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Historical Tailoring Masterclasses

Historical Tailoring Masterclasses

Historical Tailoring Masterclasses

  • Shirts and Techniques
  • Trousers and Waistcoats
  • Coats
  • Community (New!)
  • The Forepart
  • The Canvas
  • The Lining

James Williams

Cutting the Facings

May 17, 2022 by James Williams

It’s time to cut and prepare the facings for installation. Traditionally, the facings were cut with the collar in one piece to maintain a more seamless look to the finished waistcoat. To accommodate the lack of darts as well, the facings are cut with an additional allowance so that the facings can be manipulated into …

Read moreCutting the Facings

Stay Taping the Forepart

May 12, 2022 by James Williams

Before installing the facings, I like to reinforce the edges with linen stay tape. This gives a firmer and crisper edge to the waistcoat and prevents the seams from rolling out of position over time. Begin by marking out the seam allowances (3/8″) along the bottom edge using a ruler and chalk or pencil. Continue …

Read moreStay Taping the Forepart

Tacking the Pockets

March 29, 2022 by James Williams

To complete the installation of the canvas, we’ll again turn back to the pockets, which we left unfinished at the ends. We’ll now trim the ends, turn them under, and tack them down through all layers, including the canvas, which will give them additional strength and prevent the canvas from shifting during wear. Begin by …

Read moreTacking the Pockets

Collar Roll Line

March 16, 2022 by James Williams

With the canvas installed, we can move on to finalizing the position of the roll line. Take your collar pattern and align it on the collar canvas as closely as possible. Slide it down about 1/4″ to expose the linen underneath and make a mark at the top of the collar along the roll line. …

Read moreCollar Roll Line

From Photograph to Pattern

March 3, 2022 by James Williams

Working on the John Wilkes Booth photograph itself, I found that adjusting the contrast did not really help at all with this particular image, so I went into Inkscape for the following. Inkscape is more of an illustration program and allows you to draw what is known as vector lines, lines that maintain their resolution …

Read moreFrom Photograph to Pattern

Extracting Details from Period Photography

February 28, 2022 by James Williams

Now that we’ve chosen a photograph to work from, it’s time to get into the details and see what information we can extract from said image. I’ll be using two programs for my work, both of which are completely free and perfectly adequate. The first is the GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP), used for editing …

Read moreExtracting Details from Period Photography

Taking Measurements for your Paletot

February 21, 2022 by James Williams

The first thing to do in preparation for making a coat is to take good, accurate measurements. Since this is more of an introduction to coat making, I’m going to simplify the measurements as best I can to make it easier for you to get started right away. All measurements should be taken over what …

Read moreTaking Measurements for your Paletot

Finding Original Photographs

February 16, 2022 by James Williams

As we reproduce the paletot worn by John Wilkes Booth, we’ll be referring to several photos I’ve found of him wearing the same style of coat. Being a rather infamous character of history, it was easy to find photographs from different angles, which definitely helps us out. Generally speaking though, there are some great sources …

Read moreFinding Original Photographs

Planning and Research

February 15, 2022 by James Williams

As you probably know, the basis for any historical clothing reproduction begins with diligent research into the styles, patterns, fit, and construction techniques of the time period. It occurred to me while commencing my latest project that it might be a good idea to go into the particulars of my thought and research process of …

Read morePlanning and Research

Installing the Canvas

February 3, 2022 by James Williams

With all the preparatory work out of the way, we can begin installing the canvas. Begin by laying the forepart on top of the canvas, right sides up, and aligning the forepart at the darts, collar, and other visual landmarks. If you’ve not done this before I’d recommend starting on the side with the 1″ …

Read moreInstalling the Canvas
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Inspiration

“Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.”

Saint Francis de Sales

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