501XX-bigE early period
Thank you very much for your support.
PATTERN LABO.My name is Ikasan.
By tearing apart good old vintage clothing, thinking about it, and fantasizing about it, I am striving to make current manufacturing more interesting.
For more information, please visit the PATTERN LABO. website. https://ikajum.jp/
Here, we will discuss the results of destroying and examining vintage items from the perspective of a super maniac.
What is Vintage Levis 501-bigE early model?
bigE is one of the most famous periods of the 501.
Made between the late 1960s and early 1970s,
This was also an important moment when the notation XX (Double X) disappeared.
As soon as the XX notation disappears, you can clearly feel Levi's commitment.
Hidden rivets also disappeared at this time.
I think this is a very emotional experience for all VINTAGE denim lovers.
Currently, regarding 501
"Late 66", "Early 66", "66BIG-E", "Early BIG-E", "Last XX", "XX47"
It has been dismantled many times.
For me, this early model of 501bigE
[ It can be said that this is my favorite generation among the VINTAGE 501s.]
Great War models, BuckleBack, etc.
This may change if I dig deeper into XX.
I think it will be my favorite for the time being.
What is the surprising reason why this generation is your favorite among the 501s?
There are three main reasons for this.
The first one
The way you use yarn is unique to VINTAGE and it's really great!
(Described later)
Second
I love how you use chain stitch.
(This will also be explained later)
Third
There are no hidden rivets.
Hidden rivets (rivets) are Levi's jeans.
It is an essential presence when talking about it, and as a VINTAGE lover,
I love hidden rivets.
However, if you think about it as a product, you may have to step on it with your butt.
It might hurt.
Actually, the pants I have that have hidden rivets are painful.
(Although it's not Levi's...)
However, each age group has its own characteristics and is attractive.
I'm really looking forward to disassembling the vintage 501 that I haven't seen yet.
Back body
I will explain the first and biggest reason why I like the early model of BIG-E, the thread usage.
501 at this time is XX (meaning the highest grade of fabric quality)
We are in a transitional period where the expression ``is'' disappearing.
If the notation XX just disappears, it might feel like a story about the fabric.
That's not what I'm trying to say here.
This can be said to be a transitional period in which various changes are being made in sewing.
First is the thread used for sewing.
There are several types of thread, but now
"Cotton yarn" made of cotton (very natural texture but weak)
"Spun yarn" made of synthetic fibers (durable but does not fade)
It is enough to know these two things.
The thread used for products before this (strictly speaking, the last model of XX is as close as possible to BIGE, so before that) is cotton thread.
And the yarn used after the late model of BIG-E is spun yarn.
So, what is going on in the first half of BIG-E this time?
``Both cotton yarn and spun yarn are used. ”
The places where it is used are also generally decided.
(Since it is VINTAGE, there are some individual differences)
Use spun thread for the winding seam at the bottom and the winding seam at the yoke joint.
The rest will be cotton thread.
In other words, the part where the wrapped stitch is made is a spun thread.
And how do you know this?
"Discoloration of thread"
is.
It's hard to tell from the image, but spun yarn doesn't fade.
The dark color remains.
"I wonder if people back then didn't even think about fading."
It's fun to think about it,
More than anything,,
[A mixture of transitional details born with the passage of time]
This is what I really like.
back pocket
Regarding the notch in the back pocket, there are no hidden rivets and only a hidden hook.
There seem to be some patterns.
In this photo, it looks like it's cut into a V shape, but I've seen some that aren't cut.
I guess it's a V shape, or maybe I folded the seam allowance at the end and then cut it diagonally.
I guess they made it easier for each factory to do it.
Side seam
This is also a maniac content ...
Before the side seam becomes chain stitch (chain stitch from early 66 onwards)
The ground stitches are often sewn with thick thread.
One of my favorite aspects of this is how different counts are used to create a single pair of pants.
The much older (BuckleBack) 501 also has side seams and small stitches.
Since it is sewn with a thick thread count, this thick thread was probably used in areas where strength was needed until strong polyester threads were introduced.
The reason why the photos look different is because the pieces were taken apart quite a while ago, so I didn't leave any material behind to show them to others.
This is an image that was copied using a copy machine at the time.
Clothes wo digging actually uses images of different individuals.
It's a secret because it's only here.
What is Clothes wo digging?
↓ is the side line of a different individual.
belt stitch
Regarding the belt stitching
The second reason I like the first half of bigE is that I like the chain stitching.
in particular
- Chain stitch only on the attached side.
? ? ? Let me explain for those who say.
There are stitches on both the upper and lower parts of the belt,
This top and bottom stitch
・Bottom chain stitch only
・Both chain stitch
That way you can confirm the age.
Of course, I like the look of chain stitching on only one side.
The change from one side chain stitch to top and bottom chain stitch means that
This means that your sewing machine has changed, and it is important to think about this.
Chain stitching on one side is not only the first half of bigE, but also the earlier 501XX.
Bag cloth
There are stitches on the bag so you can check it.
Almost 100% of the time, the coin pocket is attached after attaching the other side cloth to the bag cloth .
In today's manufacturing process, if the outer material is made of thick, hard fabric and the bag cloth is made of thin fabric, and if the bag is made with a distressed material, the corners of the coin pocket will hit hard and the bag cloth will tear.
In such cases, I sometimes try to put it in the cloth on the other side.
The pocket opening is curved, so the seam allowance is only about 0.8, probably because it doesn't have a seam allowance. The seam allowance here is thin, which seems to be the case for all ages that I've seen.
sewing thread
This is due to the difference in aging due to the different thread materials mentioned above.
Of course, there may have been some differences in color since then, but I don't think the difference was this big. It's great to see changes over time.
buttons and rivets
What is the number stamped on the back of the button?
I'm sure many people are interested in that, but I don't have much interest in it at the moment.
I like the interesting changes in the material and shape of rivets.
I feel like I really like the rivets made of this aluminum material.
coin pocket lightning
The coin pocket has no ears.
However, you can see the vertical hit (color fading) called lightning wrinkles, which many people like to see.
As for why this happens,
This is "the intersection of the vertical and horizontal lines of the fabric."
The direction of the fabric on the other side, which is the base, and the direction of the fabric on the coin pocket that sits on top are different vertically and horizontally.
Unorganized denim fabric tends to shrink more in the vertical direction, which causes the coin pocket to float and wrinkle.
When making a 5PK with selvedge fabric, it is tempting to use the coin pocket opening as an ear, but it would be interesting to think this far and choose not to use the ear.
For your reference
It was fun this time too! !
LEVI'S LEVI'S 501BIG-E early model
With this.