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A different slant on jeans
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^
My concern also.
I will write more on this later. Thnx for weighing in.
My concern also.
I will write more on this later. Thnx for weighing in.
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Not sure that's what Peter was suggesting, but is that the Ukraine flag that appears next to your name? 🇺🇦 Are you in Ukraine?
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To examine this closer.
Matt notices it's missing the traditional rust colored top stitch, true. Peter notices it's missing the white stress folds, true.
Below is a picture of the hem rolled back. I am wearing the jeans. The notch you see is not cut as a notch. It is a half-inch long slit made in the front of the leg at the high point, then splayed and sewn in place. This is an expansion slot.
![Blue Textile Sleeve Grey Wood]()
The opposite occurs at the rear, at the low point; there is extra fabric, equal to the amount that appears missing at the front. This is gathered and bound up.
I do not understand the exact geometry involved, but when a cuff is created on the bias, as here, there is not enough fabric at the high point, too much at the low point. Thus the slot at the front, the gather at the rear.
The turn-under in a jean, and most other pants, involves a double roll to prevent fraying. Denim is heavy, thick. Hand sewing is difficult through a double fold of denim. So the turn-under you see here is a single roll with two alternative methods of fray prevention. One, a thin bead of FrayCheck, a liquid fabric sealer, is applied to the entire circumference at the edge; two, the turn-under is sewn to the pant using a blanket stitch, this runs the thread along the cut edge of the fabric and doesn't allow the cloth to fray, much. All work here is hand work using ordinary thread in navy, doubled as it goes through the eye, creating a quadrupled thread, then waxed.
In the turn-under you can see the whitish rim of the original hem plus other white marks at stress points. I can put some of this back by hard pressing with a hot iron along the bottom without using a press cloth, and by further abrasion with a stiff brush or Scotch Brite. I could also machine in a top stitch with jeans thread, which I have, but am loathe to use a machine anywhere that shows. My machine skills are marginal.
I lean toward liking the perfection of the cuff as you see it. Besides, I am not a farmer. (And I am forever indebted to Alec Baldwin for implanting that remark in my memory.)
Matt notices it's missing the traditional rust colored top stitch, true. Peter notices it's missing the white stress folds, true.
Below is a picture of the hem rolled back. I am wearing the jeans. The notch you see is not cut as a notch. It is a half-inch long slit made in the front of the leg at the high point, then splayed and sewn in place. This is an expansion slot.
The opposite occurs at the rear, at the low point; there is extra fabric, equal to the amount that appears missing at the front. This is gathered and bound up.
I do not understand the exact geometry involved, but when a cuff is created on the bias, as here, there is not enough fabric at the high point, too much at the low point. Thus the slot at the front, the gather at the rear.
The turn-under in a jean, and most other pants, involves a double roll to prevent fraying. Denim is heavy, thick. Hand sewing is difficult through a double fold of denim. So the turn-under you see here is a single roll with two alternative methods of fray prevention. One, a thin bead of FrayCheck, a liquid fabric sealer, is applied to the entire circumference at the edge; two, the turn-under is sewn to the pant using a blanket stitch, this runs the thread along the cut edge of the fabric and doesn't allow the cloth to fray, much. All work here is hand work using ordinary thread in navy, doubled as it goes through the eye, creating a quadrupled thread, then waxed.
In the turn-under you can see the whitish rim of the original hem plus other white marks at stress points. I can put some of this back by hard pressing with a hot iron along the bottom without using a press cloth, and by further abrasion with a stiff brush or Scotch Brite. I could also machine in a top stitch with jeans thread, which I have, but am loathe to use a machine anywhere that shows. My machine skills are marginal.
I lean toward liking the perfection of the cuff as you see it. Besides, I am not a farmer. (And I am forever indebted to Alec Baldwin for implanting that remark in my memory.)
Peaks, you are correct in your understanding of what I meant -- the white stress folds that create a pattern alternating with blue on the outside part of the hem that has been tucked in and sewn.
I did not realize that slanted bottoms involve such complex stitching, with the notch in the front and the extra fabric at the back, but a moment's reflection clarifies the need for both. I do have some trousers that have this slant, but I never checked under the hem!
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I've had this done (hemming, not the 1" difference) and think the odd look is due to the color of thread not matching the color of thread used on the jeans.
Hmm, I had my tailor do hemming with the right thread on a pair of jeans, and it still looks too clean. Even after a few washes, the fading has not appeared. I believe it is those alternating patterns of blue and white(faded parts) that develop on the hem which gives it the classic look of those hems.
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Your hem looks perfect. I don't know how to achieve the fade, and I think the stiff brush will not produce the fade as you intend for it to look, but if you try it, be sure to practice on your scrap fabric first and using salt with the stiff brush can make a difference ...in a good or a bad way.
