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The transcript for this episode is on this page at the end of the show notes.
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Send us your best sewing tip for a future episode! Leave us a voicemail at 1-844-SEW-WHAT (1-844-739-9428)
- Frank and Oak – Selvage Denim
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DIY Distressed Denim Techniques Road Tested (no longer available – check out Collective Gen’s “DIY Distressed Knee Jeans” instead!)
- Caroline’s Morgan Jeans Before:
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- Caroline’s Morgan Jeans After:
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imagine gnats (Now closed)
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Denim friendly pattern suggestions
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Non-Stretch Jeans
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Stretch Jeans
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Claryville Jeans – Workroom Social (great for comfort stretch denim!)
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Jackets
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Skirts
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Dungarees/Overalls/Pinafores
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View this post on Instagram
#miymarch19 Patch: The current state of my only pair of jeans… . @thatwendyward @dressmakerssocial
Transcript:
This transcript is based on the Love to Sew Favourite version of this episode, released on February 22, 2022. You can listen to this version on the player below:
Caroline: Hello, Love to Sew listener. We’re currently in our podcast off-season, so we’re taking a little break from recording right now.
Helen: This winter we’re so excited to revisit some of our favourite episodes from years past. We hope you will love these reruns as much as we do. Remember, you can still access the show notes by going to LoveToSewPodcast.com and searching for the episode.
If you want more Love to Sew, head over to our Patreon. We have a lot of fun over there, and we appreciate our Patreon fam so, so much.
Caroline: Yes, we do. For $5 USD per month, you’ll get access to our monthly bonus episode. Our Patreon episodes really feel like a catch up with friends. This is where we share what we’ve been up to in our personal lives, our businesses, what we’re sewing, and things we’re loving like recipes, podcasts, TV shows, board games, and more. Throughout the month, we also share behind the scenes photos, including sneaky peeks of some upcoming releases from our businesses.
Helen: Yes, it is top secret stuff just for our Patreon supporters. And if you join at the $10 USD per month, you get a 15% discount code for both Blackbird Fabrics and Helen’s Closet. The code can be reused again and again, so it’s a great deal, especially if you shop with us frequently. Plus, you’ll get a bonus mini-sode where we answer a patron question or cover a specific sewing topic. You can learn more about all the things we have to offer and sign up to support us at patreon.com/LoveToSew.
Caroline: And don’t worry folks, we’ll be back in March 2022 with a fabulous new season of Love to Sew. Now let’s get to this Love to Sew favourite.
Helen: Hello, and welcome. I’m Helen.
Caroline: And I’m Caroline.
Helen: And we love to sew. This is a podcast for makers where we talk about sewing a handmade wardrobe and bring you interviews with inspiring creatives and small business owners in our community.
Caroline: Are you planning to make some jeans this fall? We’ve got you covered. We talk about types of denim, denim weights, how to sew with denim, and denim terminology. What even is selvedge denim anyways? What does unsanforized mean? How can we make our handmade jeans last for years? All this and more in today’s episode.
Helen: Denim, denim, denim.
Caroline: Hello!
Helen: I can already tell you’re very excited about this episode.
Caroline: I am. I love denim. I love talking about denim. I love buying denim. I love sewing with denim. I love making jeans. Jean, jeans, jeans.
Helen: Yes, and it’s that time of year again, and it’s very exciting. I need some new jeans in my wardrobe, so I think this episode is going to be the push I need to get out all of my denim from my stash and see what I’ve got going on and make some cool jeans.
Caroline: How much denim would you say you have in your stash?
Helen: Um, I probably have about 20 metres. Is that a lot?
Caroline: Twenty metres! That’s, like, 10 pairs of jeans.
Helen: Because I started buying all those bull denims that you’re carrying in all the colours which is really fun. So now I have, like, not just blue denim, but lots of colour denim, too, and lots of duck canvas and stuff like that.
Caroline: Amazing. Tons of bottom weights. It’s going to be the fall of jeans.
Helen: The fall of jeans? That could, that sounds like it could go either way.
Caroline: It’s going to be the autumn of jeans.
Helen: I like that.
Caroline: Alright, so we have so much to cover today.
Helen: And we also wanted to say that today, or at least around this time, is our two year podcast anniversary.
Caroline: Oh my gosh. Two years.
Helen: I know. So we started the podcast in August of 2017.
Caroline: Yup.
Helen: It’s been two years. I mean, I can hardly believe it.
Caroline: No, I can’t either. I can. I can, but I can’t. Sometimes I can, sometimes I can’t.
Helen: We’re very proud of, uh, the fact that we’ve put out an episode every week for the last two years. Um, and we’ve enjoyed every minute of it, so…
Caroline: Never late. Always on time.
Helen: Always on time.
Caroline: Always on time. You can rely on us. Every Tuesday, you can wake up to an episode.
Helen: Um, yes, and we want to thank you so much. We also, we want to brag, and also, thank you…
Caroline: Yes. Thank you for listening.
Helen: …for listening.
Caroline: And showing us love every week and supporting us. And we want to ask for your help to spread the word about the show.
Helen: Yes!
Caroline: We did this last year, and it worked really well. And, you know, if you love listening to the podcast, it would be amazing if you could just, like, take a screenshot of your podcast app or grab any photo from our Instagram feed or our website, and just share it with your friends, share it with your followers, and just help us spread the word about the show.
We get new listeners all the time which blows my mind because a lot of people listen to the show. It’s amazing that there are still people out there that don’t listen to the show, but there are. So help us spread the word and help others sewists discover us. It makes us so happy the idea of getting people to discover us.
Helen: Think about that moment when you found the podcast and realised that there were podcasts about the thing that you’re into and how awesome it is.
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: Um, so try to spread that to someone else. And if you’re not into social media, you can just email your friend…
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: …who sews and be like, do you listen to this show? Because you should.
Caroline: Yeah. Absolutely.
Helen: Thank you so much for your help. We can’t wait to see you sharing us.
Caroline: Yes. Alright, we are going to kick off this episode with a question from Carmella.
Carmella: Hello, hello. My name is Carmella, and I live in Tampa, Florida. Um, I have a question for you guys. I am considering sewing my first pair of jeans. And, um, I’m looking at the Morgan Pattern cause I really want a pair of, uh, boyfriend cut jeans. However, I’m super picky about my colours, and I really want to do them in a light wash.
So my problem is that I can’t find a light wash denim on the internet, and I have absolutely, like, zero fabric stores in Tampa. Um, so if you guys could give me some feedback on where to find that or if I’m supposed to bleach myself, or whatever, because I clearly don’t know what I’m doing. Love the podcast. You guys are great. Thanks! Bye!
Caroline: Carmella, that is an amazing question, and I actually get this question a lot at Blackbird because it is really difficult to find light wash denim. And I hadn’t really realised how difficult it was until I started trying to source it, and it is really hard to find. The reason for that is in ready to wear the bleaching and the washing of the denim happens after the jeans have been produced. So a lot of the denim that you can find is a darker indigo wash. And then in the industry, they sewed it up into jeans and then they do the bleaching. And that’s how you get those beautiful, kind of, fade lines along the seam lines. And you know, all of that character that a bleached denim has, kind of, comes from doing it after you sew up your jeans.
