Stretch the seams after the wash

Before I washed my first pair of raw denims, I was chatting to Alexander from Dr.Denim and his first bit of advice to me was to stretch the seams after the wash. The reason he said was that the thread used for the seams, are different than that used in the actual denim, so it sort of pulls together after the wash. The shrinking also doesn't help with the seams. What you got to do after the wash is to grab the crotch and the hem, and pull, as you can see in the picture above. Give it a good stretch, and it should help with getting the seams back to "normal".

The first fix on my Harris Blue Black Raw

This day had to come. It's one month short of 2 years since I bought this pair of Dr.Denim jeans and started this blog. In that time I've worn this pair of Harris BlueBlack Raw jeans a lot. Really a lot. They're by far my favourite pair, but with all things in life they're starting to show some wear and tear. Now mind you not all wear and tear marks will be fixed. Just the things I think need to, to keep them from falling apart at the seams so to speak. With that I thought it was time to fix the thread that got loose on one of the back pockets. Simple fix and looking good again.

I used extra strong cotton thread, in blue, then simply wove the gold thread back in place. There's some other places on this specific pair of jeans that'll need some attention soon too.

Day 186 | The inner seams (5th comparison)

Here's the 5th comparison of the seams on the inner leg. The 5th picture is the last day before the wash and the 6th picture is the days after the wash.

There's a lot of difference before and after the wash. Afterwards the denim seemed to have settled a bit more. It's not as compact, yet it shrunk. The folds are gone, and in their place are just light blue lines.

The second photo is of the seams a bit higher up at the knees. Here you can see the huge difference between before and after the wash. The stretches are gone from the front of the knees and the creases are gone from the back. Now there's just the light blue lines and scuff marks that remain.

The bottom photograph shows what the bottom seams look like close up, and that they look like new, but a bit worn in. Tomorrow I'm looking at the front pockets.

Day 157 | The inner seams (4th comparison)

On day 123, when I compared the inner seams the last time, I said that I fold my hems up nowadays. Well nowadays I wear a belt all the time, so they don't hang so low any more, and there's no need to fold the hems up.

There's a huge difference in the folds and creases on these photos. The photos are from Month two, three, four and today, month five. Not so much colouration, but a lot of wear on the actual seams. The bottom photograph is also the inner seam, but a bit higher up at the knee. Lots of creases on the back of the knee and lots of stretching on the front of the knee. Then also some colouration, and it looks like the back creases will never come out. I'll be very interested what this part looks like after the first wash. Tomorrow I'll compare the front pockets.

Day 123 | The inner seams (3rd comparison)

Today I compare the inner seams. The place where my shoes do most of the chafing and damage. Not so much anymore though because I fold the bottom hems up most of the time nowadays.

The photo on the left is from day 58, the middle one from day 91 and the right hand one from today day 123. Not much has changed I think. A little bit more wear, but not a lot. The foldup is more evident and I don't think the crease will ever be gone, not even after the first wash. The bottom photo is the amount of wear so far, actually quite a bit if you compare it to the photo below it from the first week. Tomorrow I compare the front pockets for the 3rd time.

Day 91 | The inner seams (2nd comparison)

Here we go with the inner seams and what they look like now, after 91 days of everyday wear. I last compared them on day 58, and by then already they were showing signs of wear. I don't think it got much worse since then, but still, there's a lot of light blue worn out spots, directly on the seams.

There wear is more evident down close to the hems, where the jeans hang over my shoes and brush together when I walk, than say the knees or between my thighs. The top photograph consists of two pictures. The one on the left was taken on day 58 and the one on the right, was taken today. Not a lot of difference if you ask me.

Maybe there's be lots more in a month or so. Tomorrow I'll compare the front pockets.

Day 90 | The back pockets (2nd comparison)

Here's the start of my second series of comparisons, such as I did on day 57 - day 61. The pictures on the left is from day 14, the middle picture is from day 57 and the right hand picture is from today, day 90. I'm trying to do this at the beginning of each month.

As you can see, the jeans are by far more shiny, not just from the wear, but also from not washing them. Today is basically halfway, with 91 days to go before the first wash, so I have worn them every day for past 90 days. I have noticed a lot more wear during the past month, than any of the two months before that. As if the wear accelerates as it gets past a certain point.

There's a lot more light blue patches on the corners of the pockets where I sit, and a lot more permanent looking creases, that don't look like they're ever going to be smooth again.

Tomorrow I'll be looking at the inner seams, which have shown lots more wear too, from chafing against each other everyday.

Day 72 | The evolution of jeans

Here's the main reason I am writing this blog and doing this test, to learn more about denim. Below is what I could find to be the most accurate on the beginning of denim, by Jan Adkins for motherearthnews.com. If you disagree, feel free to comment.

