Candace

I've mended jeans in a similar fashion on several of my machines. You just need any machine with a free arm and darning foot, really.

ArchaicArcane

On one of the pages you posted, it said $40 flat fee, or $20 if the pants were bought from them. That's not too bad depending on the damage. Heck, to get a pair of jeans hemmed costs $10 - $20 here. He did say that the patch would soften. I have noticed the same with my jeans that I patched about a year and a half ago with backing fabric. The open arm would be way easier, but like MacyBaby says, it's basically free motion. I think I'd try with the Pfaff or the 431G open arm first. I can just see dragging a zipper across poor Eliza (the 222). I did see someone use a water soluable stabilizer for fixing jeans once, it does work. I would use it to mend everything! I might even tear some things just to mend them. That machine is so cool!

I was still up, I'd just decided to walk away from the computer and my quilting project, in hopes that I would sleep. Sounds like 4am NY time is a good time to chat

I bet that you'd find some of the construction workers are wearing that weight of denim. The "fashion" denim I doubt if it's even half that weight. http://www.rawrdenim.com/tag/21-oz/

I would love to go into that shop and see the machines. LOL!! They'd probably think I was a nut...

They might be right.

The spring helps the fabric not come up off the bed with the needle. ETA: and also to give you room to move the fabric while the needle is up. Duh! I should sleep more. I have one of the spring needles from Schmetz, I haven't tried it yet. I have bonded with my darning feet. In theory, no, neither is required, if you look in a bunch of the old manuals, they show darning and stuff without any presser foot, or spring needle. I like my fingers more than that, and I think I get a better result with the darning foot. My first machine came with instructions for darning and FME without a presser foot. I tried it. I swore. A lot. I've seen the same instructions since in other manuals, I won't do it.

Sheluma

I noticed the $40 price after I posted. This neighborhood used to have a lot of discount clothing stores -- wholesale prices for name-brand suits and coats, etc. There were a lot of tailors to alter your garments after you bought them. I actually used to shop down here when I worked on Wall St, (2 lifetimes ago), before I moved down here. Most of the clothing shops have been replaced with restaurants and bars, but many of the tailors remain. It costs $5 to get a pair of pants hemmed. So I think their price is competitive because of that. It's an expensive city, but tailoring and vintage sewing machines are cheap!

This is really interesting. They make a hobby of trying to get interesting fade marks in their jeans. This guy wore his jeans every day for 2.5 months without washing.
http://www.rawrdenim.com/forum/showt...imtomato-HWDC2
I'm sure they've seen nuttier nuts. I think I'm going to go in there.

I didn't notice the spring needle before. He's got a darning foot, too.
I've also read about darning without a foot in a lot of books. I think it helps to put the work in a hoop and pull it really taut. When my mom bought her FW she bought a feed cover plate but no darning foot. I'm sure it's because the salesman told her she didn't absolutely need it. It probably cost $1 back then! She was frugal. (And the apple really doesn't fall far from the tree.)

mighty

Pretty cool!

manicmike

Me too! I'm convinced I need one for free motion and keeping all my fingers.

ArchaicArcane

Oh that sounds like such a fun place to shop! There's a lady down the street from us who works out of her home. She charges $5 for a pair of pants and $10 for jeans. I'm told it's an excellent deal. I do take my dress pants to her. I can't do a blind hem to save my life and she does a beautiful job. The hem didn't hold up to my motorcycle the day I rode to work on it, but I didn't hold that against her.


There was one in that list too that was 5 months, one wash, one soak. I can't imagine the funk those pants must put out. I bet they stand up on their own! I think I would burn DH's pants if he did that.

Well, I for one want to hear about everything you learn!

I think you're right about hoop. I tried hooping the stuff I tried on my old machine. I just couldn't get it tight enough, it still hopped. I broke needles, balled up the thread, it was like being 10 again and using that machine for the first time. It was not a good flashback.

I bet she was told exactly that. But I wonder what the cost of the foot was compared to the hoop and the stitches in the fingers.

Yes, it's about safety really. That's how I'm selling the "need" of it to DH. I'll let you know if it works out.

Sheluma

Blind hem by hand is something I can do but I've been practicing since 1973. But it doesn't stand up to the speed lacers on my hiking boots when I'm stupid enough to wear them with dress pants. I'm sure it wouldn't hold up to a motorcycle, either! Blind hem by machine never looks right to me. I'd prefer top stitching.

I found a few videos on preserving the original hem of jeans when you hem them. I'm short so I usually have to hem jeans and I'm going to try this method next time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSRD2qAfRF0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdXxRuIqBh4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaoE5JuuZeM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XJaTBqc2Kc

deplaylady

That was so cool!

ArchaicArcane

Oh my goodness. I don't think I could to a blind hem by hand. I'm so inconsistent!
In fairness, my dress pants didn't appear to enjoy the bug splatter either. I bought these great designer dress pants then hopped on the bike, not thinking. When the first bug hit me I thought, "Ow!! Oh... great!"

I've seen that method before too. I haven't tried it, I really should. A lot of my jeans are customized at the bottom from dragging them for years. I'd like to know how you make out with it.

Sheluma

Thems must be some big bugs! eewww. You can do a blind hem. Just takes a little practice. If you pick up only one or two threads you can't see it and it doesn't matter if you're inconsistent. It's amazing how little it takes to hold a hem up...if one doesn't ride motorcycles or wear hiking boots.

It used to be that if you took a pair of jeans to a tailor they would blind hem them, and I hate that so much! I had a hard time finding orange thread so I would buy black jeans and just do a top stitched hem by machine. But next time I'm going to try the other method -- it looks so much easier than cutting and pinning. Dragging them on the ground is a good look if you can pull it off. I'm 4'10" and it's too much drag for me <sigh>. At the moment I actually have two pairs that are a good length without any altering, which is a minor miracle.