If you have bleached denim that you work with and then sew the jeans, you’re not getting that, kind of, fade lines and that character in your pair of jeans, if that makes sense. You can still find light wash denims out there, and sometimes you can sew them up into jeans and then wash them even more and you’ll still get a little bit of character there. I’ve seen it online. I’ve seen it on fabric.com. So do a little bit of digging. But, also, I would not be afraid of working with a darker wash denim, sewing up a pair of jeans and then bleaching them yourself.
Helen: Yeah, if that’s how they do it in the biz, then why not you?
Caroline: And we’ll talk a little bit more about that later. Um, we have some tips and some articles to point you towards, people who have experimented with that that might help you on your bleaching journey. But I say, go for it.
Helen: Bleaching journey.
Caroline: Bleaching journey. You’re denim bleaching journey. Thank you.
Helen: Alright, so you did the prep for this episode because you’re the expert. So I’m going to, like, play the listener.
Caroline: I love, I love it when we do this.
Helen: Caroline, what is denim?
Caroline: Denim is the fabric of America. I read that somewhere online, and I thought that would be a really fun thing to throw in there. Um…
Helen: Why is it the fabric of America?
Caroline: I think because it’s just, like, the cornerstone of what Americans wear, and it was also, kind of, developed and started being made in the US.
Helen: For people working in factories and stuff like that.
Caroline: Exactly. So denim is a sturdy twill weave fabric where the warp thread is dyed, usually indigo dyed, and the weft thread is white. So because of the twill weave of the fabric, the diff, and the different colored threads, the front side ends up being dominantly blue and the backside is dominantly white. So that’s how you get that denim look, you know, if you cuff your jeans along the cuff, you’ve got that lighter white colour.
And denim became really popular in the US in the mid-19th century when Western labourers were looking for a sturdy, durable material for their work clothes. So that’s, kind of, the origin of denim, but in today’s society, like I said, it’s a cornerstone of our everyday wardrobe. Like, we all have different preferences for what we look for in a good pair of jeans or a good denim.
So today we’re going to cover as much as we can about denim so that you can feel confident when you’re shopping for your next pair of handmade jeans, or maybe a jean jacket, skirt, whatever you want to make with your denim.
Helen: I think it’s really amazing that denim is so ubiquitous that it’s a neutral in our wardrobes, even though it has a lot of character, like, there’s a lot of going on in most jeans, there’s pockets, and there’s topstitching, and there’s zippers, and there’s all these different styles of waist and leg and it’s blue most of the time, which we wouldn’t think of as being a neutral colour, but we all wear jeans as a neutral base, and everything goes with jeans, and it’s so easy to style, but that’s just because we’re so used to seeing it, that it has become neutral.
Caroline: Absolutely.
Helen: So interesting.
Caroline: Yeah, I love denim.
Helen: Yes, you mentioned that. Okay, so what are the types of denim?
Caroline: Okay. Yeah, I think that’s the first thing we need to cover, right? Cause there are different types of denim. And when you are approaching buying denim, you want to be thinking about, what type of denim do I want to buy today?
So the first one we’ll cover is stretch denim. So usually a stretch denim is a blend of cotton and spandex. Uh, sometimes you’ll have a little bit of polyester in there, sometimes other blends, but generally you’re looking at cotton spandex, and this is going to stretch, which is going to give you the ultimate comfort. So if you’re looking for those comfy, kind of, like, skin hugging pairs of jeans, like, hugging curves jeans, you’re going to want to go for a stretch.
So skinny jeans, jeggings style jeans, usually you’re going to have about two to three percent spandex or elastane in a stretch denim, but keep in mind that not all stretch denims are created equally. So sometimes a stretch denim with 2% spandex will actually stretch more than a denim with 3% spandex. It’s all about the construction, the weight, the way that it’s produced. So don’t necessarily only look at the spandex percentage to know how much stretch your denim is going to have.
Plus, on top of that, when you wash stretch denim, the character of that denim can change really significantly, and so your stretch, a lot of the time when denim comes off the bolt, there’s starch on it. We’ll talk about that again, in this episode, cause that’s, like, a huge part of buying denim, keeping in mind that denim off the bolt is starched, it feels stiffer.
So when you do that first wash with a stretch denim, that starch comes out and that spandex becomes more prominent and you’ll actually get more feeling out of that denim after you’ve washed it the first time. It’s not always as simple as, like, judging a denim based on how much it stretches in the store cause it can change after you wash it.
So, one thing I’ll say is that while stretch denim is more comfortable, it will not last as long as non-stretch denim, especially if you’re going to be washing your jeans all the time because spandex breaks down over time with heat and washing, so eventually, it’s going to lose its elasticity. It’s going to lose its recovery. So stretch jeans are not necessarily the jeans that are going to last, you, like, 10 years, you know?
Helen: Right. That makes sense.
Caroline: There’s a life cycle on those.
Helen: I think all of us, like, well, maybe not all of us, have pulled on that, like, old pair of jeggings, and they’re just, like, all bagged out in the knees or maybe they rip, you know, in the butt or something. And you’re like, okay, these are done.
Caroline: Yeah, and you can almost see, like, the difference if you take a photo of your stretch jeans, like, right after you make them and then, you know, a couple of years down the line, you’ll see the difference. And even just after you wash them, they’re not bouncing back as quickly. There’s, like, a little bit of bagging out. So yeah, it does make a difference. But if you’re looking for that skinny jean style, then you want to go for stretch denim of course.
Helen: Yeah, with stretch denims, are they typically the lighter weight on the weight scale as well?
Caroline: Yeah, I would say like, if you’re going for a classic skinny jean, it’s going to be a lighter weight denim. If you’re going for non-stretch denim, then it’ll be a little bit heavier, but we’ll talk about weight next.
Helen: Oh, yeah. Sorry.
Caroline: Okay. So non-stretch denim often that’s going to be a hundred percent cotton, but I’ve also seen some really gorgeous, like, cotton Tencel or cotton modal blends. So you might find a really beautiful blend, but a hundred percent cotton is the classic non-stretch denim. Doesn’t have spandex, so it doesn’t have any give, but a non stretch denim is going to last longer.
And in my opinion, especially now in the sewing world, it’s more versatile cause there are so many patterns out there for non-stretch denim. There are not that many patterns for stretch denim. So I just think that a non-stretch denim, if you’re, like, building up your stash, is a really great way to go because you can make jeans, but you can also make jean jackets and skirts and all kinds of different things with that.
Helen: Yeah, totally.
Caroline: Now, comfort stretch denim.
Helen: Ooh, what did we call it earlier? The silent warrior.
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: Silent warrior of the denim world.
Caroline: It’s, so comfort stretch denim is basically denim with around 1% spandex in it. So you treat it as a non-stretch denim, but it has just the tiniest bit of give. And that is often used for those non-stretch style garments, but it gives them a little bit more comfort and a little bit more recovery from the spandex.
So if you’re shopping ready to wear, a lot of, like, men’s classic men’s jeans in this, you know, day and age have just that little 1% of comfort stretch. Um, but personally I love a comfort stretch because you get a little bit of spandex, but then you can also use it for those non-stretch denim patterns.
