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Fitting the Neck

First, keep in mind that this Inverness Cape is designed to be worn over another coat. That will make the neck larger to accommodate the collar and extra width. However, for the larger sizes above around a 45 inch chest, the graduated rulers simply create too large of neck.

The easiest way to fix this is by simply using a graduated ruler and redrafting the shoulder and neck points on the front and back. The alterations here are going to be fairly small. After redrafting the points with a smaller graduated ruler, redraw the curves as necessary and add in the seam allowances again based on the new seam lines.

Belt Loops II – Modern

With the waistband installed and top stitched, we can turn to finishing all of the belt loops (if you’re using them). If this is your first time or two, I recommend measuring and marking this first step, but otherwise I usually do it by eye.

Align the belt loop so it’s square to the waistband, and laying right sides together with the leg underneath. Measure down about 3/8″ to 1/2″ and bar tack across the belt loops by stitching forwards and back multiple times.

Fold and press the belt loop up across the waistband, again keeping it square.

Again, bar tack across the bottom of the belt loop, about 1/8″ from the bottom.

Fold the top edge of the belt loop so that the fold is about 1/8″ above the top of the waistband. This will build in some ease for thicker belts. Trim any excess belt loop material at this point, but I like to leave at least 3/8″ on the underside of the fold.

Slide the belt loop down so that the fold is even with the top of the waist band. Make sure everything is square.

And bar tack thickly across the top of the belt loop.

Repeat for the remaining belt loops.

One Piece Fly – Part II

Turning to the right leg now, lay it right side up on the table and draw a line 3/8″ from the edge of the fly extension.

Cut off the fly extension piece.

The entire fly / crotch seam should be nice and even now.

This next step is a little non intuitive at first, so I’ll break it down into very small steps. Setting aside the right leg for a moment, lay the left leg on the table, wrong side up. Fold the fly into position along the crease at the bottom.

Now lay the right leg back in place on top, right side up, or wrong sides together – which is very unusual. Align the waist seam, and set back the right leg’s crotch / fly seam about 1/8″ from the edge of the fly underneath.

Mark the fly at the top of the waist seam. This is just in case things move out of alignment on the way to the sewing machine.

Holding the right leg and fly in place, move the left leg and fly out from underneath, in effect opening up the fly into a straight piece underneath. Take the right leg and fly and carefully move everything to the sewing machine.

Keeping the waist seam in alignment to the mark on the fly, and the crotch seam set back 1/8″ from the edge of the fly, stitch from the waist towards the bottom of the fly with a 3/8″ seam allowance.

Keep everything in alignment as you sew.

Sew to just a ‘smidge’ away from where the left leg crotch seam is folded underneath. You don’t want the stitching to hit it, but get as close as you can.

Here’s the seam after sewing.

Now open up the fly on the right leg as shown, turning it to the right side.

And give it a good pressing.

Go back to the sewing machine and top stitch about 1/16″ to 1/8″ from the edge of the fly.

End the stitching at the same place as the first row of stitching, just before you get to the crease in the fly.

This actually completes the fly construction! It’s a little confusing at first but quickly becomes second nature once you wrap your mind around how it works.

Crotch Seam

We must still finish the crotch seam however, and it’s a little different in construction than a typical seam, as we can’t exactly get right sides together anymore. Lift away the left leg and you’ll see how the right crotch seam is folded to about 1/4″ in width due to the fly. We want to maintain that seam width all the way around the curve.

Gently stretch the right crotch curve in the seam allowance area only.

Crease the crotch curve seam allowance over about 1/4″. This may vary depending on how you sewed the fly and what allowances you used – the important thing is to keep the same width around the curve.

And give it a good pressing with steam.

Now this part is tricky and will definitely take some practice, but it’s well worth learning in the long run. Slowly lay the left crotch seam on top of the right, observing the relationship between the two halves. You want the folded edge of each seam to cover the raw edge of the opposing seam as they overlap each other.

Continue laying the right on top of the left until you get to the end of the crotch seam. Ideally they should line up perfectly but if you’re within an 1/8″, just go with it.

Now begging at the bottom of the crotch curve, align everything up as closely as possible, and begin top stitching through all layers, 1/8″ or so from the folded edge of the left leg. You’ll need to continually check for alignment here and manipulate the fabric as your sewing. It’s tricky work but you’ll get it! Don’t be afraid to use that seam ripper as necessary.

The stitching stops just as you get to the bottom of the fly.

Here are the results so far.

And from the inside.

Now top stitch a second row about 3/8″ (or just under) away from the first row. It’s important to catch the other edge of the seam here and not run off.

Here’s the crotch seam after sewing.

This completes the one-piece fly and crotch seam.

The Cape Body

The Inverness Cape can seem quite confusing at first as to how all the pieces go together, but assembling the pieces of the cape body is actually pretty straightforward.

Begin by laying out the back piece, unfolded, right side up on the table.

Lay the appropriate cape on top, right sides together. The neck seam should align with the back neck and the curves along the side seam should be similar.

