Almost everyone in America loves their blue jeans. Seven out of 10 Americans say jeans are their first pick for casual wear.
But one thing I recently discovered is that the popularity of blue jeans, one of the most quintessential items of American apparel, is universal. Jeans are not just for cowboys of the old West: They are the trousers of choice for young and old around the world.
Levi Strauss, who emigrated from Germany in 1847 at the age of 18, invented the denim “waist overalls” in San Francisco during the California Gold Rush. He formed Levi Strauss & Co. in 1863.
In 1872, Strauss brought Jacob Davis, a tailor from Nevada who had been making work pants with metal points to make them stronger, to San Francisco to be his business partner. With Strauss’ denim and Davis’ metal rivets, demand for the durable product became so high the pair moved production from the homes of private seamstresses to two factories.
On May 20, 1873, Davis and Strauss received a patent for their jeans from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
By 1885, a brand-new pair of Levi waist overalls cost $1.25. By 1900, the price had jumped to $8.50. Today, a pair of Levi’s 501 jeans, the oldest and best-selling jeans dating back to the 1800s, can be bought for less than $50.
In 1997, the company paid $25,000 for a pair of 100-year-old jeans found in an old mine in Colorado. The jeans, the oldest known to exist, are featured in the Levi Strauss Museum in San Francisco.
A typical pair of Levi’s 501, shrink-to-fit, button-fly jeans takes about 1yards of denim, 213 yards of thread, five buttons and six rivets to make.
In honor of Levi Strauss’ birthday today, I made an easy no-sew pillow using the leg from an old pair of jeans. I found the directions for this pillow at parenting forteens/ss/nosewjeanpillow .htm.
SUPPLIES
One leg from an old pair of jeans
Grosgrain ribbon; 2 12-inch pieces
Scissors
Polyester fiberfill
Fabric puff paint
DIRECTIONS
1. Cut the pant leg to the length you want to make your pillow. Allow extra fabric for gathering and tying the ribbons at each end. You may want to cut off the hemmed end, too, so both sides of your pillow are similar.
2. Place the pant leg on a flat work surface, and write your name with fabric puff paint. You can also draw other decorations.
3. Allow at least 24 hours to dry completely.
4. Gather the fabric on one end and tie a bow around it to close.
5. Stuff the pillow with polyester fiberfill until it is as full as you would like. Tie a ribbon around the opposite end to close.
