Historical Tailoring Masterclasses
Historical Tailoring Masterclasses
One of the more difficult concepts to understand is how Devere varied the size of a pattern. He used a size 18 3/4 breast as the basis for all of his patterns, which is equivalent to a 37 1/2 chest. This is called the proportionate model. If you are lucky enough to have a 37 …
You may be used to picking out your new pair of pants using just two measurements – your waist and inseam. Sadly, today’s ready made clothing does not usually fit as it should. In the 19th century, and in fine bespoke tailoring to this day, several other measurements are used as well. You will see …
Now that you’ve got a pattern drafted for your trousers, it’s time to cut and sew up a pair in cotton muslin for fitting purposes. By using the relatively cheap muslin, you can experiment more with the fitting without ruining your expensive cloth. Making this test pair also gives you the general sense and order …
One of the most common alterations, it is very simple to adjust the length and width of the hem. Just be sure to leave about 1″ extra at the bottom for finishing the hem later on. For the length, just add or subtract the amount necessary and redraw the appropriate lines. You’ll want to adjust …
If you have a particularly thin waist compared to your seat measurement, you might want to add a dart to the back waist pattern. Sometimes, the difference between the waist and seat measurements are too great, and without a dart, you’ll get an ugly ballooning effect in the final trousers. Here is an example on …
In our day and age, it is somewhat rare to find a man with measurements corresponding to Devere’s proportionate man, that is to say a chest of 37.5 inches and a waist of about 30 inches. For that lucky one with the proportional measurements, the waist line is drawn basically square across, or perhaps lowered …
Now that you’ve got the main part of the draft complete, it’s time to add a few details to complete the draft and also make construction a little easier later on. The first thing I like to do is add a horizontal line to mark the knee position. This is simply done by dividing the …
Seat Seam Draw a straight line from the fork at Point E, running through the waist seam at the 1/2 inch mark you made. Continue this line past the mark, one or two inches beyond the plum line. I find it good practice to overshoot a little here, and make the line longer than you …
It is now time to begin the draft itself. Make sure you have a large enough surface to work on, so that the whole draft may be on the table at once. Dining room tables are great for this. Take each step slowly, being sure to follow instructions carefully. If something seems off, go back …
