1870s Orr pantaloon overall project in collaboration with Dean Hashimoto.

The first pair is all done! Next, I'll take detailed measurements, wash them, and take the measurements again after shrinkage.
Then, I'll send them to Dean for comparison with the original 1870s pair so we can check what adjustments are needed for the second pair, which will be made out of a very special denim.

#selfmadereplica #homemadejeans #1870s #sweetorr #pantaloonoveralls #lefthandtwill #buckleback #eurekajeans #forover30years #justahobby #notforsale

1870s Orr pantaloon overall project in collaboration with Dean Hashimoto.

The characteristic front pockets with pocket bags made of the same denim. The raw edges are overlocked by hand.

The denim we're using for this first version is a roughly 10 oz kibata (not pre-shrunk) left-hand twill, which is quite hard to find. We're planning to also make a second version of even more special denim!

#selfmadereplica #homemadejeans #1870s #sweetorr #pantaloonoveralls #frontpocket #lefthandtwill #eurekajeans #forover30years #notforsale

Mismatched belt loops!
A pair of late-60s Lee 200 on the left and late-70s Lee 200-0141 on the right, both with belt loops made of different denim from the rest of the jeans.

The 60s jeans (pic 2) are made of regular rope-dyed left-hand twill denim, but the belt loops are made of vat-dyed denim! Very hard to distinguish when raw, but becoming quite clear with fading.

The 70s jeans (pic 3) are made of left-hand twill denim, but the belt loops are made of right-hand twill denim!

These mismatches are not uncommon for Lee, especially during periods of transition, e.g. from left-hand twill to right-hand twill.
My guess is that the type of denim was simply not an issue for the sewing operators, just like they used yellow and orange thread interchangeably.

In extreme cases, the front panels and back panels were made of opposite twill!
I don't think this was by design; I believe it just happened to be what was on the sewing table.
It's things like this that I love about Lee.

The last pic shows the two pairs with the original flashers they came with when I first got them deadstock many years ago.

#mismatchedbeltloops #lefthandtwill #righthandtwill #denim #lee200

Another pair of waist overalls I finished recently. These are set around 1916, shortly after the introduction of chainstitch machines and the addition of belt loops.
They feature some of the most beautiful left-hand twill denim I've worked with.

#handmadejeans #handcraftedjeans #homemadejeans #selfmadejeans #selvedgedenim #lefthandtwill #1910s #waistoveralls #buckleback #cinch #eurekajeans #eureka #forover30years #justahobby #notforsale

1930s Snag Proof buckle back jeans
Delving a bit deeper into the denim.
From the back side of the denim it is easier to distinguish between the left- and right-hand twill.
The back side of the denim is marked with a red stamp every half yard. As shown in pic 2, the same stamp is used on the left- and right-hand twill denim.
The stamp is almost illegible, but comparing the 10 instances of the stamp and adjusting the contrast, exposure, saturation etc as in pic 5, I am 90% certain that it reads as follows:

6 2/3 OZS.
KINGCOT
REGISTERED

6 2/3 oz is, of course, the old designation of ounce per yard (of 28" fabric), which translates into the current designation of a little over 8 oz per square yard. (Thanks to @denim_seeker for a great conversion table posted recently!)

#vintagejeans #vintagedenim #realvintage #deadstock #newoldstock #snagproof #buckleback #lefthandtwill #righthandtwill #1930s #ozpersquareyard #ozperyard #kingcot #kingcotdenim

1930s Snag Proof buckle back jeans
As already mentioned, these jeans are made of both right-hand twill and left-hand twill denim. In particular, the left and right back leg panels are made of left-hand twill, and everything else is constructed of right-hand twill.
The leg panels are the parts that undergo skewing after washing resulting in the characteristic leg twist, and so the fact they used left-hand twill only for the back leg panels clearly illustrates the purpose of this design.
The leg twist was always considered a drawback, but it became a real issue in the 60s as jeans transformed from workwear into a fashion item. Wrangler famously solved the problem with their broken twill denim. It wasn't until the 70s that the process of pre-skewing was invented, which fundamentally solved the issue.
I find it fascinating that this minor brand was experimenting all the way back in the 1930s with an innovative approach to tackle this problem, way ahead of its time.
Was it successful? Probably not, as it obviously didn't catch on and no other brands followed suit.
I'd love to see what happens when these are washed, but I absolutely do no want to wash them!

#vintagejeans #vintagedenim #realvintage #deadstock #newoldstock #snagproof #buckleback #lefthandtwill #righthandtwill #1930s

Iron branded leather "Eureka" label on 1950s store brand-inspired jeans. Left-hand twill selvedge denim and double bar-tacked back pockets.
#rawdenim #selvedgedenim #lefthandtwill #leatherlabel #eurekajeans #justahobby #notforsale