A New Jacket Conversion

[Mickey]

Finished up another day jacket. Found this nifty little number for $4.00. Came with a free bowl of soup... looks good on me, though. Chopped it down, made some scalloped pocket flaps and put on some antiqued brass buttons. It is going to be a great little knockaround jacket when it cools off a bit.

I was sure I had some "before" pics, but can't seem to find them at the moment.

[LitTrog]

That looks great! The flaps don't even look too low...the worry that has kept me from converting one of my jackets that I no longer wear. Nice work!

[Ryan Ross]

You have a great talent, sir! That doesn't look like a conversion at all! Really, really nice work.

[Mickey]

Thanks guys! Lit, this one had patch pockets. I removed them and made new flaps from the bottom of the jacket when I cut it. Just had to eyeball where to put them. I think that they could be cut down some more to be a bit thinner though.

Ryan, believe me, I have very little sewing aptitude, but they have actually become very easy once I took a few apart and figured out how they are made. It's turned into a fun little hobby now. I picked up 5 more to chop up when I get bored. I learn just a little bit more on each one.

I picked up a nice sash lapel tux jacket yesterday too. Don't quite have the nerve to start that one yet.

[Mickey]

Here are some of the ones I can find that are waiting to be converted.



This is really quite addictive. Even more amazing to me is that in the last 20 years, I've owned one sport coat and have worn it 2, maybe 3 times. I think I'm up to about 16 or so now, and still looking for more candidates.

I'm also up to 5 waistcoats. Here is a pic of me the last time I wore a waistcoat.

[madmacs]

How did you do the scallops?

Is that a tailcoat hiding in the back? Im after a 44L one on those if you see any in your travels...

[Mickey]

How did I do the scallops? Well, there was a bit of math and science involved. What I did was draw out half on one side of paper, fold it, and then cut it. (paperdoll style) Marked that pattern on the material and cut out about 1/4" bigger. Then, the math and science. I added 8 parts vodka to 1 part olive brine and 0.5 parts vermouth. This provided a necessary chemical reaction. Then I carefully folded the edges under, making a few relief cuts, while ironing them out. The lapels had stitching on the edges so I ran the flaps through the sewing machine to sew down the edges. That's it.

No, it is a waist length one. I've been searching everywhere for a full dress tailcoat. If I find one in your size I'll pick it up for you. a couple weeks ago I found one in my size with green satin lapels (would have been awesome with black watch) but instead of grabbing it, I came home to think about it for a few hours. Too late.

[LANCER1562]

Excellent work. I'm luck to be able to mend a seam or tack on a button.

[ChattanCat]

You did a wonderful job on relieving the jacket for the sporran. Nice smooth transitions. Great job.

[CMcG]

<snip>
This is really quite addictive. Even more amazing to me is that in the last 20 years, I've owned one sport coat and have worn it 2, maybe 3 times. I think I'm up to about 16 or so now, and still looking for more candidates.

I'm also up to 5 waistcoats. Here is a pic of me the last time I wore a waistcoat.

I believe this is a fine example of what someone has called Highland dress acquisition disorder (HDAD). I prefer to think of it as a nice 'hobby.' Luckily for yourself, you have found a way to get your fix on the cheap... if you had actually purchased as many brand new kilt jackets as you are planning on converting, TurboKittie would put you in rehab