Helen: Yeah. And do you think that fabric stores now are labelling things as comfort stretch? Or are we looking for the percentage being lower?
Caroline: I would look for the percentage being lower cause I don’t know that many fabric stores that would actually market something as a comfort stretch denim. It’s more of an industry term that I’ve seen, like, in the, you know, at trade shows and that kind of thing, but look out for it.
I mean, again, keep in mind that 1% spandex is going to make it so that it might break down a little bit quicker over time. But if you’re looking for, like, the non-stretch styles with a little bit of give, that’s your sweet spot.
Helen: Yeah, and for our sustainable-focused sewers out there, the non-stretch denim would be the way to go, right?
Caroline: A hundred percent cotton. Yeah, definitely.
Helen: Awesome.
Caroline: Alright, so let’s touch briefly on denim weight because I think it can be a little bit overwhelming when you’re looking at a whole bunch of different denims, and you’re like, do I want eight ounce? Do I want 12 ounce? What does that mean?
Helen: What even is an ounce?
Caroline: So, ounce weight is usually ounce per square yard. So that’s literally the ounce weight of the fabric if you cut a square yard of the fabric. Um, and it’s a pretty common term when you’re talking about weight. So if you’re shopping at different fabric stores, like, a lot of them will use ounces to describe the weight of the fabric.
So once you get to know different fabrics, looking at the ounce weight might be helpful for you to, kind of, learn more about weight. To me, an eight to 10 ounce denim would be a lightweight denim. So I wouldn’t go much lower than eight ounces, and that kind of weight is really great for skinny jeans, but it might be a little bit too light for a non-stretch denim.
So, um, you want to be, like, maybe 10 ounces and more for a non-stretch if you can find it. Ten to 13 ounces is a really great mid-weight denim. For me, that’s the sweet spot. That’s what I look for in a denim. It’s my favourite weight for non-stretch jeans cause it’s not too heavy, but it gives you that heft and that stiffness and that, kind of, like, strength and durability that you want out of non-stretch patterns.
And then you can even go heavier weight, so over 13 ounces. Thirteen to 15 ounces, you might find that. I think we have a 14 ounce denim in the shop. That is going to be, like, a heavier weight denim. It’s amazing for if you want to do distressing, or if you want that really classic, like, mom jean style denim that’s going to last a really long time like vintage Levi’s that you find in a thrift store that have been, like, bleached out.
Like, that’s going to be, like, a heavyweight denim, but when you find it in the thrift store, it doesn’t feel super heavyweight cause it’s been washed over and over again and worn over and over again and, kind of, like, naturally distressed over time. So if you want that out of a pair of jeans, that you’re going to, kind of ,commit to wearing for a long time, then, like, the heavier you can comfortably go the better because that just means your denim’s going to last longer.
Helen: Makes sense.
Caroline: Yeah, and just, don’t be afraid of denim when you’re looking at a denim in the store and it feels really heavy. Just remind yourself, it will feel so much softer and lighter after you wash it because you’re washing out that starch from the denim. And it’s just not going to feel as, like, cardboard-y.
Helen: Yeah, sometimes they’re so crisper, like, stiff, like a board, or they feel like upholstery canvas or something. And you’re like, I wouldn’t want this on my body.
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: But that’s not what they feel like after you wash them. But, of course, it’s very hard to make that call when you’re at the store.
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: Um, we’ll talk a little bit more about shopping. Alright, so what about denim terminology? Because there’s so many words and every fabric store’s labelling it differently. And it’s hard to know what is what and who’s where and all that.
Caroline: Yeah, there are definitely some terms being thrown around, and you might not know what they mean. So I covered a few of them here. Um, the first one I want to talk about is raw denim. So raw denim is simply denim that has not been washed after it’s, like, dyeing and finishing processes. So most high-quality denims that you’re finding online in fabric stores are actually raw denims because, like I said, a lot of that washing process is going to happen after the jeans have been made. So the stuff that you can find in the industry is usually raw denim, unless it’s been marked as, like, washed, and there’s some kind of finish on the bolt.
Again, when you receive your raw denim, it might seem really stiff. Don’t worry. That’s the starch. It’s going to wash out. Washing out the starch, it’s not only going to change the hand feel, but it’s also going to change the colour of the denim cause the starch can make the denim look a little bit more grey. So a lot of the time it’ll, kind of, almost become more saturated and darker blue after it’s first wash.
And then some jeans are actually left raw and then worn without washing for, like, at least six months to create the distressing naturally. So if you’re looking for jeans like ready to wear and you buy a pair of raw jeans, like raw denim jeans, usually they’re just, like, stiff as a board. And if you’re like a raw denim junkie, you’ll, like, wear them for six months without washing them.
Maybe even, like, you know, put them in the freezer to get rid of that, like, bacteria and smell and just, like, keep wearing them until you can’t possibly wear them anymore and then you wash them, and all of those natural crease lines that are unique to your body, when you do that first wash, they, kind of, like, fade out and you get, like, a natural distressing that isn’t, like, industry made.
Helen: It’s very cool.
Caroline: It is very, very cool. So as home sewists, you, kind of, have a choice with raw denim. Most of the denim you’re gonna get is raw. So you have to make that choice. Prewash your denim. That’s what I would recommend. But you can also leave it raw and wear it raw. If you want to try that out, you can not prewash it. Wear your jeans raw. Let them, like, naturally distress over time and then wash them eventually. And there’s tons of articles online how to do that, so you can look that up.
Helen: And the reason why we say that we recommend that you prewash your denim is simply because we want you to get a good fit from the pattern that you’re making. And with raw denim, because you’re not sure how much it’s going to shrink after you make the jeans, it’s like putting all this effort into making the jeans and then washing them and hoping that they fit after. Um, maybe you size up or size or two, to, like, make that happen. But it’s just a little bit more of a gamble. So if you’re just getting into making jeans, we recommend washing your fabric first so you have the most chance at getting a good fit.
Caroline: And you can do your own artificial distressing at home. So if you prewash your denim and then you sew it up into jeans and then you decide you want to, like, add some holes or some, you know, fade lines or whatever, you can totally do that at home. And we have some tips for you later on.
But, one thing I’ll mention is, like, for me, I’ve made a bunch of different pairs of jeans. I think I’ve made, like, five pairs of jeans, and I have always pre-washed, sewn them into jeans, and it only takes a few months to start getting those, like, beautiful, natural crease signs and fade lines. And there’s nothing, like, jeans that have been, like, faded to your body. It’s super cool. And it’s super fun to see that change. Like, I even encourage you to take a photo of your jeans right after you make them and then a few months later.
And maybe I’ll pop a photo, cause I have a photo of, one of my jeans that I’m thinking of in particular, after I first made them and now. And, like, they look so different cause they’ve just faded so much with washing and wearing. And, so you don’t even have to do the whole raw denim thing to get fade lines naturally.
Helen: Yeah, totally.
Caroline: Okay. The next term I want to touch on is sanforized and unsanforized. And that term, kind of, relates to raw denim. So when you’re buying raw denim, most of the denim that you’re going to find in fabric stores is sanforized. Sanforized means that it has been pre-shrunk. So, in the production process, they’re pre-shrinking the goods so that they’re not going to shrink significantly after their first wash.
