Starting a pinstripe kilt suit.

[Hamish]

Actually, I believe that a pinstripe kilt suit can, and does, look pretty neat and makes an excellent substitute for the three-piece, pin stripe suits (not kilted ones, alas) that I used to wear for work.

This is my grey pinstripe suit from Howie at TFCK in Edinburgh, tailored in 2003:



I am currently awaiting delivery of a navy blue with a very fine white pinstripe, three-piece kilt suit from the same stable. That will receive it's first public outing at Howie's wedding near Oban next month.

I am so envious of anyone who can replace a button correctly let alone tailor their own kilt suit, so Good Luck EM. You're a far braver man than I am.

[CameronTaylor]

Dang Hamish, that's exactly what I had in mind when I selected my fabric last week.
Stunning I might add,

CT - I'm a gentry now ?

[Phicong]

Sir Hamish,
This pinstripe kilt suit you are wearing is, in the opinion of both myself and my wife, the most stylish and outstanding kilt system either of us have ever seen. There is no other way to describe other than perfect in every detail.
Gordon

[SoldierSpike]

Wow Charles, you're being quite ambitious! This also gives a whole new meaning to "pleating to the stripe". I'll be looking forward to seeing it!

Marc

[The F-H.C.A.G.]

You were saying that you needed to line up the stripes in the jacket and the kilt, but even if the jacket is worn closed, wouldn't it move separately from the kilt and therefore, lining up the stripe would be a bit of a moot point? Just looking at Hamish's suit, I think lining up the jacket and kilt should not really be necessary. My 2 cents. And, by the way, kudos! I'm afraid of jackets.

Be well,


P.S. Nice suit, Hamish!

[Pleater]

Sigh - that Hamish - one sharp dresser!!

Still on the construction of the kilt - if you could make the pleats so they were at the same distance apart in the pleats as on the fabric at the point where the jacket would cut across it, then you would have them matched up as long as you cut the jacket correctly placed on the fabric for them to line up.

It could be done - if you have that sort of mind.

The pinstripe must be the only pattern where you could pleat both to the stripe and to the sett in the same kilt.

[Erisianmonkey]

Well, I dissected that jacket last night and got several things out of it.

1: While jackets are fairly complex patterns, they aren't impossible to understand.

2: With #1 being said, there are a number of things that look insanely complicated that can be simplified immensely with no change in appearance to the jacket.

3: Even so, I will be doing a great deal of hand stiching with nylon invisible thread to secure facings, as there isn't really another way of doing it without seams showing.

4: I won't be rebuilding the old jacket.

5: Shoulder pads. I'm salvaging the pads from the old jacket and putting them in the new one. This again will require hand stitching, as a machine foot would compress them far too much.

6: While this isn't an impossible project, it is highly complex and will take very careful patience to make look at least halfway decent. Looking good is going to take very careful patience and walking away from the project to scream every once in awhile.

And Pleater, that stripe/sett comment has made my day so far.

[mkmound]

Here's an idea: look for tailoring books. I did a quick search on Amazon.com on "tailor" and came up with these at the top of the list:


Classic Tailoring Techniques: A Construction Guide for Men's Wear (F.I.T. Collection) (Paperback)
by Roberto Cabrera (Author), Patricia Flaherty Meyers (Author)


Tailoring: The Classic Guide to Sewing the Perfect Jacket (Paperback)
by Creative Publishing international (Author)


The Art of the Tailor (Hardcover)
by Robert Doyle (Author)


You might be able to get tailoring books at your local library.

Good luck!!
Mark

-------------------------
edit: also found this online -- (I'm obviously procrastinating at work! )

The Rusty Zipper

[Mark Keeney]

There are suit coat patterns out there just not in your size. You could pick up one and use the instructions to construct the pieces of your coat.

I personally like Burda patterns and have made a few jackets using their patterns. I am currently working with burda #3398.

http://www.burdamode.com/Menswear_Sp...40DDD9896924B2


The sizes listed are European sizes us sizes 36 - 46

[cloves]

I love, love, LOVE that outfit of Ham's. It's just soooo sharp.
I also really like that stripe denim kilt he has...and also I totally dig that red and black striped kilt that came from Bear.