Today I thought I would share with you a bit about how I make jeans. The steps aren't in any particular order, but I don't think that matters so much as I can't go into detail about everything. I hope you enjoy reading!
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The patterns are all traced out on the denim. A lot of little pieces make up your jeans!
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Pieces of denim are laid out and leather patchwork details are placed strategically to make the pair of jeans unique.
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My old iron is a beast. It was a gift from my mentor, it only has two settings: off, or super hot! The adjustment dial is clearly broken, so I have to be careful with this beauty to make sure I don't melt or burn fabrics. It's a delicate balance of turning it off and on!
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Once the top stitching on the coin pocket is sewn, it goes onto the pocket facing.
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Once the pockets and yokes are attached, I begin sewing the two back panel pieces together.
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Top stitching the button holes onto the front left leg.
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Top stitching the back pocket onto the back left leg. If I had a double needle, I would use it to make the stitches more quickly.
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I choose to use a printed pocket lining because I believe the small details are what set products aside. This print isn't very noticeable when you first see a pair of LT denim, but once you see the fine detail we put in our work, you'll appreciate the extra mile we go for you. In this picture I am attaching the pocket lining to the pocket opening on the front of the left leg.
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The two back pieces are now top stitched and sewn together.
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To strengthen the side-seam I top stitch and then attach the inside of the waistband.
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Top stitching the waistband is easier said than done! I have to be careful not to twist, pull, or distort the fabric, as I don't want the band to be crooked when I sew the top.
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Here's another shot of coming back over the top stitching of the waistband.
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Before stitching the prairie grass I use tailors chalk to trace out a rough sketch of where I should stitch. This makes it easier while maneuvering the sewing machine to get a beautiful prairie grass.
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It's faint, but you can see the tailors chalk I put down as a guide to finish the prairie grass detailing on the back.
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I then stitch the prairie grass on to the tailors chalk. The chalk acts as a guide, not a set in stone application, so that if I am feeling inspired to do something a bit differently I can do that! Notice that the LT logo is not embroidered, but rather made individually on a single needle machine.
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Working on the prairie grass detail on the left leg. Each prairie grass stitching I create is completely one-of-a-kind. I do it all using a single needle — no embroidery machine pumping out the same old design thousands of times! The prairie grass stitching is a tribute to farmers who grow grains for us all to eat. Bless those hard working men and women!
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Once I have cleaned the prairie grass stitching I can attach the pocket facing/pocket lining. I then go over the pocket facings with a single needle stitch before surging/overlocking the bag together. To strengthen I overlock all the way down the outseam sealing the pocket to the outseam.
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Here's a closeup of the finishing of the prairie grass detailing.
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Once the entire pair is sewn, the last thing I do is stitch on the leather size tag, which, again, is made using a single need machine. This pair is a 28.
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When all the pieces have been put together and the prairie grass is aligned its time to sit back and marvel at the finished product. Hours and hours go into each handcrafted pair of Lennard Taylor jeans.
As a note, the steps I've shown are not even half the battle in making a pair of jeans. Several steps have been left out because this post would be incredibly long! I very much enjoy sewing jeans, and wish that all I had to do was sew jeans each day.
Until next time, friends! Be well, and make sure to smile at someone you don't know. It might just make their day!