Unsanforized has not been pre-shrunk. So if you’re sewing up your jeans raw, you definitely want to size up accordingly because, theoretically, if you’re doing the raw jeans thing and you’re working with unsanforized denim, you’re going to only wash them way down the line. So you want to, like, size up so that you’re thinking about how much they’re going to shrink. Unsanforized denim will shrink, like, 10% on its first wash. Sanforized denim is more, like, two or 3%.
Helen: Right. Okay. Sanforized denim has been pre-shrunk, but it’s, like, pre-shrinking during production, not pre-shrinking post-production.
Caroline: It’s, yeah, exactly. It’s during production.
Helen: And then you still want to prewash sanforized denim, right?
Caroline: Cause it’s still going to shrink that, like, two or 3%.
Helen: Gotcha. Okay. What about, it’s all over the sewing community, selvedge denim?
Caroline: Yes, selvedge denim is really, really cool. So selvedge denim is produced on shuttle looms, and they actually make a fabric that is less wide. How did you say that?
Helen: Narrower.
Caroline: Narrower. Nailed it. Less wide. They produce a narrower fabric, and a lot of raw denim is actually made on old vintage shuttle looms which I think adds a little bit of, like, cache to the product. Because of this type of loom, it produces a denser weave. And the cool thing is that the selvedge is closed. So do you know when you buy a fabric, a lot of the time, even with most denims that are normal widths, you’ll see along the edge that there’s, like, little, kind of, weft threads that are cut? So it’s, like, hairy, almost along the edge of the fabric.
Helen: Yeah.
Caroline; With selvedge denim, you don’t have the, that cut edge, so the weft is continuous which means that the selvedge is closed. And, again, a narrow width of fabric, and this, kind of, denotes a higher quality because with the continuous weft, the fabric is, like, denser, a denser weave. Why? Why are you laughing at me?
Helen: Sorry.
Caroline: Cause I like talking with my hands?
Helen: I just wish our listeners could see how much you’re moving your arms.
Caroline: Cause I’m so excited about selvedge denim.
Helen: I know we need to take a video because you were, like, explaining it, and, like, the visuals are really adding to it. Sorry. Okay.
Caroline: So selvedge denim is a denser weave. It’s a stronger weave. And because of the continuous weft, it’s just denotes, like, a higher quality. So the other cool thing about selvedge denim is that when you’re cutting out your jeans, you want to try to preserve that selvedge edge along the side seam.
So usually you’ll find, like, a pattern that’s drafted for that. The Phillipa Pants is a really good example from Anna Allen clothing, with a nice straight side seam. So you preserve that edge so that when you cuff your jeans, you can get that selvedge edge. And a lot of the time it’ll be, like, a pop of colour so that you’ll get, like, a red selvedge, which I think is the Levi’s signature colour. But you know, there’s all different colours. I’ve seen green, blue, pink.
Helen: Like, even just black straight. So yeah.
Caroline: It looks so good.
Helen: So beautiful. So cool. And if you don’t have selvedge denim, you can, like, get that pop of red if you just use, like, red serger thread, and then when you cuff it, it looks like you have selvedge denim.
Caroline: And you can even use that selvedge for other details like in the coin pocket or your back pocket. Like, I’ve seen it used in some really, really cool ways. So I wanted to read this little blurb from Frank and Oak’s website. They have a whole, like, article about selvedge denim, and I thought this was really interesting.
“All denim used to be selvedge, but the booming demand for jeans and denim in the 50s (brought on by movie stars like James Dean) meant jeans makers needed a faster, more efficient method to meet demand. They switched from a shuttle loom to a projectile loom. In the late-70s and early-80s, Japan went denim-crazy. Japanese brands started scooping up old shuttle looms and producing selvedge jeans themselves. Denim-heads in the States began looking to Japan for the best selvedge denim.
Selvedge denim is a mix of quality, rarity, nostalgia, and personalization. Generally, a pair of selvedge jeans will last longer because they feature a denser weave, have more weight to them, provide better creasing over time, and produce a more personalised fit and feel for more character overall.”
And we will link that article in the show notes cause it’s a great read, but I do think that a lot of the appeal of selvedge denim is just that history behind it and that kind of cache, that character. It’s just a beautiful, high-end product.
Helen: Yeah, I mean, it sounds like it’s more than just cache because you’re getting a denser weave which equals a longer lasting pair of jeans in the end. So if you see selvedge denim, snap it up.
Caroline: Yep.
Helen: Alright, what about Japanese denim? Because they mentioned that Japan went denim crazy. So what’s going on over there?
Caroline: Yeah, so there’s a lot of raw denim being produced in Japan. And the cool thing is that it’s often made on those vintage looms that have been scooped up from the US when all those factories were closing in the US. So this old, vintage loom production leads to more variation and imperfections in the weaving process, which for raw denim enthusiasts is actually what they want and like. They like those kinds of slabs and imperfections and texture in the fabric. And that’s, kind of, a signature of Japanese denim.
Japan also has a really rich history of textile dyeing which means they use some unique dyeing processes that create a really great variety of washes and saturations in their indigo denim. So that’s, kind of, what sets Japan apart from other countries in terms of denim production. They also just have really nice quality standards. Um, so, I just think, like, Japanese denims are the best denims out there.
Helen: Oh really? I love it. Okay. Where else are denims coming from?
Caroline: So you’ll also find really beautiful, high quality denims from Turkey and Italy. And, of course, the US. Although, unfortunately, the White Oak plant from Cone Mills closed a few years ago, so we’re no longer getting Cone Mills denim in the US. We’ll talk a little bit more about that in a minute, but you can find Turkey, Italy, Japan, US. That’s, kind of, where you want to go. That’s not to say that amazing denim isn’t made elsewhere, but if you see denims from those countries, then that’s, like, a, kind of, a surefire way to know that you’re getting something that’s of a higher quality.
Helen: Gotcha. Okay. And then Cone Mills is another term that people say all the time. It was Cone Mills denim.
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: They have Cone Mills denim. So, like, what does that even mean?
Caroline: Yeah. So Cone Mills is the name of a company that produces denim. And they actually had a factory called the White Oak plant in North Carolina that has, was in operation for, like, over a hundred years. And it was the last selvedge denim mill in the US using vintage looms. So it was really sad actually when it closed because a lot of people were getting their denims from there and able to say, especially American companies able to say, like, our denim is made in America. And they can no longer say that if they’re working with selvedge denim because there aren’t any selvedge denims being made in America anymore. At least not on the scale that Cone Mills was doing it. So yeah, a lot of high end jean companies and, like, Levi’s even were using them.
And even before they closed, we were seeing Cone Mills denim popping up in the sewing world which is really cool. But then right when we were getting real into Cone Mills denim, they closed their plants, so that was sad.
Helen: I know. But then all of these companies, like yourself included, snapped up as much as you could to try and sell it, so you still will see White Oak Cone Mills denim out there in fabric shops because people did try to buy as much as they could basically. Um, but Cone Mills isn’t done for, right? Like, there’s other plants?