Pin the cape into position from the neck down towards the hem, keeping the pins about 1 inch away from the edge (so you have no chance of sewing over them). By working from neck to hem, you ensure that the bottom of the cape falls in the proper position.

Now lay the appropriate forepart on top, wrong side up, or in other words, the right side of the forepart should be towards the right side of the back.

Begin pinning the forepart to the back at the hem, working your way up to the armscye. There should be at least a few inches where the forepart, cape, and back all overlap each other.

Then take the shoulder seam and pin that into position on top of the cape, pinning from the neck seam to the armscye to ensure it is positioned correctly.

Here’s the right half of the cape assembly all pinned and ready to sew.

Sew the cape pieces together from neck to hem (or vice versa) using a 1/2″ seam allowance through all layers.

Now press all of the seams toward the back of the cape.

Repeat for the other half – this completes the body assembly.

Drafting the Back

We’ll begin the drafting process by drafting the back, which gives us a foundation on which to draft the front and cape pieces as well. While I’ve got the draft oriented vertically here, you’ll probably have to draft horizontally due to the width of your paper.

Baseline

Begin by drafting a vertical baseline from point 0, a little longer than you think you’ll need it. Then mark the following points using the graduated measure corresponding to your chest size as appropriate:

  • 0 – 1 graduated inches.
  • 0 – 4 graduated inches.
  • 0 – 10 graduated inches.
  • Now measure from point 1 the length of back measurement and mark the bottom edge.
  • Mark 3 graduated inches up from the bottom.

Square Out

Square out the following points using your graduated ruler. Note that this gives a somewhat semi fitted back near the shoulder but quickly tapers into a very flowing and unfitted back. The original draft had 24 for the bottom measurement, which I’ve found to be almost ridiculously large, especially on larger drafts. So I’ve changed that to 20, which also more closely matches what the original draft looks like (it wasn’t completely to scale in the original).

  • 3 1/2 graduated inches from point 0.
  • 8 1/4 graduated inches from point 4.
  • 12 graduated inches from point 10.
  • 20 graduated inches from the point 3 from the bottom.

The Curves

Draw in the following curves.

  • The neck from 3 1/2 to 1. Try to straighten the curve out as you approach 1 and the curve should meet the shoulder curve at close to right angles if possible.
  • The side seam curve from 3 1/2 to 20. The curve should be somewhat shallow coming into 12 and then straighten as you approach 20.
  • The hem from 20 to the bottom of the baseline. The curve should be at right angles to the side seam, and straighten out as you get to the baseline.

Seam Allowances

I usually add the seam allowances after I’ve drafted all the pieces, but since these pieces are so large and drafted one at a time, it’s easier to just add them as you go.

Use a quilting ruler to mark out a 1/2″ seam allowance along the neck, side seam, and hem.

The center back is cut on the fold to avoid a seam there, so no seam allowance is necessary there.

Finally, cut out your pattern piece.

Working the Buttonholes

With the gimp attached, we can move on to the actual buttonhole stitch. The stitch isn’t technically hard, but it does take some practice to get a feel for it and get the correct spacing and such. The original 1873 buttonholes were definitely not this good so don’t worry if yours are not perfect yet either.

Begin by taking a strand of waxed silk buttonhole twist, about 1 yard long. Knot one end, and pass the needle in between the two layers at the end of the buttonhole, poking your needle out just beyond the gimp.

Going through the center of the buttonhole this time, make a stitch through all layers, the needle coming through just next to the original stitch. Don’t pull the needle all the way out, yet.

Instead take the two strands coming from the needle’s eye and wrap them clockwise underneath the point of the needle.

Then gently pull the needle and thread taut, beginning to form a purl.

Just as the purl is formed, pull upwards on the thread, so that the purl is formed more on the upper part of the buttonhole, rather than inside it. You can play around with this and see what looks best to you, positioning the purl more inside of or on top of the gimp.

Repeat this stitch going along the straight part of the buttonhole as shown. The depth of the stitches should be about 1/8″, and they should be fairly close to each other, but it really depends on your fabric, thread, skill level, and so on as to how closely you position them.

As you get to the eyelet, gradually begin moving the purl to the top of the gimp. This moves the purl out of the way so you can maintain your stitch density without the knots getting in the way.

Continue around the eyelet with the purls on top, kind of like spokes on a wheel.

As you get to the end of the eyelet, gradually taper the purls back into the position they were in when you started, more to the side.

Continue the buttonhole stitch until you get to the end of the buttonhole. Make one last stitch as if you were going to make another buttonhole stitch, but instead just let the thread lay to the side instead of forming the purl.

Keeping the thread out of the way, turn your attention to the ends of the gimp, and pull them both firmly through the buttonhole opening to the underside as shown.

Now go back to your needle and thread, and insert the needle next to the first buttonhole stitch, coming out at the last, through all layers, forming the beginning of a bartack. Repeat this three more times, for a total of four stitches across the end of the buttonhole, being sure to wrap the stitches around the gimp that’s underneath.

Then turn your work sideways, and make small stitches into the fabric and around the bartack, forming a series of loops. I usually make about 8 stitches across the end of the buttonhole in this manner.

