The "Chase Crush" Missoni-esque knit that I've chosen for this project is pretty light weight and VERY stretchy. It just doesn't feel substantial enough for a jacket. I had also ordered a dark purple bamboo knit from Vogue Fabrics, thinking that I would use it for Thread Theory's new Finlayson Sweater, but it also feels [...]
Category: Roberto Cabrera
The Home Stretch, or….The All Day Waistband
I had a feeling that the waistband would be time consuming, and man was I right. I used the construction techniques from Roberto Cabrera; and while I love the results, there are probably much easier, and faster, ways to finish off a pair of pants. The waistband is constructed before sewing up the crotch seam, [...]
Pants progress — Pockets
I've launched into the pants. My plan is follow the pattern directions for the front slant pockets, but I'll defer to Cabrera for the back welt pockets. Why you might ask? Firstly, his directions are crystal clear and there's a line drawing for each and every step. Secondly, I can totally ignore all the fiddly [...]
Back from a break. Soldier on, Dad.
I took a much needed break from this project. It's easy to forget just how labor intensive a tailored jacket can be. But it's time to get back on the horse, as they say. When I left off I was completely baffled by the collar construction. I read and reread Cabrera's instruction to the [...]
Completing the Jacket Fronts…Tailoring nerds rejoice!
I know that many of you enjoy seeing the tailoring process, so this post's for you! For some, this may look like torture, but I actually enjoy all this hand work. Maybe you do too. It may look complicated, but in reality it's pretty basic stuff. There's a real sense of constructing something as I [...]
A Little Tailoring
As much as I want this jacket to be unstructured, I keep veering off into "tailoring territory". It's hard to resist. I want this garment to be the best possible that I can produce, considering my abilities and the tools at my disposal. Chances are that I won't make this design again, and I probably [...]
The frock coat — back to tailoring
Things are progressing on the frock coat front. I altered most of the pattern pieces. Here they are all spread out. I shortened and narrowed the sleeves, lowered the lapel and increased the back by 1.5 inches. Again, if you haven't tried the Swedish tracing paper I encourage you to try it. I'm a true [...]
How to stay busy while the fabric is at the drycleaners
My linen has been renamed a "tablecloth" by the cleaners, and it will be ready in about a week. In the meantime I'm moving forward by "preparing the canvas." Canvas is the name given to the understructure of the jacket. It's composed of layers of different interfacings intended to give the jacket shape and also [...]
When good books go bad
I'll confess up front that I don't own very many books on sewing.The Bishop Method of Clothing Construction has been a valuable friend, although I tremble that the ghost of Edna Bishop may suddenly appear and rap my knuckles with a french curve if I sew a seam in the wrong direction. Participating in [...]
Muslin #1
I'm following my usual procedures and transferring my pattern pieces to Swedish tracing paper. If you've never used it, I highly recommend it. Armed with a roll of scotch tape and some scraps one can adjust and alter with abandon! I'm also using the book Classic Tailoring Techniques by Roberto Cabrera. The book deserves an [...]
