I just finished an 80 hour Traditional Tailoring Class at our Community College. I'm so happy that I completed my project on time and that it is actually wearable!
The amount of work done by hand in this jacket was mind boggling. I loved doing it, but I now have the posture of an Emperor penguin.
After perfecting the fit in muslin a mere 19 pattern pieces were cut out in wool (with several duplicates for the lining).
The inner structure of a tailored garment is like architecture and sculpture. Shaping hair canvas over the wool and meticulously pad stitching by hand gives beautiful shape to the collar and lapels.
What may seem unnecessarily tedious to some is just heaven to all of us O/C types
All the pattern markings, including grain lines are transferred to the wool in thread:
Here's some of the inner structure:
Bound buttonholes go in early on:
This is how the pad stitching sculpts the wool:
Careful pressing is my obsession with all sewing but it is wonderful how it can shape wool by flattening, shrinking, or rolling it when needed.
The snazzy electric blue lining picks up the blue in the tweed
I've never had a jacket feel this comfortable before. Y'all know how great sewing is for making clothes that fit. I especially appreciate it in something this time consuming.
And I finished it just in time for summer
button to nominate it!
