Pre-loved and unsold jeans are my new textile passion. The more I work with denim the more I discover about this fabric.
First, I gather jeans from whatever source at hand: my own, friend’s, thrift stores (unsold or used). Wash them well.
Next the deconstruction begins! I used to focus only on harvesting as much fabric as possible (always cutting along warp and weft lines).
This meant saving some pockets, but not necessarily the zippers, hems or waistbands (elastic or otherwise). There is a lot of fabric to be gained and reused, but what was not salvaged went for stuffing or to trash bins.
Recently I began to remove the stitching from the hems and waistbands just to see how much fading or wear there was on “new” versus “used” jeans. This is almost a funny misnomer since many “new” pairs of jeans are actually manufactured to seem “old” or broken in and comfortable. Many new jeans have had chemical or abrasion treatments to give them that used look.
Traditional hemming on jeans. 
Single fold, elastic waistband.
After removing the stitching, the materials soaked in water to loosen up the stitch holes. Next, they were steam pressed, to be open and flat.
Elastic waistband with visible stitch holes. 
Different seams and waistbands soaking. 
Ironing a traditional jean hem. 
Different amounts of fading can be seen within the jean hem and on both sides. 
Beautiful designs and colors are exposed.
WOW! I was not prepared for the beauty of the patterns and many shades of blue that were exposed! This fading is different from other parts of the jeans due to their composition of folds, holes, and stretches. It seems like these parts have had lives of their own with their unique pasts.
Rather than by-passing these parts during future jean deconstruction, they will now be included in my “stashes.” What will they be used for? Well, stay tuned to future posts for the answer!