Caroline: Yeah, so they have locations in China and Mexico, as well, where they’re still producing denim. And one interesting thing that one of my suppliers in LA explained to me was that the USA plant was using some, like, really vintage looms. So they actually ended up producing goods that had a lot of flaws in them. And there were, like, problems in production. So their, uh, factories in Mexico and in China are using more modern looms. So they’re producing in some ways an even higher quality product than what the USA was, was producing.
Helen: Right, so it just might not satisfy the denim nerds out there, but…
Caroline: And the people that are looking for something that’s, like, domestically made, but don’t, you know, Cone Mills denim is now, like, not a good quality product. It’s still the same beautiful qual-, quality product. It’s just, sadly, no longer made in America.
I also wanted to touch on S-Gene denim because that’s another term that gets thrown around, and it’s, sort of, related to Cone Mills because it’s a patented technology that Cone Mills invented, and it blends cotton with polyester and spandex so that creates a really long lasting denim that holds its shape without stretching or bagging out. So this denim has really, really great snapback, which is, like, recovery and, kind of, boasts the whole concept of, like, no baggy knees, you know, like you’re wearing a pair of jeans and at the end of the day you get saggy knees. So S-Gene denim is known for, like, no baggy knees.
Helen: Alright, cool.
Caroline: It is a really great product. I mean, it’s, it’s definitely above and beyond in quality than a lot of other stretch denims that I’ve seen. Um, not to say it’s the only good stretch denim out there, but it is a great product. So if you can still find it, which you should be able to, it’s definitely out there, then snap it up.
Helen: Cool. Okay. I have a question.
Caroline: Yes.
Helen: All of these, like, types of denims, weights of denims, such good information, but what if I’m at the fabric store and I’m in the denim area and, like, it’s just a wall of unlabeled bolts of denim and there’s no information, then what do I do?
Caroline: That sounds horrible.
Helen: I mean, it is.
Caroline: Yeah. I mean, if there is any kind of labelling look at country of origin. That’s, like, the first thing that you want to look at because if you’re finding something that’s, like, made in Japan or made in Italy, then right away, you’re, like, on the right track. But what I would say is, go in with a plan. So think before you get to the fabric store about what you’re looking for in a denim.
So do you want it to have stretch or non-stretch? What weight are you looking for? What pattern are you going to be using? What kind of wash or look or feel are you looking for in your denim? Go in with a plan.
And then also remember that the denim that you’re feeling off the bolt is going to soften significantly with washing. So don’t necessarily be deterred by, like, a cardboard-y feeling denim because that will soften.
Ask for help. I feel like people can be scared going to fabric stores to ask sales associates for help. And that could be because of, you know, negative experiences. That’s a really great way to learn from the people that work there. You might come across somebody who has sewn a pair of jeans themselves and can recommend personally a denim or who knows someone else who works in the store that has.
So ask questions as much as you can to try to find the right denim for your project. Experiment. You could always buy, like, a quarter yard of a few different denims, go home, wash them, see how they feel. And then when you can, buy from a source that you trust and that labels the denims and can, you know, can answer your questions.
So at Blackbird Fabrics, we put as much information in the product description as we can. And we answer all the questions that come in about, is this going to be right for my project or not? Or, you know, kind of look for those companies that are going to give that extra information to use that you can make a more informed decision.
Helen: Yeah. I love that you put the pattern recommendation. So if you’re like, I want to make the Philippa Pants, then you just have to find a denim on Blackbird that says Phillipa Pants in the description and you’re good to go.
Caroline: Yeah, totally. And we love making jeans at Blackbird, so we definitely have, like, personal experience working with most of the denims that we sell. Yeah, so, it’s fun. But yeah, a lot of it comes with experience, too. Like, you don’t expect your first pair of jeans to be perfect, right?
Helen: Mine definitely weren’t. They were a little bit of a mess, and I didn’t end up wearing them that much, but I learned how to construct them. And then I realised that I just picked the wrong weight of fabric for the project which of course is going to happen.
Caroline: So you’re going to learn, like, after your first pair right away, you’ll know, okay, this is too light for me or it’s too stretchy for me or it’s not the right colour or not the right pattern or something like that. Like, you’re going to learn the more jeans you make, and eventually, you’ll figure out what you like, and if you find a denim that you love, buy a lot of it.
You can use it now. You can use it in five years. You can make different types of garments with it. Like, I have one particular denim that I’m thinking of a cotton and Modal blend that I was, like, in love with, and I bought like six metres of it cause I was like, I must have this, like, on reserve for the future.
Helen: I have some of that, too. And it’s amazing.
Caroline: And I’m saving it because I have a pair of jeans out of it, and I love them so much. I still wear them, like, three years later, and I’m like, okay, I’m going to save this for, like, the next pair of those jeans maybe.
Helen: My Persephones are made out of those, and they’re so soft.
Caroline: So soft, right? Yeah, okay, so I also want to talk, kind of, briefly about denim care and raw denim care, in particular, cause that’s most of the denim that you’re going to be finding online. We do have a ton of info about this on the Blackbird Fabrics website, which Sam will link in the show notes. It’s a webpage just called Raw Denim Care.
Denim can do weird things in the wash, especially when you’re talking about heavyweight denims, because in the industry and production denim is usually only washed after the jeans are sewn up. So it’s, like, a much smaller piece of material being washed and in commercial machines, right? So those machines are bigger. They can take larger loads.
And if you decide to go with the fabric pre washing route, which we do recommend, we have some tips that can help you kind of give that denim the care it deserves and avoid any weird mishaps or strange things happening to your denim.
Helen: Yeah.
Caroline: So the first tip that I have is to pre-soak your denim in the tub. So, like I said, home washing machines can be, kind of, small, especially when you’re talking about heavier weight fabric, so, like, 11, 12 ounces or more. So if there are creases and folds in the denim when it goes into your washing machine, this could lead to inconsistent dye runs and, like, white lines in the fabric that are hard, if not impossible, to get out.
So instead of washing your fabric or throwing it immediately in the wash, you can soak your fabric in cold water and hang it to dry. And this is going to lessen that oss of the indigo dye. It’s also going to help to preshrink your fabric before you use it. And you’re, like, avoiding the washing machine altogether.
Helen: Okay.
Caroline: So it’s still going to do the preshrinking. It’s just, you’re not having to worry so much about those creases. You could also pre-soak your fabric, and get it completely wet to relax those creases and then transfer it into your washing machine. But just keep in mind, like, anything over 11, 12 ounces is going to run the risk of getting crease lines in a conventional sewing machine.
So if you’re worried about that, if you’re working with a really heavy denim, then soak it in the tub, just in case. You can also cut it into smaller pieces, especially if it’s a really large piece. Cut it down and wash those pieces individually. Just make sure that you can fit your pattern pieces on the size of cut that you made.
Helen: Yeah.
Caroline: So if you’re gonna put your denim into a washing machine, you have to floof your fabric.
Helen: I’m sorry. What?
Caroline: So floofing is a term that we invented. Probably not, but we use it a lot at Blackbird because it literally means, like, you pull at your fabric. You, kind of, unfold the whole piece, and you flick it a few times to, kind of, unfurl all of those crinkles and creases.
