OK, so I looked through the tutorial's suggested in my last post, and thought I was all set. Headed off to the local GoodWill and Thrift stores to pick up a jacket and start converting. I've run into a slight problem though. Turns out that there's just not many used jackets in my size. I'm about a 42 Long, at least, that's what it says inside my favorite corduroy jacket. What I'm finding is jackets that either fit through the chest, and are four to six inches short in the sleeves, or they fit in the sleeves, and overlap by four to six inches in the chest.

So the question, how difficult is it to take a jacket that fits fairly well in the arms and shoulders, but way too big in the chest, and make it into a wearable jacket? Is this something the uneducated can accomplish, or is it something better left to a professional?

Also, and this is just a random thought I had while poking around in the GoodWill store, how hard is it to make a waistcoat from scratch? I saw a lot of jacket/pants combos for sale, but very few waistcoats or vests. I was wondering if you couldn't use the material from the pants to make a matching waistcoat to go with the kilt jacket conversion. Or would that also be over-reaching the inexperienced, and something that should be left to the professionals?


Casey