Jacket patterns

[Alan H]

If you're new to sewing, I'd recommend against this. The fitted jacket is pretty much the highest achievement of the tailors art. They are a LOT of work. I've watches the Luminous Joan make a jacket and while she did a very good and careful job, it was nowhere near as nice as a well-made, purchased jacket.

If you've been sewing for a few years, then go for it. I know that I would be far out of my league if I tried to make a jacket or a formal doublet.

[Heming]

True, jackets are notoriously difficult.

The seam in the front is there to give shape to the chest, and cannot be omitted. Depending on your size and stature the seam will be a dart (as shown by McMurdo) or a seam the whole way down. It's possible to move the seam, but not to take it away completely (at least for most body shapes).

I've sewn a few jackets, and would highly recommend to make a few simple ones (not fitted, like denim jackets or bomber jackets) before moving on to simple sports coats and maybe doublets in due time. Not to scare anyone off, but this is skilled work.

[Kilted Jeeper]

Thank you for resurrecting this thread. Somehow I have missed this one in my searches and the links are very useful.

[Dixiecat]

That 'seam' that you complained about, and shown in McMurdo's excellent photos is called a dart.

Darts are used to eliminate extra fabric at areas that need to be more fitted. I don't even have to see that jacket to tell you exactly where it is and what it's there for. It's goes somewhere from the neck area down to just above the chest - or it should anyway. Since necks are smaller than chests, the tailor needs a dart in that area to fit the jacket closer to the neck and fitting the jacket smoothly up to the neck from the chest.

I have commissioned my dear sainted mother to build me a velvet Montrose based on that Civil War uniform pattern. I complained loudly about the seam running down the middle of the chest piece, but noticed on another ( store bought) one that it is there, too. Seems / seams out of place to me, but what do I know?

MacLowlife

[vorpallemur]

True, jackets are notoriously difficult.

The seam in the front is there to give shape to the chest, and cannot be omitted. Depending on your size and stature the seam will be a dart (as shown by McMurdo) or a seam the whole way down. It's possible to move the seam, but not to take it away completely (at least for most body shapes).

I've seen one where the shaping was done entirely with canvas and the iron. Very impressive bit of work.

I've sewn a few jackets, and would highly recommend to make a few simple ones (not fitted, like denim jackets or bomber jackets) before moving on to simple sports coats and maybe doublets in due time. Not to scare anyone off, but this is skilled work.

Yes. This is good advice. The next step is to get some jackets from the thrift store -- you want well-made (preferably union made in the USA, if you're in the US) jackets; size, style, fabric matter not a bit (they can even be worn out, as long as they're mostly intact) -- and take them apart to see how it's done.

[Dixiecat]

I've seen one where the shaping was done entirely with canvas and the iron. Very impressive bit of work

Nice! I'd love to have seen that in person.

I've been buying the magazine Threads over the years and every now and then, they will dissect a designer's garment to show how the designer achieves the underlying shape. I've read how to shape the top of a sleeve without gathers using wool canvas and steam, but an upper jacket would be really amazing!

[vorpallemur]

Nice! I'd love to have seen that in person.

I've been buying the magazine Threads over the years and every now and then, they will dissect a designer's garment to show how the designer achieves the underlying shape. I've read how to shape the top of a sleeve without gathers using wool canvas and steam, but an upper jacket would be really amazing!

It's standard practice in bespoke and high end RTW tailoring. The shape of the jacket is set by the canvas front pieces (which depending on the maker and the price point, can be a whole bunch of little pieces, with darts, stretching, snipped and spread pieces, or one piece, with pad stitching to give it some shape.), with the outer cloth following that shape. (And not the shape of the wearer, which is why men look good in suits.)

Jeffrey Diduch has a good blog on tailoring (he does work both by hand, and for factories; he may well have written the pieces in threads). http://tuttofattoamano.blogspot.com/

[MacLowlife]

I understand about the dart for shaping. The pattern (McCall's M4745) can be adapted to single or double breasted. The difference is a wedge shaped piece of fabric sewn on. ( and more buttons, of course.) I am sure it can be used to adjust contour, as the dart does, but it looked funny in the drawings. We discussed simply taping the pattern pieces together to create a single panel, but then we saw the seam/dart on the sto bought one. Mercifully, I am not the one sewing, The One who is has plenty of experience and chops. I do wish I could get her to insert a little piping in all of those curvy seams on the back. Mais, ca c'est un peu du trop, je crois.

[McMurdo]

A little piping would then look like a pipers doublet, if that's what you want then fine do it, however I know I for one get asked "Where's your pipes?" often enough without being in No 1 dress.

[MacLowlife]

Excellent point, McMurdo. I think the compromise is going to be a contrasting lining on the lapels/ front, so that one could button them back and have a different look- whether it can be buttoned back halfway or only all the way down will depend on things yet unseen. I saw a pic of someone ( GGIBBY, I think) wearing what looked like a montrose done that way- it requires a full set of buttonholes on both sides, which many doublets do not have, but it looks cool in a much more casual way.

Praise and thanks to Ted Crocker for Folkwear 133. It looks a lot easier to deal with than the Civil War coat.