots, etc. I am sure Japan makes crappy stuff too, we just don't see it here, because we don't want to import it.

just to join in. swiss makes the best time-pieces too, oh and tennis players

every country have their specialty, but speaking of jeans, MIJ

[PandaDenim]

To each their own guys.

Can't we all just be happy? (wearing denim)

[mizanation]

time to sew the waistband. kuniyoshi sews the waistband, the patch and the belt loops all in one pass.

first picking a leather patch. here he goes with a ishigaki cowhide patch.

he store the patches in an old "goo-goo" cookie container.

[mizanation]

first he cuts the belt loops.

[mizanation]

the part where the waistband comes together should align perfectly.

the following is unacceptable:

[mizanation]

he starts stitching...

[mizanation]

here he sews on the first belt loop.

[mizanation]

now time to sew on the leather patch.

[mizanation]

another belt loop.

[mizanation]

almost finished...

[mizanation]

this is the last part of the stitch. you may notice this on your own jeans. this diagonal line serves two purposes. first, the button is attached on top of the stitch so it anchors the stitch in place.

[sayocean]

as said plenty of times before, GREAT thread! Now this might be too much, but would you mind asking kuniyoshi san how he takes care of his jeans? Washing and maintenance? I figure his insight on this topic which has been discussed plenty is something alot of us would appreciate!

[mizanation]

second, the stitch goes over the waistband's chainstitch and provides sort of a brake just in case the chainstitch starts to come loose. so, if the chainstitch starts to unravel, it will stop unraveling when it gets to the intersection of the diagonal line.

[mizanation]

in the jean factories of kojima, they call this final stitch the "banzai" stitch.

the whole stitch is done in one long, long pass. when the stitch is finished the belt loops look like they have raised their arms in banzai fashion.