So you’re literally, like, cush, cush, cush, flicking your fabric. I wish you guys could see me right now. Maybe I’ll do a video.
Helen: I mean, I think the word floof pretty much nails it. It, it describes it perfectly.
Caroline: Yeah, you definitely don’t want to, like, take your folded fabric and put it right in the washing machine cause that is going to be a disaster. You have to floof your fabric and when you’re lowering your fabric into the washing machine, mind those creases and make sure that you’re not, you know, like, bunching it up and crinkling it. Like, always wash your denim one piece at a time. Floof it, carefully put it into your washing machine.
Helen: We’re not supposed to cram it in with all of our other washing?
Caroline: No, and then keep in mind too, that the heat from your dryer is going to fade the indigo dye quicker. So if you don’t want that to happen, then you can avoid tumble drying your denim and then just hang it to dry. And it’ll just, like, preserve that indigo.
Helen: Love it.
Caroline: My last thing that I’ll say is, like, you definitely don’t need to wash your denim if you don’t want to. You can go the raw denim route and try that out. A couple of girls at Blackbird are doing that, and it’s super cool to see their denims, kind of, fade over time.
Helen: That’s interesting.
Caroline: Yeah, so you can do it.
Helen: So this might sound scary because you talked about all of the dangers of putting heavyweight denims in the wash, but don’t let it intimidate you. Soaking in the tub isn’t so bad. I’ve also definitely thrown 14 ounce denims in my washing machine, in my apartment building, and it’s turned out fine. So you don’t necessarily have to be worried if you are a little bit more cavalier like me.
Caroline: Yeah, and I think, like, the biggest thing, if you’re going to put it into your washing machine, is the floofing.
Helen: Right.
Caroline: I need to get, like, a t-shirt that says, like, floof your denim or something.
Helen: I’m adding that to our enamel pins.
Caroline: Floof that denim! That’s how you’re going to get your denim to soften. So especially if you’re working with a heavyweight denim, like, I would presoak it or prewash it. And even if you do get some of those creases, like, don’t stress out, it adds character.
Helen: It totally does.
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: Yeah.
Caroline: If you’re working with a really beautiful heavyweight denim, maybe you want to distress your denim.
Helen: Maybe you do.
Caroline: Maybe you do. We have never tried, like, I’ve never tried this. Helen, you’ve never tried distressing denim.
Helen: No, I haven’t. I’m always very intrigued when I see people doing Instagram stories about it or writing blog posts, but I have not dived into this yet.
Caroline: So we’re not going to pretend to be experts on the topic, but there are some really great articles online from Alina Design Co., True Bias, A Pair and A Spare. They have some really awesome articles that we’ll link in the show notes all about distressing denim.
But basically, you can do a few different things. You can bleach your denim, you can use sandpaper, cheese grater, scissors, tweezers, exacto knife, all things you probably have around your house and just experiment. And I would say speriment on swatches first.
Helen: Yeah.
Caroline: Don’t go right into, I just said, speriment.
Helen: Speriment on those swatches.
Caroline: Speriment on those swatches. Experiment on swatches first and see what you like and then go to your final pair of jeans cause, I mean, I’m scared of it, too.
Helen: Yeah.
Caroline: Like, when you think about sewing up a whole pair of jeans and then, like, going at it with some bleach and sandpaper, like, that’s kind of scary, right?
Helen: It is scary. Yeah, you want to get a sense for how it might look and how the denim is going to behave if you hit it with sandpaper. And there’s so many different grits of sandpaper and so many, like, different timeframes for bleaching. And if you’re looking for a specific colour, you really want to do a proper test, see how long you need to bleach it for, and know exactly what you’re going to get at the end.
Caroline: Yeah, absolutely.
Helen: But I think sanding is probably the least commitment. Like, if you just want a little bit of distressing on your zipper fly and your pockets, a little sandpaper. See what happens.
Caroline: Sandpaper action.
Helen: Yeah. Don’t sandpaper them while you’re wearing them.
Caroline: Mhm.
Helen: I mean, I guess you could.
Caroline: You also have to be careful with, like, your stitching. So if you’re sandpapering…
Helen: Sandpapering? Sanding? Nailed it.
Caroline: If you’re sanding your jeans around areas where there’s topstitching, you could, like, sand off your topstitching. So you might have to go back in and, like, reinforce some areas.
Helen: Or sand in the sewing process, sand your seam, and then topstitch it.
Caroline: I have seen someone do that. Who did that? I feel like it was Anya from Anna Zoey Sews that did a jean jacket where she was, like, distressing and then topstitching. We’ll see if we can find a link for that, but it was really cool. Yeah, there’s tons of different ways that you can do it, and we’ll try to find some really great articles for you guys.
Helen: I’m in the “let it happen naturally” camp.
Caroline: Me, too, but I do, like, one day, want to try making a pair of, like, really cool mom jeans and then, like, bleaching them.
Helen: Yeah, that would be cool.
Caroline: Yeah, I feel like that’d be awesome. So in terms of sources for jeans fabric, jeans making supplies, we have some suggestions, um…
Helen: Blackbird Fabrics, of course. I won’t make you plug yourself…
Caroline: Thank you.
Helen: …but I buy all my denim from you because you just drop it at, like, the perfect time before it’s denim making season, and you usually always have something in stock, and it’s just, it’s always great.
Caroline: And then of course, Stonemountain. Stonemountain, the queens of fabric. Um, they have some really great options as well. And you can Google, I mean, Mood has some good options. I’ve seen, I think it’s called Fashion Fabrics Club, I bought some really cool, like, acid wash Japanese denim from them. Selvedge denim, it’s so cool. Um, and they have really great prices. So hunt, you know…
Helen: Yeah.
Caroline: …hunt around and check out some hashtags and see where other people are getting their denim.
Helen: Totally. And as far as supplies go, I mean, again, Blackbird, I love the finishes that you guys carry. You have, like, the more distressed finishes. So it’s not the shiny and golden silver. It’s, like, you have a black, antique copper, antique brass, like, really nice finishes that already look like they’ve been worn.
Um, Closet Case also carries denim kits and, occasionally, uh, fabric as well. So they’re a good source for denim supplies. Again, lots of fabric stores are carrying this kind of stuff now, so it’s easy to find.
You have that really cute video where you’re actually showing how to put the buttons on and the rivets and stuff like that. So we’ll have to link that in the show notes, because it’s just a really sweet little video. You can see it all happen. It’s not nearly as intimidating as it sounds. In fact, it’s very fun.
Caroline: Yeah. Let’s quickly touch on the different supplies that you would need when you’re making jeans cause it’s not just denim, right?
Helen: That’s true.
Caroline: You’re going to want to work with some jeans thread. That’s going to give you that really finished, ready to wear look,. If you’re using a jeans topstitching thread, doesn’t necessarily have to be copper. It can also be, like, a gold or it can even be blue or navy, like, depending on the look that you want to go for. But that topstitch is going to give you that jeans look.
Helen: Exactly. And that thread you’re just going to put in your main thread. You’re not going to thread your bobbin with it. Your bobbin you want threaded with normal polyester thread so that you’re not getting it too, too much thread happening. Topstitching in your bobbin is a recipe for disaster.
