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

[prideffle]

love this thread. +rep

[jjkchung]

living in japan, beating up people (for a living), having jeans made for you..

i think most people can agree..

miz has the BEST LIFE EVER.

[opethrapture]

Great stuff, hopefully this thread lasts forever!!

[mizanation]

ok, i want to explain a few details about chainstitched hems. although back in the day, singer machines were the industry standard, union special sewing machines became popular in jean production because they were strong enough to sew through layers of heavy denim. using a union special chainstitcher produces a characteristic roping effect on the hem over time. i'm not saying that the union special is the only machine that can do this, but their machines were the ones that became the standard for chainstitching denim. they are were the first so that makes them, well, special.

kuniyoshi-san explained why the roping effect happens.

most hems are sewn so that the hem is rolled horizontally level.

but, with a union special, it tugs on the denim so that the hem is rolled at an angle.

over time, the angle creates tension on the fabric which results in the spiral effect you see on the end of jeans, as the denim tries to correct itself.

you can see just how much the chainstitcher pulls on the fabric by looking at your hem.

if the hem was rolled horizontally level, then, the seam where the selvages meet would line up exactly with the seam on the rolled hem. but, with the union special chainstitched hems, the seams do not line up.

[mizanation]

kuniyoshi-san has a union special from the 1960's, which are brown colored. the ones from the 50's are black and the ones post-60's are greenish.

this is a close-up of the "foot" which is the part that rolls the hem.

[hurhur]

great info!

[greasypeanut]

if the hem was rolled horizontally level, then, the seam where the selvages meet would line up exactly with the seam on the rolled hem. but, with the union special chainstitched hems, the seams do not line up.

so what happens if the seams are lined up? no roping effect? i say this because i noticed that the jeans i had hemmed are perfectly lined up or ionno yet

[MonkeyFresh]

There are many other factors that go into roping greasypeanut, so even if the seams on your hem don't line up it may still rope

some other factors include whether the denim is unsanforized, if the thread used to hem the jeans are unsanforized, how many times the jeans are soaked/washed, etc...

but wow all this information is gold... so interesting how the little details that can be found on jeans really requires a trained eye to point out

[The Clerk]

Great tread man. Love it

[Mr Black]

Fascinating stuff. Looking forward to the next installment

[Osmosis Jones]

This. is. the. coolest. thread. ever.

[beautiful_FrEaK]

and what shall we do, once his jeans are finished?!

but I agree with you

[coleslawyum]

… Pass 'em around the world!

[aho]

… Pass 'em around the world!

Wouldn't mind a revival of the whole "World Tour" thing with custom made jeans (not miz's pair of course). miz do you think kuniyoshi-san would be open to the idea?

[M.O.A]

this thread kills it

[raWorkshop]

pocket bag.

Just running through the photos again, and this blows my mind. How does he get the pocket done and then attach it? That's some voodoo shit right there, how does he negotiate the top stitching in the pocket curve then?

[mizanation]

gonna stop by kuniyoshi-san's workshop on tuesday to have my jeans sewn.

[mr.invincible]

I just noticed my sugar cane okinawas have the same bump texture on the belt loops that you pointed on your SuFu660's.

you learn something new everyday.

[benzak]

Just running through the photos again, and this blows my mind. How does he get the pocket done and then attach it? That's some voodoo shit right there, how does he negotiate the top stitching in the pocket curve then?

That's no voodoo at all. I was tought to sew pockets on this way (first complete the pocket, then attach) as well. You stitch the two parts together (while turned inside out), then fold back and stitch through. But.. I agree on it being 'magical craftsmenship', he's a true artisan jeansmaker!

[klue]

That's no voodoo at all. I was tought to sew pockets on this way (first complete the pocket, then attach) as well. You stitch the two parts together (while turned inside out), then fold back and stitch through.

can you show us pics of this please?

[mizanation]

ok, people want more detail on the pockets.

kuniyoshi-san says that most jean companies do not construct the whole pocket before attaching it to the jeans. he says most attach the pocket bags afterwards. there are reasons why he does it this way which i will explain later.

the pocket bag fabric has an inside and an outside face. you sew the pocket denim fabric onto the inside of the pocket bag fabric so that when you pull it inside out, everything will be facing the right way.

inside face:

outside face:

then sew:

more sewing:

[infinittiii]

damn, how long does it take for him to make a custom pair of jeans?

[mizanation]

stitching the bottom of the pocket bag:

[mizanation]

finished pocket bag before turning inside out:

[mizanation]

other side, before turning inside out:

[mizanation]

he uses a little tool to get the corner:

[mizanation]

he actually adds another stitch after he flips it inside out. more work, but a cleaner pocket, without any exposed overlock stitching.

finished pocket:

[mizanation]

he says he does it this way so that he can add the puckering on the outside pocket stitching. also, it does away with an extra ironing step.

i asked him if it's cool that i'm showing all the little tricks he's accumulated over 10 years in the business and he says it's fine. "no secrets!" he says. probably not the best business motto, but it makes for an informative thread. i trust that people who are impressed with his work and experience will show their appreciation by ordering jeans from him.

[aho]

miz did you get to bring up the topic of a possible world tour? Wouldn't mind seeing these in action...

[mpcec]

that would be awesome...