Heavy Weight Denim

Denim weight is measured in ounces per square yard, and it tells you more about how a garment will turn out than almost anything else on the label. Below about 10oz you're in shirting and lighter dress territory. From 11oz upward the cloth starts behaving like proper jeans denim: it holds a crease, it stands up rather than draping, and it takes years of wear rather than months. At 14oz and above it's genuinely stiff to begin with and needs breaking in, which is the point for some people and the problem for others.

This is the heavier end of the range, and it's where the interesting denim lives. Raw denim, sometimes called dry denim, hasn't been washed or distressed at the mill, so it starts dark and stiff and fades to your own wear patterns rather than someone else's. Selvedge denim is woven on old-style shuttle looms, which produce a narrow width with a tightly finished self-edge, the clean band you see turned up on a cuff. There's bull denim, which is a heavier three-by-one twill, and a spread of weights from an everyday 11oz through 12.7oz and 13oz up to 14oz.

Choosing a weight

11oz to 12oz is the comfortable middle ground, structured enough for jeans but wearable straight away and easier on your machine. 12oz to 13oz is classic jeans weight, with a firmer handle and better longevity. 14oz and above is serious workwear denim: rigid at first, needs breaking in, and rewards it with a garment that outlasts most of your wardrobe. For jackets, a mid to heavy weight works well. For anything that needs to drape, this isn't the collection you want.

Sewing heavyweight denim

Your machine will feel it. Use a denim or jeans needle, a 100 or 110, and a longer stitch length. The trouble comes at the seams where several layers stack up, particularly at the hem and the fly, and the answer is to go slowly and use a hump jumper or a folded scrap to keep the foot level rather than forcing it. Topstitching thread in a contrast colour is what makes jeans look like jeans. Press seams hard, as heavy denim resists shaping. Pre-wash unless you're working with raw denim and want the shrinkage to happen on you.

A note on raw denim

Raw denim shrinks, sometimes considerably, and it bleeds indigo onto everything for the first few wears, including furniture and lighter clothing. That's expected rather than a fault. Some people size up and let it shrink to fit, others soak it first. Whichever way, check the individual product page for the specific guidance, as shrinkage varies between cloths.

Finding pure cotton, and other weights

To see denim made from 100% cotton only, excluding stretch blends, use the Yarn filter and select 100% yarn content. For lighter options and the full range, browse all denim fabrics, and there's Japanese denim if that's what you're after. Patterns are in trouser and shorts patterns.