I've wanted to talk to you about jeans or rather denim for a while because jeans are part of everyone's wardrobe. Who doesn't have a denim piece in their closet? In the form of pants, shirts, jackets, skirts, dresses, overalls... We find it everywhere.

And finally, we don't know it as well as we think... So I invite you to discover a little more about this omnipresent fabric that has a story! Let's go!

To start, a little history and some clarifications are necessary. 

Jeans is a fabric made since the 16th century. It belongs to the category of warp and weft fabrics. Its particularity is being woven in a so-called twill weave. This weave is particularly recognizable because an oblique pattern appears on the fabric. If you look closely at your jeans, you will notice this pattern. 
Originally, jeans were woven from cotton, linen, or wool. They were not dyed with indigo because they were mainly worn by people working outdoors. So they were either left in their natural raw color or dyed in brown tones to "camouflage" traces of mud and dirt. Far from the pretty indigo-dyed denim ;-)

It is very likely that the first jeans originated from Genoa in Italy. The name jean would have derived from this; by usage and deformation: "tissu Gênes" would have become "Jean". 

Denim It will be produced a little later in Europe, probably in Nimes, from where it would get its name "de Nimes". Denim, like jeans, is made of a warp and weft fabric in twill weave. With one big difference, which you have probably already guessed: the famous dyeing process: indigo! 

Indeed, in a denim fabric the weft thread is not dyed (so it is natural) and the warp thread is blue. It should be noted that the dye does not penetrate to the core of the fiber, so the center is not completely colored; this explains why our famous jeans fade. 

 Since then, denim colors have of course evolved and we now find a very wide range of shades. 

The second major difference between denim and jean is that denim is originally made only of cotton threads. Today, many denims contain a small amount of elastane to give more elasticity to the toile and therefore more comfort to the wearer. This is actually the type of denim you will find in the shop. 

And to finish with the definitions, a jean's is actually a pair of pants made of denim toile that really spread across Europe after World War II. 

Sewing denim

First important step: pre-washing to avoid shrinkage and especially color bleeding (fading). Otherwise, you risk ending up with blue fingers while sewing ;-)

To sew denim, you will need:

• a special jean's needle. It is a needle with a reinforced point that can pass through the jean's toile, which is thicker than a simple cotton fabric. 
• a denim thread a bit stronger for assembly seams or use the triple stitch option if you want to use, for example, a colored polyester thread. 

If you want to sew yourself a pair of jean's, you will need to add to your sewing basket:

• rivets to reinforce the pockets and prevent them from tearing, to be applied with a clip. We offer in the shop the Prym vario clip which allows the application of rivets. 
• a special jean's button available in silver and bronze versions in the shop. 
• a special jean's zipper that you will find in the shop. 

For very thick toiles, a walking foot for your sewing machine can be very useful. 

Which stitches should I select on my machine?

The straight stitch is ideal. However, I advise you to lengthen it a bit, especially if your denim toile is thick. You'll get a more regular stitch. I invite you to test the stitch length on a scrap of your toile to appreciate the result before starting on the final piece. 

The triple or stretch stitch will also be perfect, especially if your toile contains elastane and has good elasticity. This will also give character to your seams.

The zigzag stitch will be very useful, very tight, to make the bartack stitch on the zipper and obviously to overlock all the raw edges of your toile. You can also use the serger for overlocking the edges. 

Finally, so-called decorative stitches can be used to decorate back pockets or even front ones depending on your desires. Creativity is endless for this kind of project. 

I'm a beginner, can I sew denim?

Yes, denim is a fairly easy fabric to sew. If you've already sewn slightly thick cotton, you won't have any trouble sewing denim.

The difficulty will mostly lie in choosing your pattern. If you choose a simple little dress to sew in denim, you won't encounter any difficulty. It's obvious that starting with making a pair of jean's will expose you to some complexities like the zipper, pockets, flat-felled seams... 

Books to learn more

The book "Jean et denim" by Guënaël Luong from Mango editions, which gathers great explanations about denim, detailed technical explanations (zipper assembly, flat-felled seams...) with 8 jean's patterns (4 men and 4 women) as well as a denim jacket in both male and female versions.

The book "L'atelier du jean's" by Sophie Valantoine and 1083 from Eyrolles editions, where you'll find a theoretical section with the history of denim, types of cuts... and then 5 women's patterns with a synthetic assembly guide, 4 men's patterns, and two children's patterns. In this book, you'll also find information about modifications (height, curve...). 

I still have quite a few patterns to make on my wishing list, including a beautiful adventurous dress in denim. And you, which denim pattern tempts you? 

Happy sewing to everyone!