Tailoring Course 1, The Bespoke Jacket – Complete

Tailoring Course 1, The Bespoke Jacket – Complete

Hello faithful followers. I've really been MIA in the social media world for quite some time. Sorry about that. The first half of the course at The Tailoring Academy wrapped up on February 17th and it was a scramble to the finish. For international students like me, this was the final assessment on the making [...]

What Tailoring Students Do in London

What Tailoring Students Do in London

Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace? Nope Big Ben? Uh...I don't think I was even close! The Crown Jewels? Didn't see them Checking out buttonholes? Absolutely! I spent a few days in London the week before Christmas with what felt like a million other people. It was crazy. The sidewalks were a moving river [...]

Notes from an International Student

Notes from an International Student

Greetings from Macclesfield, UK. I made it! Where to start? I think I mentioned in my last post that actually attending The Tailoring Academy was dependent on the school being accredited by the British Accreditation Council. That finally happened on August 8th and the wheels were in motion. Maybe you heard the huge sigh of [...]

Belvedere Waistcoat. – Taking a Pattern from Like to Love

Belvedere Waistcoat. – Taking a Pattern from Like to Love

Do you have one of those patterns that you like, but that you're not exactly in love with? The Belvedere Waistcoat is one of those patterns for me. It seems that no matter what I throw at it, all the care and attention to detail I can muster, the end result is still slightly disappointing. [...]

Is Velvet Having A Moment?

Is Velvet Having A Moment?

Welcome to Fall in New England and a new outerwear project. I started this jacket ages ago; and just as I was getting ready to make my grand appearance, I was upstaged by this guy! And this guy... Which begs the question........Is velvet having a moment? Daniel Craig's jacket is from the esteemed Anderson & [...]

Self Drafted Trousers — An Unfinished Journey

Self Drafted Trousers — An Unfinished Journey

This will be a difficult post to write; so many thoughts are swirling in my head. I think most of us who are still blogging about our makes, usually write about our successes. We have the idea, buy the fabric, pour all the skill we can muster into a garment, and arrive victorious at the [...]

My Winter of Waistcoats

My Winter of Waistcoats

This past September (it seems SO long ago), Stylemaker Fabrics asked me to participate in their blog tour to highlight their new Fall / Winter fabrics. I ended up making the Belvedere Waistcoat from Thread Theory Designs in a pinwale corduroy. Not to beat a dead horse, but here it is. After this project I [...]

Faux Givenchy — More progress

Faux Givenchy — More progress

Work continues on my boiled wool coat. This will be a pretty "geek heavy" post, so you've been warned! With the pockets completed it's time to baste the prepared canvas to the coat fronts. I adapt the sequence that Roberto Cabrera uses for a suit jacket. Basically one bastes from the shoulder down the length [...]

Faux Givenchy for Me… Progress report #1

Faux Givenchy for Me… Progress report #1

I love working with wool! All the wool I've worked with to date has been woven, so boiled wool is a new experience. It's actually a dense knit, and unlike a woven it doesn't ravel. Not a shred! Still, I pre-treat it as I would for any wool. My TNT method is the London Shrink. [...]