J = Jeans

after a few ideas of J words 

I would venture a thought that "Jeans" would be one of some importance to me.

From a very early age,

I grew up hearing the hum and " damn it's "

of a domestic sewing machine. 

I was very comfortable using Mother's machine

and really thought this sewing thing was a breeze, 

heck I even embellished the catch phrases.

One day, way back, almost just out of high school,

I landed a job at Levi Strauss.

Then came Intro 101

The training involved was somewhat of a step up 

from what I had been used to but I thought, 

 hey ,  if I can learn what I learned

from whom I learned it from,

this should be a breeze.

 

Well, the breeze was from the motors

coz those puppies could really move.

There is nothing quite as chilling as the rhythm of a factory

full of Industrial Sewing Machines....

I mean, these things were the real deal,

 and man did I learn from them....

DO NOT GET YOUR FINGERS IN THE WAY..........

For several years I put the waistbands on Levi Jeans

and I really have to say

"It was a good job."

We had a ton of laughs,

learned that the back of toilets make really good coolers.....

(sick,,,, I know but hey it kept a good beverage cold.)

many a friendships were made

and most still hold.

You learned that as a bit of a class clown,

you never knew what to expect

when you went to your machine

in the early mornings or after a break...

 So many memories that go with it all.

The odd time there was a few pairs of jeans come through

that were of a different cut and if you knew the right people

and liked a challenge

you could have your own pants put into production

without the supervisor getting down your case....

Many a pair were put through a couple of the line ups.

Every so often you could purchase from the store

and for the most part everyone did,

but my favorite location was the end of the rolls.

I have absolutely NO IDEA how many meters of that old familiar denim

 I acquired, but I do know that after wrapping a skirt

 down one side of a 48' flatbed,

across the back and then back up the other side,

there tends to be a few meters discarded

at the end of a good parade.

hmmmm with my imagination in tack

 I thought to my self

"Self, what can I do with 104 feet of good old denim???"..hmmmm

 

Within a week, I had covered a couch,

made chair covers for our kitchen,

made a few duffel bags, a couple aprons, a Duvet cover for a bed,

AND a few pair of pants too......

The production of Jeans was one of great precision and timing.

One aspect of this industry is Piecework and with that training

it became a way of life for many years in several different facilities.

 In fact, I am still working with Industrial machines

and the fact that they do not intimidate me

 is a great indication that I can use them at their capacity

and not have the typical concerns of the speed or intensity of these machines.

 HOWEVER

it is a bit of a pain in the butt when some Smartass walks past with a pair of snips 

cuts a thread and continues on past,

 or the damn spools run out of thread .......

 

After Levis shut their doors at the main plant in our town

 a few of us chose to travel to the Stoney Creek facility for about 6 months

and then I decided that with everything I had learned about the several machines,

I could put that to use here in our town

 so off I went.

I worked at a T Shirt factory for about 6 months before I became a Supervisor

 and maintained that position for several years.

I have also worked where BBQ covers and boat covers were made

 and then off to another facility where life was very different

although the machines were still the same.

 

With all of the experience on these industrial machines,

it was somewhat of an easy decision 

to make to get back into the saddle

and help a friend with a ``few`` dance costumes.....

Few my ass.....lol

 

Sew,,,, after all this time I can honestly say;

I have only ever had my finger come in contact with one needle

(on a domestic no less in my own sewingroom)

and after all is said and done

and the glitter has drifted off my everything,

I owe alot to those darn dark blue Jeans

with the bright orange label.

 

Cheers to the way your Jeans fit your life.