Hacking Jacket to kilt Jacket?

[rsvpiper]

Found this on fleabay what do the rabble think as a possible make and do kilt jacket. I love the tweed window pane add the patch pockets and i recon it should cut down reasonably well

[Jock Scot]

A hacking jacket? Surely not, with patch pockets. Anyway, at a guess, those patch pockets might make a conversion a lot easier.

[Tobus]

I agree, the patch pockets would make a conversion easier. And it has a high enough cut to the lapels that it won't look goofy like some conversions do.

It seems rather boxy for a kilt jacket, though. If it were me, I'd try to give it some flare in the torso, where it cuts in under the chest and then back out towards the hips. I am not a tailor and have no idea how hard this would be, but it would really go a long way in giving it the right look as a kilt jacket.

[rsvpiper]

A hacking jacket? Surely not, with patch pockets. Anyway, at a guess, those patch pockets might make a conversion a lot easier.

Maybe a shooting jacket sorry Jock not an aficionado of tweed country coats, with the pockets removed and new slash cut pockets added I think it may just work

[sydnie7]

I agree, the patch pockets would make a conversion easier. And it has a high enough cut to the lapels that it won't look goofy like some conversions do.

It seems rather boxy for a kilt jacket, though. If it were me, I'd try to give it some flare in the torso, where it cuts in under the chest and then back out towards the hips. I am not a tailor and have no idea how hard this would be, but it would really go a long way in giving it the right look as a kilt jacket.

The trick is adding two darts in the back (or increasing the size of existing darts, if any). I believe I see front darts, parallel to the buttons and extending upward from the pockets, so there may be "mirror" darts in back that you can start with. Your front pocket modifications may allow you to increase the size of those front darts as well.

Put the jacket on and have a helper pinch in the material until the fit is where you want it. If you don't have a helper, pin it yourself and try on, re-pin and try, until you figure out how much "pinch" you want at the waist. Distribute that amount evenly amongst the 2 or 4 darts, tapering the top and bottom ends of the darts out to nothing. Baste and try it on until you are comfortable, then do the final stitching.

If you don't know how darts work and how they should look, a quick Google brings up a number of how-to links -- here's one to start with.

Nice fabric and it should look great when done!