After the last stitch, pass the needle and thread to the underside.

Carefully trim the excess gimp just past the bartack on the underside.

Now pass the needle through the underside of all of the buttonhole stitches towards the eye.

Turn the work around and repeat in the opposite direction. And turn the work around and repeat for a third time. Trim the thread.

Here’s the completed buttonhole. If yours doesn’t look quite this good don’t worry, with time and practice I know you can get there.

Here’s the underside of the buttonhole. It will never be quite as neat as the right side, but it’ll come naturally over time.

Jean Alterations

Alterations for jeans in the fitting stages are at once easier than traditional trousers, and more difficult, due to the fewer places for adjustment. You can’t really do anything with the side seams, being on the selvedge, so all alterations take place at the waist, seat and crotch seams, and inseam.

If you’d like personal help with your fitting, please consider posting a new message in the support community with photos of your draft from the top down, along with photos of you wearing the muslin toile from the front, sides, and back. That way others benefit from your own work and corrections. Or if you prefer, you can email me the photos to james@historical-tailoring.com. Either way, I’ll get back to you with specific corrections to help your jeans fit as nicely as possible.

In the future I’ll be adding more diagrams and hopefully photos and video of fitting issues and their solutions.

When making the alterations, I like to make them on my original pattern and then trace them to new sheets of paper. You could also tape a fresh piece of paper to your pattern pieces and then add the alterations, redo the seam allowances, and trim the excess.

Supplies

Here’s the list of supplies you’ll need for this project.

  • Pattern / Poster Paper (available in craft stores or some office supply stores).
  • Quilting Ruler
  • Tape Measure
  • Pencil
  • French Curves or bendable Drafting Ruler (both are optional)
  • 1 – 2 yards Cotton Muslin and Thread for sewing

Graduated Rulers

To make your pattern the appropriate size, you’ll need to print out the ruler corresponding to your chest size. The rulers can be found on the main page of this course.

Cutting and Tacking

It’s time to final begin cutting and constructing the waistcoat! Lay your forepart pattern piece on the doubled fabric, aligning the grain lines with the edge of the fabric. I use a quilting ruler to aid in this. Ideally you’d have your pattern laid out closer to the edge to save fabric – I was concentrating on taking photographs and it completely slipped my mind.

Trace around the entirety of the pattern with a sharp piece of tailor’s chalk, as well as the darts. I weigh down the pattern with whatever I have handy, in this case my quilting ruler, but scissors and other objects work well too.

It’s a good idea to transfer the roll line and center front line to the fabric. I did so by aligning the ruler with the lines, and marking each end, just off the edge of the pattern.

Marking the top end of the center front.

Then it’s a simple matter of connecting the two marks after you remove the pattern to get the line in place.

Also be sure to mark the positions of the buttons, buttonholes, and ends of each pocket before you remove the pattern.

It’s a little hard to see, but here’s my pattern all marked out on the fabric, with the darts, roll line, center front, buttons, buttonholes, and pocket ends all marked out.

Begin cutting out the forepart. For best accuracy, keep your scissors on the table as you cut, perpendicular to the table, and cut to the inside of the chalk lines. Since the chalk line has a small width to it, cutting on the outside would give you a slightly-too-large waistcoat.

To transfer the markings to the lower piece, it’s a good idea to use tailor’s tacks, which also make the marks more durable for construction. For the roll line, center front line and pockets use the following method. Take a doubled over piece of basting thread and make about 1/4″ running stitches, two or three inches apart, along the straight lines. If you make the stitches closer together, keep a little slack in the thread.

For the buttons, buttonholes, ends of the pockets, and any other points, mark them by taking two stitches in place with the doubled basting thread, forming a loop. Be sure to keep the loop open about an inch, and the ends slightly longer than that.

On the tailor’s tacks formed by the running stitch only, clip the threads between each stitch. The looped tacks are not cut open.

Carefully open the two layers of fabric, revealing the stitches on the inside. Don’t pull them too open or the threads may come out. Snip the threads at each tailor’s tack as you get to them, working your way across the entire forepart.

This leaves you with semi-permanent markings that will be of great use during construction.

Trimming the Front Waist

There’s one last little detail to take care of on the pattern before moving on to the toile. The way the pattern is designed, you’ll be left with two little points at the bottom front of the waistcoat if you don’t trim them. The easiest way is to make a quick copy of your waistcoat front pattern, with the center front line drawn on the copy. Then overlap the two, trace the overlapped area, and trim off the excess, giving you a nice clean front.

Here’s what I did in practice. First I copied a small part of the front pattern, basically from dart to dart, to a fresh sheet of paper, and copied the center line as well. You really only need a small section of the front copied, not the entire pattern.

Then I placed the copy on top of the original, carefully aligning the center line, and making sure the edges of the pattern met at the bottom of the center line.

Then trace the new line onto the original pattern.

And trim off the excess section.

Then simply use your altered pattern as usual. I forgot this step and so had to do it after cutting out my waistcoat front.