Workshop Reference

The shelf

The permanent reference behind the projects: how things are measured, what they are made of, how they are built, how they wear, what the marks mean — and the small print that keeps things clear. Bench Notes are the running story; this shelf is what stays true.

Fit & measuring

How a garment is measured here, what the numbers mean, and why a prototype’s fit moves.

Sizing

A practical note on fit, measurements, and choosing the right size.

How I measure a garment

Flat on the table, edge to edge, the same way every time. The points I record and what each one means.

Garment measurements are not body measurements

A finished garment is always bigger than the body inside it. The difference is ease, and ease is the fit decision.

Why a prototype's fit changes

Blocks, muslins, seam allowances and cloth that moves. What actually changed between the first and second jean fittings, and why the numbers keep moving.

Compare a garment you already own

The most reliable way to judge fit from a distance. Measure the piece you like, note what you would change, and send the numbers.

Not written yet

Size charts

None yet. The jean is still a pattern in progress; a chart appears when there is a repeatable run to measure — taken exactly the way described in "How I measure a garment".

Coming when it is true

Materials

What the cloth, hide, thread and hardware terms mean — and why a piece uses what it uses.

The materials library

Materials & Sourcing

Notes on the fabrics, leather, hardware, and thread used in the workshop.

Selvedge

The self-finished edge of a narrow-loom cloth, and why it turns up on the outside of a pair of jeans.

Fabric weight

What the "oz" on a cloth means, what the numbers feel like in the hand, and why a jacket, a jean and a pocket bag do not want the same one.

Warp, weft and twill

The two directions in a woven cloth, why denim has a diagonal, and what "broken" and "herringbone" twills change.

Raw denim

Denim that has not been washed after weaving and dyeing. What that means for stiffness, shrinkage and how it fades — and what the workshop does about it.

Pocketing

The cloth inside a pocket does more work than the cloth outside it. Why pocket bags are cut from a lighter, tighter, stable cloth.

Thread

The smallest material in a garment and the one every seam depends on. Construction thread, topstitching thread, and the cheap spool that is right for a toile.

Hardware

Buttons, rivets and snaps are sourced, not made. What each does, which ones the workshop uses, and how they are set.

Leather

Vegetable-tanned leather is used where touch and age matter — patches, handles, a hat. What "veg-tan" means and how it behaves.

Labels and tape

Cotton twill tape stamped with the seal is the workshop's label for now. Woven labels are planned, not made. Which is which, and where they go.

Waxed canvas

A plain-weave cotton impregnated with wax. Weather resistance without a coating, at the price of some upkeep.

Construction

The seams and details that show up in the work: what they are, why they were chosen, what they change.

Flat-felled seam

One seam allowance wrapped inside the other and stitched down twice. No raw edge, no fraying, and the strongest seam on a jean.

The selvedge outseam

A plain seam pressed open, with the cloth's own finished edges left showing. Narrow, flat, and honest about what the cloth is.

Button fly

Why the jean closes with buttons instead of a zipper — and what a button fly costs in return.

Yoke

The V-shaped piece across the back of a jean, between the waistband and the legs. It is there for fit, not decoration.

Reinforcement and bar tacks

The points that get pulled on — pocket corners, the base of a fly, elbows, the bottom of a bag — and the three ways they are held.

Bound seams

Seam allowances wrapped in a strip of cloth. The clean inside of an unlined garment or bag, and why waxed canvas wants it.

Patch pockets

A pocket sewn onto the outside of a garment rather than hung inside it. Simple, visible, and easy to make deliberately generous.

Topstitching

Stitching that is meant to be seen. What it holds, how it is done, and why it is the first thing to fade on a jean.

Hems

The bottom edge of a leg or a sleeve, turned and stitched. Depth, lockstitch versus chainstitch, and why the jean's hem is the former.

Not written yet

Plackets

Applied and grown-on plackets — the finished front opening of a shirt. Not written until the shirt block exists; there is no shirt to point at yet.

Coming when it is true

Care & wear

How these materials behave over time, and what to do (and not do) about it.

Care Guide

How to care for pieces built to wear in, not wear out.

Washing denim

There is no single rule. What washing does to a raw denim, what to expect the first time, and the habits that keep a pair in shape.

Shrinkage and relaxation

Cloth gets smaller when it is washed and bigger when it is worn. How much, where, and how the pattern accounts for it.

Fading and black denim

Indigo fades to white where it creases; black fades to grey everywhere. Why they age differently, and what to expect from each.

Leather patina

Vegetable-tanned leather darkens, marks and softens with handling. What is happening, what to do, and what to leave alone.

Repairs and visible mending

What wears first, why early repairs are small ones, and why a repair does not have to hide.

Waxed canvas care

Brush it, wipe it, warm it, re-wax it. Why waxed cloth is never washed, and how a worn finish is brought back.

Workshop marks

The seal, the numbers, the records and the verdicts — how a piece is documented and what each mark means.

Workshop marks

The seal, the numbers, the record card and the verdict — how a piece from this workshop is documented, and what each mark actually means.

The maker's seal

One mark, many surfaces. The MB monogram, the round seal built around it, and how each is pressed, stamped or printed.

The Workshop Record

The card or label that carries a piece's numbers, date, cloth and verdict. Documentation that travels with the garment.

Project, prototype and run numbers

Three numbers, three questions — which design, which attempt, which one. How they are assigned and how they read together.

Verdicts and verification marks

The Workshop Verdict is the maker's opinion of a piece, in one line. Verification marks say it was checked. Which is which, and which exist.

Practicalities & small print

Questions, project inquiries, and the terms that keep things clear.

Project Inquiries

How custom and one-off workshop projects begin.

Shipping

Details regarding shipping methods, expected delivery times, packaging standards, and order processing procedures.

Returns & Repairs

What to do if a piece is not quite right.

FAQ

Common questions from the workshop.

Privacy

Privacy information for Mash & Burn Co., including what data may be collected and how it may be used.

Terms

The basic terms for using this site and working with Mash & Burn Co.