"In 1853, a Bavarian immigrant named Levi
Strauss, an astute merchant in San Francisco, responded to the gold-rush need for tough miner's clothes. He had his stock of brown cotton tent canvas run up as plain trousers, no belt loops and no back pockets. A cinch belt in the back kept them up. Scrabbling among too many rocks and too little gold, crawling along shafts, wrestling timber supports and balky dray mules, Strauss's "overalls" lasted. They were cheap and they felt good.

Strauss switched to denim (from serge de Nimes , a twill made in southern France) and had it dyed in reliable, uniform indigo. By the I860s, Levi Strauss's blue pants were daily wear for miners and farmers and cattlemen throughout the West. In 1873
he bought, for $69 — the price of the patent application — an idea from a Russian immigrant tailor in Reno for making miner's pants stronger by riveting the critical seams. They were nicknamed jeans after the city of Genoa, where sailors wore blue cotton canvas.

By 1880 the Levi was full-blown, with orange stitching (including the trademark "arcuate" design across the back pockets, once the functional anchor for pocket lining), bar tacking, rivets, watch pocket and the "Two Horse" leather patch. Lot numbers are assigned to products and, for the OI-weight denim used, the "waist-high overalls" are called 501s. It's true; more so than most of the thin ghosts we call up for our heritage, Levi's are rooted in the real stuff."

Really interesting stuff, if you realise how popular jeans are today, and that it all only happened in the last 155 or so years.

Day 58 | The inner seams (1st comparison)

I don't have the same comparison photos for the inner seams taken on day one, besides the top one taken on day 5, but here's what they look like now, after 58 days of everyday wear (photos 2 and 3). I'll take some at the end of next month to compare to these, and so on till the end of six months.

You can already see the difference between the raw denim in the photo from day 5 to the denim in the photos taken today. A lot more worn. There should be a much bigger difference next month. The

You can see the blueish "wear" or "chaff" area on the right hand leg of the second photo. I wear the hems folded up as much, as I have them down, but the material still chaffs against each other no matter what. You can even see that the creases made by folding the hems up are much more visible now.

The wear on the inner seams should be a lot more noticeable after 6 months of everyday wear. Tomorrow I'll compare the front pockets.

Day 57 | The back pockets (1st comparison)

Here's the first set of comparisons I promised. The photos on the left-side are from 2 weeks of wear, and taken on day 14, whilst the photos on the right-side, were taken today, on day 57. So about a month and a half difference, and the jeans were worn every day.

Not a lot you can pick up from the photos, except for the creases which appear more permanent over the pockets and on the inner thigh. The raw denim itself, appears more smooth, or shiny if you will. Probably from sitting on it every day. Not sure if it's my eyes, or the photo, but the denim appears a bit less blue. I know that the original colour was Blue Black, but even now with the naked eye, the denim appears a bit "less" blue. It may be just that the denim appears more shiny from the wear. A comparison at the end of next month should reveal a lot more.

I've also noticed today that the seams on the inner, lower leg, have started to show wear from chafing against each other. Will take some photos of that for tomorrow.

Day 52 | Hanging out

Here it is, what they look like now when I hang them up after a long day, to "rest" at night. I always had the hook on the front of my clothing cupboard, but never thought to use it in this way. Or not until I read about the millions of ways people hang up their jeans at night, or for long periods of time.

The way I used to do it, was not ideal, if I think about it now. For one, it puts permanent folds on the side of the legs where the seams are, and a crease halfway across the jeans, where it went over the door. This way seems to be more natural, if you will. Just hope the back belt loop doesn't let me down.

I got a response from Alexander at Dr.Denim about a label I found inside my jeans, that I know nothing about. I published a photo on day 24. But more on that another day.

Day 51 | It's cold already

One thing I'm trying to get used to here in Sweden, is the cold. I'm originally from South Africa, where we have a lot of sun. I find it strange, that you can have a perfectly sunny day here, no clouds in the sky, and no wind, yet it'll be 4°C or even colder, as it was three days ago. It's not even winter yet. I love autumn though, with its beautiful colours in the trees and on the ground.

I have decided to follow some of the advice I posted yesterday. From now on, I'm hanging my jeans up by the back belt loop. I've noticed that the seams on the sides are starting to get worn, from hanging them over my door, and pulling them down in the mornings. None of that any more. I have a clothes hook on the front of my clothing cupboard, so I'm just hooking them up on there. I still open them up to "breathe" and "dry out" though. I'll post a photograph tomorrow. I think it's better this way, then they're never folded flat, as they were over the door before.