Caroline: Yeah, exactly. I really love the Gutterman Mara 70 product. Um, it might be a little bit hard to find. Gutterman, like, jeans thread that you find in retail stores is also really great, but the Mara 70 is a little bit more of a professional industry quality. Um, it’s a little bit finer, little bit lighter weight than the heavy duty jeans topstitching thread that you might find at, like, JoAnn’s or something. But it is, like, an amazing product. So if you can find Mara 70 for topstitching, get like and, and it comes on these big rolls, so get, like, a nice big roll of, like, copper or something, and you’ll use it for so many pairs of jeans.
Helen: It is so nice. It’s, like, in-between a regular thread and the jeans making thread.
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: It’s, like, middle of the road.
Caroline: And you’re just using that for your top stitching. You’re not constructing your whole garment with that, so if you, maybe you have two sewing machines that you own, you could set one up with your topstitching setup and you can do one with just your regular jeans making, you know, set up, for the construction of the pants. And then you don’t have to keep switching your thread in between steps to get that topstitch, you know, as you go.
Helen: Yeah, totally. Or maybe you get together with a friend and then you have two machines.
Caroline: Yes. Obviously, you’re going to need denim needles. So those are, like, heavier duty needles. Pocketing, so this is a great scrap busting opportunities. Use your cotton scraps, use your shirting, your quilting cottons. Um, it’s a really great way to use up those, those scraps that you have.
Helen: Definitely.
Caroline: Obviously, a jean zipper. Jean zippers have metal teeth and are heavier duty than a regular zipper. So do not use a regular zipper in your jeans. It won’t be able to take that stress of the heavyweight fabric tight around your stomach. When you sit down, it’ll, it’s gonna pop, so go for a nice jean zipper.
And then buttons. So jeans buttons usually consist of a metal top piece and a post that goes in through the back. Same thing with rivets. There are many kinds of rivets. The type that I like has that metal top piece and a solid post, not a hollow post. Again, we sell these kits in the shop, not to plug our shop.
And in my YouTube video where I talk about jeans hardware installation, I also show you the different tools that you’ll need for that, so a mini anvil for setting your rivets and buttons. That’s like a really nice, solid surface. You can also use a cast iron skillet if you don’t want to invest in an anvil or, like, a bench block for jewellery making. That, kind of, metal brick almost is a really great way to set rivets and buttons.
Um, you’ll also need a tailors awl, so that’s going to poke the hole in your fabric. It’s, like, a sharp little metal stick with a point. A hammer, probably have a hammer already. Wire cutters, that’s going to be for trimming your posts. And then, like, a chalk pencil or something for marking the placement of your button. So not a ton of stuff, probably a lot of it you have around.
Helen: Yeah.
Caroline: Um, and I’ll go through all that in the YouTube video, so we’ll link that.
Helen: Yeah, and most hardware kits, if you’re buying a jeans kit, come with, like, an extra button or an extra rivet so that you get a chance to test. I know yours do at Blackbird. I love that because you need to do a test sometimes. Like, even though I know how to install it, I want to just do a test anyway, just to, like, refresh my memory. Make sure I’m doing it right. Make sure everything’s coming together before I take it to my project.
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: So don’t be afraid to just do some tests. And my one tip with installing jeans hardware is I learned that I was doing it wrong for a while because I thought that if I put the button right down on my anvil or my skillet or whatever, like, metal to metal that I was going to damage the surface of the button. So I would put, like, a dish cloth or something in between or scrap of fabric, but that actually doesn’t help the process of installing. Like, if you put a piece of a buffer or a fabric or something in between, you’re actually preventing the hammer from doing the work and the metal to metal is what’s going to make it just really go in nice and solid. So you actually want the metal on metal contact.
Caroline: Yeah, cause if you have, like, a piece of cloth or fabric in between, that’s giving the post room to poke through the front or to have, like, an indentation. If you ever install buttons and maybe you have, like, a little nipple on the end after you finish installing them, and you’re like, oh, why does it look like this is poking through? It’s probably because you have some kind of material there that’s giving it space to poke through. Whereas if you’re going metal to metal, it’s, there’s no room for it to go anywhere, so it’s going to stay flat.
Helen: Yeah, exactly. It was a light bulb moment when I learned I was doing it wrong.
Caroline: But it makes sense, right? Okay, so we have, I mean, we have so many patterns suggestions, but we’re not going to go through them all in the show because it’s just a lot, but we’re going to link some Pinterest boards from Blackbird. Laura works super hard on these. She has so many pattern suggestions in there for stretch and non-stretch, plus, like, ready to wear inspo. So we’ll link those in the show notes, if you guys are looking for suggestions, and maybe we’ll do a couple of Instagram posts this week as well with some pattern suggestions that you can see visually. But, um, I mean, there are so many amazing sewing patterns available right now for denim. So, go crazy.
Okay, and then I also want to talk a little bit about mending your denim and your jeans and, kind of, prolonging the life of…
Helen: Yes!
Caroline: …your jeans cause I think that’s a really important element to any handmade wardrobe, but especially when you’re working with jeans because jeans can last a really long time if you take care of them.
Helen: Yeah, they really can. I mean, you hear people say that, you know, they’ve had the same jeans, like, Denise was on our show recently talking about her, uh, jeans that she’s mended for years and years and years, and just keeps wearing them. And I think Karen Templar was also talking about jeans that she’s had for ages.
And I love that, the thought of carrying jeans with you throughout your life and mending them. And, of course, they still have to fit which may or may not be the case for our changing bodies, but it’s nice to prolong the life of them if you can, especially because you’ve put in all that effort in making them and not just making them but wearing them in. I mean, it’s all about the wear, right? Like, we were talking about how they fade to your body, and all the fade marks in the right place, so mend them and keep wearing them.
Caroline: Yeah, so the ways that you can do that to, kind of, prolong the life of your jeans is to mend holes before they get out of control. I know Elena mentioned this in her episode, uh, from Dogwood Denim, where she was saying, like, don’t wear your jeans with holes in them, like, mend them before they get out of control.
And then also wash your jeans sparingly. So, I think, a lot of the time, it’s easy to just, like, wear something once and then throw it in the wash. But as much as you can try to wear your jeans multiple times before you wash them because the more you wash them, just the more those fibres are going to break down over time.
You can also preemptively add a patch to reinforce areas that you know are going to weaken over time. So, for me, for example, between my thighs, I get that, kind of, like, thigh rubbing, and I always get holes where my thighs rub, kind of, close to the crotch between my thighs. Sometimes it can be pretty intense, like, pretty large areas that, sort of, just wear down from that friction. So, for my next pair of jeans, I’m going to add a patch just, like, right when I finish my jeans before wearing them. I’m going to have a patch there to preemptively, kind of, reinforce that area. And this is such a cool idea that I also learned from Elena, from Dogwood Denim. She did it on Stories, and it totally blew my mind.
Helen: Yeah, if you know, you’re going to need it, you know, six months from now, why not put it in now?
Caroline: Yeah, exactly.
Helen: It makes so much sense.