It's difficult to hem jeans with a machine because sewing through the fabric thickness, especially at the side seams, is usually impossible to do with household sewing machines. But it can be done on a more heavy duty, industrial type of sewing machine. I use this machine due to it's portability and the ease of storing in a closet: Sailrite® Ultrafeed® LSZ-1 BASIC Walking Foot Sewing Machine (110V) It's a simple sewing machine but I don't use it enough to be skilled with minor necessities such as filling the bobbin.
It's difficult to hem jeans with a machine because sewing through the fabric thickness, especially at the side seams, is usually impossible to do with household sewing machines. But it can be done on a more heavy duty, industrial type of sewing machine. I use this machine due to it's portability and the ease of storing in a closet: Sailrite® Ultrafeed® LSZ-1 BASIC Walking Foot Sewing Machine (110V) It's a simple sewing machine but I don't use it enough to be skilled with minor necessities such as filling the bobbin.
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It can be impossible to match the thickness or color of that gold-ish color of thread commonly used on jeans.
Historically, designers used a trick to match thread to tweed fabrics by using multiple different colored threads together to be a perfect match to the tweed fabric.
Using multiple threads of the same color can also be used when a thicker thread is needed.
On a number of occasions, I have threaded a sewing machine with multiple threads and had successful results, but threading the bobbin with multiple threads can sometimes be more troublesome, therefore, I usually sew with the multiple threads on the top side of the fabric and use one thread on the bobbin.
Historically, designers used a trick to match thread to tweed fabrics by using multiple different colored threads together to be a perfect match to the tweed fabric.
Using multiple threads of the same color can also be used when a thicker thread is needed.
On a number of occasions, I have threaded a sewing machine with multiple threads and had successful results, but threading the bobbin with multiple threads can sometimes be more troublesome, therefore, I usually sew with the multiple threads on the top side of the fabric and use one thread on the bobbin.
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Curious, @tailored ignorance, what sort of things are you sewing with a machine? You have that thousand dollar machine made for sewing canvas sails, but you say you're not sure how to fill the bobbin? (I may not be reading your post correctly.)
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From the Trouser Chapter of The Encyclopedia of Men's Clothes:
It’s a good idea to have your tailor make pants at least ¼” longer than you think they should be to allow for shrinkage. Most pants shrink in the length even if you dry-clean them. It's almost worth it to go to your own tailor it's best to wash or dry clean trousers prior to finishing the cuffs.
If you don’t cuff your pants have the tailor slant the bottoms so that the hem is lower at the back to the top of the shoe heel. Tailors call this a “fishtail”. Cuffs are hemmed straight across.
It’s a good idea to have your tailor make pants at least ¼” longer than you think they should be to allow for shrinkage. Most pants shrink in the length even if you dry-clean them. It's almost worth it to go to your own tailor it's best to wash or dry clean trousers prior to finishing the cuffs.
If you don’t cuff your pants have the tailor slant the bottoms so that the hem is lower at the back to the top of the shoe heel. Tailors call this a “fishtail”. Cuffs are hemmed straight across.
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For over 50 years I've used sewing machines for many types of projects such as making or repairing tents, heavy canvas carrying cases, garments, curtins, drapes, upholstery and leather belts. I've destroyed 3 sewing machines trying to sew thick seams. It has been many years since I could find someone who could repair sewing machines.
I never used all the bells and whistles found on household sewing machines. I make buttonholes using only a zigzag stitch and insert zippers without any dedicated attachments, so I was delighted to find a simple straight and zigzag stitch machine which can handle thick seams and that I might possibly be able to repair myself. One interesting difference is there are many more sizes of needles and threads available for industrial machines than for the household sewing machines.
Inserting and removing the bobbin in this machine is different than the other machines I've used, and I often have to read the instruction book. When I don't refer to the instructions, I will frequently have trouble inserting and removing the bobbin. It's probably the fact that I have trouble remembering how to do it that annoys me.
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I forgot that I'm getting much better at remembering how to fill the bobbin with thread but putting the bobbin correctly in place and removing it still gives me trouble.
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Very impressive.
I don't sew those sort of things. I did once gather a bunch of steel wool and tried to knit a stove. (Old joke, not mine.)
My needling is only on clothes and only on my own clothes. I have a special machine (Brother, $65) that just sews pant seams, or to word it properly, I have a cheap-o, but reliable Brother that I use only to narrow pants. Anything else is hand work, which I enjoy. I also swear a lot while tailoring. I understand that true tailors don't do that. I admire your proficiency with the machine, and the variety of work you do.
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HA! I swear at that bobbin.
Love it, Peaks! I confess I just had this image of you all dressed in a suit and tie, cutting cloth in a Savile Row shop like Anderson and Sheppard, and letting loose a stream of choice invective at the world, or at the cloth. Absolutely priceless!
While not my preference, I think the slant to the jeans ads a unique touch, but agree with others that having a visible hem with the same contrast stitching as the remainder of the jeans would be a better, more "finished," look. Personally, I want my jeans to look like jeans, with a straight hem that's either worn plain or turned up. Mixing in an element of formality, as with the slanted hem, seems to me a little forced. But I do like the shoes, as someone who also owns Jack Purcells as well (mine are in the black leather).
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