did I do the right thing?

[twin8885]

Hey, so i got a pair of pure blue xx-005 in black from BIG. This is my first pair of unsanfornized denim, so I don't know what to do. I took them to my tailor and told her just to leave it 4 inches to long and that I will cuff them. I figured that way when I wash them they will be ok. Did I do the right thing?

Or should I do a soak when I get them back? I have never soaked a pair of jeans, but I am sort of worried about losing to much indigo. If I decide to soak them, what is the correct way to do that?

Thanks!

 

[denimdestroyedmylife]

soak 4 hours, drip dry

 

[Badseeds]

Oh man, you could ask BIG to hem it. They have a vintage Union Special chainstitcher!

 

[twin8885]

Do you think I need to soak them DDML or can I just wear them.

 

[denimdestroyedmylife]

i would definitely soak unsanforized denim. you may not need to cuff 'em afterward. don't worry about indigo loss.

 

[twin8885]

ok then ill do that. Sorry for all the arrogant questions, but I want to make sure I dont mess this up. If they are sorta tight in the waist now, will they stretch back out after I soak them? Or can I wear them in the shower?

 

[denimdestroyedmylife]

i would suggest the tub over the shower.
be careful not to stretch out the knee too much.

 

[ddohnggo]

if it's dry unsanforized jeans, then the jeans will shrink 2" or so in the waist after a soak. did you size down?

 

[Hawkeye]

Just soak them luke-warm, they will strech out even if they are tight now. You want to make sure to soak before wearing 'cause the legs will twist, and your wear marks will shift, so you want to get that out of the way before anything gets set in stone.

 

[Miles]

1. Get the back from your tailor.

2. Soak them at home. Don't worry about the indigo loss. Soaking is easy -- just submerge them in water. For lots of shrinking, hot water is better. Less shrinking, use colder water. Anywhere between 1.5 - 3 hours should be fine.

3. While somewhat wet, make sure you them on and close the top button. If they're too small after soaking, you can stretch the denim (either by wearing or pulling) while still wet.

4. Airdry until they are bone-dry. This usually takes a few days. Some more inventive people have used a fan to some success. Really though, make sure they are completely dry.

5. Bring them back to BiG and have them hem to your desired length.

 

[flsxik]

that fan drying techniqe has been mastered by mike lowery of superfuture. He claims he can full soak and get the jeans dry in about 45 minutes. I really wanna try it too. Once superfuutre is up, you should search for his thread about the skulls. He takes a few pics in there. Its pretty neat

 

[knucks]

I think I have asked this on ST, but never saw the answer...will BiG hem my online order if I ask?

 

[twin8885]

yea they will hem for free on online orders.

I just didnt think it was worth mailing the jeans back to them. If they havent shipped yet you can ask them to do it before they do.

 

[Max]

No way in hell you're getting a pair of jeans dry in 45 minutes with a fan. Last night I soaked my jeans, then wrung most of the water out of them. Took 11 hours for them to dry with a fan pointed at them.

 

[denimdestroyedmylife]

max, you should have seen his set up-----it was truly a marvel. the fan was not merely pointed at the jeans, but the forced air was masterly funneled through them!

i dry my jeans in a small room with a dehumidifier. takes about 6 hours.