Caroline: It’s just going to help to prolong that life and maybe, you know, it’ll,it’ll be a little bit longer until you have to mend that area which is amazing. Um, there was also a really great guest article from Rain of Indigo Proof on the Closet Case Patterns blog all about invisible mending. So she actually talks about that, kind of, crotch area that fades and needs mending over time and shows some really cool techniques for mending invisibly, and it’s actually quite amazing. You guys need to go check it out.
Helen: Yeah, I mean, you literally can’t see it that’s how amazing it is, but we usually, the two of us, when we mend our jeans, it’s just sticking some denim in there and sewing the crap out of it.
Caroline: Yeah, you can have the denim patch, like, behind the hole or even on top of the hole, if you want, depending on if you mind, like, that discoloration or not. Like, depending on how faded your jeans are. And then one trick that I learned recently when I was mending is, like, if you have trouble keeping that patch in place, you can actually cut a piece of interfacing that’s slightly larger than the patch. So you’ll put the patch behind the hole, put the interfacing on top of that, press it down with heat, and that’ll, kind of, lock that denim patch in place. And it’ll also, like, add extra reinforcement to the area, and then you sew the crap out of it. So over top back and forth, back and forth.
Helen: With all regular polyester thread?
Caroline: Regular polyester thread. Um, try to match the colour of your jeans. And also because denim has a warp and a weft that are different colours, you get that, kind of, variation, right? So one really cool way to kind of mimic that look is using two different thread colours. So you go one direction with one, the other direction with a lighter colour, back in the other way. And you, kind of, end up getting that variation in colour and, kind of, matching your denim.
Helen: Yeah.
Caroline: Um, that’s something that I learned from that article on the Closet Case Patterns blog.
Helen: Yeah, it’s so cool. You can get really creative with it, and, like, I like to use multiple patches and not just sticking one big square of fabric in my crotch. Like, you have two legs there, and there’s different shapes intersecting, so you, kind of, have to cut cool shapes to match your holes and also the pattern pieces that were originally used and then sew them together and overlap them.
And when you’re finished, it’s going to feel like your crotch is made out of, like, cardboard or something. It’s not going to feel good. You’re going to put them on and be, like, oh God, I’m never going to wear these again. But just like with your jeans, when you first finish them, they’re going to be stiff. It totally softens with wash and wear. I do this to Sam’s jeans all the time, and he says that they get really, really soft over time. So it’s all going to work out.
Caroline: Yeah, and this isn’t something that you’re just going to do once, right? You’re probably, if you’re going to wear your jeans for years and years, have to mend them over and over again, maybe every year, maybe every six months, but give those jeans that love and really, like, invest in the jeans and try to make them last through mending as often as needed.
Helen: Mhm.
Caroline: Alright, so, if you have mended to your heart’s content and your jeans are, like, really done, you can upcycle them or you can use your scraps. I think there are other ways that you can recycle your jeans and still continue to love them for years and years. So, one thing you can do is save all of your denim scraps and your old jeans for a quilt, or you can make, like, a quilt top and then use that length of fabric to cut it into a garment. I think that’s a really, really cool idea. Like, making a giant quilt top and then cutting a jacket out of it or something.
Helen: Yeah.
Caroline: And we’re going to link Sandra Johnson Designs. We had a listener, uh, tell us about her. She does some really amazing denim quilts. So if you’re looking for inspo in that area, um, we got you covered. Sew DIY, Beth from Sew DIY, also did an amazing denim quilt that we’ll link in the show notes, so lots of great inspiration out there if you’re thinking about doing that.
Helen: And if you’re interested in making a garment, there’s a lot of inspiration from The Refashioners, a few years ago, did a denim themed refashioning year and it was incredible the stuff that people came up with. So you can find that on The Makery. We interviewed Portia about The Refashioners very early on in the show, um, so we’ll link all of that in the show notes, and I made a dress for that out of a bunch of Sam’s jeans that didn’t fit him anymore. So we’ll link that, too, cause I had so much fun making that, and it really turned out way more wearable than I thought it would. When I was putting it together, I was like, oh, this is going to look like patchwork, home ec-y but I actually loved the final result and have really enjoyed wearing that, um, dress, so it can be really fun.
Caroline: It was such a cool dress. I love, like, this is one of my favourite garments you’ve ever made.
Helen: Aw, thank youl.
Caroline: So cool. You can also up-cycle your jeans into a skirt. So, like, that, kind of, nineties style long jean skirt with, like, you can see the crotch curve of the denim. If your jeans are in the right shape, you can maybe do that. Also, just making a bag, uh, using, like, different elements from your jeans and cutting out a bag out of your jeans would be a really cool way to upcycle jeans.
Helen: Yeah, for sure.
Caroline: Jeans, jeans, jeans. Finally, I really want to recommend the documentary called Blue Gold. It goes through the history of denim in America. It touches a lot on Japanese denim. It’s just really, really interesting and beautiful documentary, so highly recommend it.
Helen: That’s the one where they, like, follow the denim junkie around and, like, into shop-, vintage shops and denim production.
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: Yeah. That was such a good documentary.
Caroline: It’s so good. Um, so highly recommend that. We can’t wait to see your jeans. We can’t wait for you to share them with us.
Helen: I know we’re so excited. We want you guys to tag your jeans that you make #LoveToSewJeans because we love to sew jeans, and you love to sew jeans, and we want to see your jeans.
Caroline: Yes.
That’s it for this Love to Sew Favourite. We’ll be back in March with our new season. You can find me Caroline at BlackbirdFabrics.com and Helen at HelensClosetPatterns.com.
Helen: We’re recording in beautiful British Columbia, Canada, and you can get in touch with us and get links for everything we talked about in this episode at LoveToSewPodcast.com. Just search for the episode title.
Caroline: And, of course, if you want to join our Patreon fam, now is a great time to start. For just $5 USD per month, you’ll get access to our monthly bonus episode. For $10 USD per month, you’ll get a 15% discount code for Blackbird Fabrics and Helen’s Closet plus a bonus mini-sode. Go to patreon.com/LoveToSew, for more info.
Helen: Thanks to our amazing podcast team, and thank you all so much for listening. We will talk to you soon.
Caroline: Bye.
Helen: Buh-bye.
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Loved your podcasts! I love the idea of having a pair of “jeans”, but due to fluctuating size throughout the day, let alone the month/year I just can’t do pants that don’t have some sort of elastic in the waist.
Do you have any suggestions for pants that can be made up in the heavier denim, yet avoid the zippers, fitted waist, etc?
Cindy, thanks so much for your comment! Through your specifications, you may be interested in this Patterns for Pirates pattern:https://www.patternsforpirates.com/product/sos-pants/
If you are on social media, it may be useful to reach out and ask the ‘hive mind’ as well! There are so many patterns out there! We hope this helps 🙂
I can’t find Blue Gold on Netflix. I’m in the US, so maybe it is a Canada only title on Netflix?
Charlene, it looks like it is no longer available in Canada either! Netflix sometimes removes movies too so it can sometimes be an unreliable source. We have heard that this documentary is available on Amazon Prime, and there are some other streaming services that offer it if you search through Google. We hope you are able to watch it 🙂 It’s a good one!