Why Sewing Denim as a Hobby is Difficult
Nice to meet you, my name is Fukukawa from Danjo Denim.
I produce denim products in Kojima, Kurashiki city, Okayama prefecture, known as the holy land of jeans. I have loved denim jackets since high school, and in 2017 I moved from Ibaraki to Okayama to start my own brand and continue to produce.
He also runs a YouTube channel with apparel companies in Kojima.
Thanks to you, the number of subscribers has reached 50,000.
I mainly sell my products online, but on the handmade site creema , I have over 100 followers who follow me as an artist and I also receive product reviews.
Now, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, more people are sewing masks at home. This has increased the demand for sewing machines and the number of people sewing. This in itself makes me happy, and I hope that this number will continue to increase in the future.
Some people have even purchased industrial sewing machines and started sewing professionally. Handmade services such as minne and creema were gaining popularity even before the COVID-19 pandemic, so I think more and more people are using these sites to sell products they have sewn themselves as a side job.
However, sewing denim is quite a challenge, and there are some tough hurdles to overcome if you want to continue it as a hobby.
In this article, I will explain why sewing denim is so difficult and share my thoughts on the subject.
Well, let's get started.
table of contents
- 3. Conclusion
1. Denim Sewing Wall
Although there are thin denims, in this case I am talking about medium weight denim, about 12-13 ounces, which is what I usually handle.
1-1. Obstacle 1: "I need an industrial sewing machine"
When people think about why sewing denim is difficult, the first thing they say is, "It's so thick the needle won't penetrate." And that's true. If you're sewing just one or two layers, you can do it with a home sewing machine, but jeans and denim jackets have overlapping parts that can be as many as eight or even ten layers, so it's basically impossible to do with a home sewing machine. You have to sew while turning the pulley (the roller-like thing on the right side of the sewing machine) by hand, just like trying to open a hard bottle lid. Naturally, the needle will wobble, and the stitches will be rough and messy. The needle may even break. And when the needle breaks, it's heartbreaking...
Although it is possible to sew with an industrial sewing machine, an industrial sewing machine is by far the best for stable and fast sewing. I would like an industrial sewing machine for heavy materials. An industrial sewing machine... just hearing about it sounds like a high hurdle, doesn't it? In fact, it is expensive and very large, including the sewing table.
1-2. Obstacle 2: "And you need multiple units"
The industrial sewing machine mentioned in Wall 1 is a lock stitch sewing machine that can only sew straight lines . Straight lines only. A home sewing machine can do straight lines, overlocks, decorative stitches and buttonholes with one machine, but that's not the case with industrial machines. Industrial sewing machines basically have one role to play. And one machine alone is not enough to sew jeans. You'll need several. By the way, I sew my own original denim jackets,
- Heavy-duty lockstitch sewing machine
- Threaded Sewing Machine
- Bar tacking machine
- Overlock sewing machine
I use four of these machines. They are all expensive and large. If I bought them new, each one would cost hundreds of thousands of yen. It's not an amount I can afford to pay as a hobbyist. Even if I bought one, I wouldn't be able to use it if I didn't know how to use and maintain it. It would be difficult unless I had a sewing machine shop I could consult with. What's more, I would need a professional iron and a cutting table to cut the fabric. It costs money, and I also need space in my house...
By the way, workshops that sew jeans usually have many more sewing machines: lock stitch, rolled stitch, bar tack, overlock, buttonhole, belt loop, etc. If these machines are not used, they will rust and break down, so they need to be operated regularly.
1-3. Wall ③ "Noise"
A lockstitch sewing machine can sew surprisingly quietly if you don't use it too fast. However, things like buttonholes and bar tacking will inevitably make noise, and the vacuum noise of an iron can be surprisingly loud. If you live in a rental property or apartment, you might be worried about disturbing those living downstairs or next door.
1-4. Barrier 4: "I don't know how to sew"
I think you can get a general understanding of sewing by reading books at the library. It's also sometimes taught in home economics classes at school. However, it's hard to find books on how to sew jeans or denim jackets. When I lived in the Kanto region, I looked for books on how to sew jeans and searched online for instructions, but I couldn't find anything.
Also, while there are dressmaking classes all over the country, only a handful teach how to sew jeans. The reason is simple: as mentioned above, it's difficult to create a teaching environment, as it requires the preparation of multiple industrial sewing machines and there are noise issues. Even if a teaching environment is created, most of the students who attend dressmaking classes are women. To be honest, it's rare to see a woman who wants to sew thick jeans. Most of them are men. How many classes can provide multiple industrial sewing machines for the few male students?
1-5. Barrier 5: "Sewing thick materials is tiring"
Sewing thick materials is tiring. The sewing itself doesn't tire me out because the sewing machine does the hard work, but as the sewing progresses, the parts get larger, so the action of bringing them under the needle and turning the fabric to change direction takes up a lot of energy.
1-6. Wall ⑥ "Color transfer"
This isn't a particularly big problem, but due to the nature of denim, the blue indigo can transfer to the fabric. Depending on the dye, your hands may turn completely blue, or it may get on the sewing machine or iron and transfer to white fabric when you sew it. Therefore, when handling white fabric after sewing denim, you need to wipe down the equipment thoroughly. It's a bit of a hassle.
2. How to break through walls
If you are aware of the above obstacles and still want to sew denim, I thought about whether there was a way to overcome them.
2-1. Method 1: "Establish a connection with the production area"
In conclusion, I think this alone can open up a lot of doors. In fact, by moving from Ibaraki to Okayama, a denim production area, I was able to gain a lot of knowledge, get to know many different businesses, and create my own brand.
You may not have to move to a new place, but the information you can get by living in that place is far superior to that of not living in that place. And, this is not limited to sewing, but craftsmen generally do not accept people who do not work hard. I think that by putting your body on the line and working hard, the people around you may be able to teach you how to break through obstacles.
2-2. Method 2: "Live in a place where you won't cause trouble to others"
Noise issues can be resolved by moving to an area where there are not many houses nearby. Incidentally, noise issues are relatively easy to overcome if you move to a production area. Living in an area where similar factories are concentrated makes noise more tolerable. However, you will need to exercise self-restraint when working late into the night.
2-3. Method 3: "Utilize subsidies"
Industrial sewing machines are expensive. However, you can take advantage of subsidies for business start-ups, business sustainability subsidies, and manufacturing subsidies. In fact, many businesses use subsidies to purchase large equipment.