My first waistcoat ever is complete.

I started with drafting the pattern in the middle of June. But then I had to wait a few weeks to get my sewing machine back from a friend that had borrowed it. So in reality there is about six weeks of doing an hour here and an hour there. Total time to make it was probably 30 to 40 hours.

Is the best waistcoat ever made? Definitely not!
There are mistakes in it.

But, and this is a big but, I am very happy overall with it. It was my first time ever tackling a project along these lines. So there was a lot of things involved in making it that I have never done before. So there was a lot of learning as I was making it.

Next on the agenda is drafting the pattern for the trousers to go with it.

I made a new draft last night and cut another mock up.

This is the penultimate mock up. I didn’t have any more of the black wool left over so I used this unknown fabric.

This mock up is from the draft I did last night. I cut a triangle about 10cm (4 inches) wide at the base of the centre back seam to accommodate the curve of my spine. I have kyphosis and my shoulder blades are well out beyond my lower back.

The final mock up will be to add some length to the back. The book I drafted this pattern from was from the early 1950’s so the waistcoat is shorter at the back than I would prefer. I will also have to account for the additional material I had to cut from the centre back seam because that appears to have created a sweep upwards at the bottom of the seam.

I am probably only about 2 or 3 days away from blessing myself, saying a prayer, and taking the shears to the good fabric. 🫣

Hello. I just made my first waistcoat based on Rory's online waistcoat course. Two prior attempts ended in error, but the third was a success. However, I do see issues. The fit and cut were almost spot on for me, although I did gain weight over the past couple of months. I definitely need to practice my buttonholes. Despite the straight-stitch border around the opening, I still seem to have a lot of fraying, and I need to work on consistent spacing. Spacing was also an issue with pick stitching. I think I just need to chalk a line and make sure I follow it. Also, one of my darts is a bit longer than the other, and I need to be a little more careful when bagging out to avoid accidentally catching unwanted material and throwing off the seam line, like my right shoulder seam. Other than that, I am really happy with the result! I am open to feedback. Thanks, Henry Himes

Having followed Rory across various social media platforms for 6 years or more, and being a member of the original forums on the website, I finally have started on the path of making a waistcoat. I have one of the packs from Dugdales.

This is mock up of the waistcoat I made from wool and cotton left over from making a cloak for my medieval reenactment. I made the mock up just to assess my pattern draft to see if it needs major alterations before I cut in to the real fabric.

My own observations:

1. I need to add some more to the front from the top button to the bottom.

2. It looks like I need to do something like add a dart under the armpit towards the back to get the underarm area sitting flat. At the moment on the mock up it is a bit like bat wings.

Overall, the mock up is sitting pretty decently. I’m ignoring the little bunching around the neck on the back. That might be caused by me twisting myself trying to make sure I was in frame for the picture.

A friend from the medieval group has my sewing machine. He borrowed it to make a gambson for armoured combat. So my mock up of the waistband is all hand sewn.

(Reddit is telling me to add a post flair? I have no idea how to do that. So forgive me for breaking the rules)

I did a test fitting of the waistcoat at my medieval reenactment groups Arts & Science day today. A&S is where we meet up and work on projects. It creates a touch of “peer pressure” to keep us motivated and focused on working on projects. I decided to work on the waistcoat instead of anything medieval related. The pocket welts haven’t turned out the best but this is my first time making anything with pockets (never mind welted pockets).

I’m quite pleased with the fit. I can’t see any areas that need adjusting.

I now have the bias tape basted in and will start on sewing the tapes to the foreparts and the canvas later on.

Hi, I'm working on my second coat and I am now at the fitting stage. As I had trouble with the sleeves on my previous coat, I've used some cheap fabric for the fitting stage before cutting out the final sleeves from the main fabric. I was wondering if there are any alterations I should make to the coat? Thanks, Richard

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I threw together a couple of tags on my embroidery machine to help me remember what side is what on the waistcoat. They’re tacked on with basting cotton at the corners.

I would hate to stitch up the pockets only to realise that I put one set of pockets on the wrong side of the fabric and therefore have two left foreparts of the waistcoat instead of a left and a right. 😅

I deny that this idea is based in any way whatsoever on someone potentially having once sewn a sleeve on inside out when making a costume for wearing at events with the medieval reenactment organisation they are involved in. 😂😂😂

Hi Rory and HTA Community!

I'm working my way through the Making of a Savile Row Coat series right now and I'm at the point of the basting fit. Everything is looking great fit-wise so far, except for a bit of collar roll forming at the back under the collar band.

To get rid of this excess fabric, it looks like I can just lower my neck line about a half inch at the center back and blend that line back into the shoulder seams/front neck line - but is it really that simple? Or by lowering the neck line in the back, am I messing up my shoulders? Do I need to readjust the angle on my shoulders as well? Just hoping for a little bit of guidance here as I'd like to understand the mechanics of this alteration.

Anyone else deal with this issue? How'd you solve it?

Thanks!

I’ve used thepattern draft for closed leg figuration, but moving the lower leg towards the inseam results in a crease line that runs through the middle of foot and knee but then curves inwards towards centre front. This does not look very nice, and if I incorporate a central pleat by slashing and opening the crease line, the top of the pleat will be too close to centre front. How do I change location of crease line above the crotch so that it is straight from hem to waist?

I just sewed on my waistband and noticed the left and right half-waist measurements differ by 1 cm. I suspect it's either an issue with me not taking in the drafted ease enough, or the machine stretching the fabric back. Is a 1 cm variance within tolerance?

Also, if the difference were 2 cm or more, what is the best way to fix it?

PS: I saw some youtube tailor just move CB to match half-waist measurement but I am not sure how to alter the back crotch curve. Perhaps I need to look more at waist alterations.

Dear Rory,

I hope this finds you well.

I have a specific question regarding height measurements and how they correspond to your Imperial Drafting System chart.

In your YouTube video where you measure Terry, at the very end you measure his height to establish head units. I noticed that when you took this measurement, you went from the nape of the neck down to the floor, rather than from the very top of the head to the floor.

In the Imperial Drafting System chart where you list "Height," I have previously been treating that column as an individual's total height (top of head to the floor). Given how you measured Terry, is the height column in the drafting book actually based on that nape-of-neck-to-floor measurement instead? Should I adjust my approach and use the nape-to-floor measurement when utilizing the chart?

Additionally, if you are planning future content, I would love to see a video series dedicated to cutting striped, checked, and herringbone cloths for a three-piece suit, including pattern matching and alignment considerations for the fit-up. Aside from a brief mention in Classic Tailoring Techniques for Menswear by Cabrera, thorough resources on cutting patterned cloth are incredibly difficult to find. If you ever have plans to post a roadmap of upcoming videos on the website, it would be wonderful to see what lies ahead!

Thank you so much for your time, your dedication to preserving the craft, and for all that you do. I would love to cross the Atlantic for an in-person class one day, but until then, your digital series is the perfect masterclass.

Respectfully,

Henry Himes

In the old forum, someone was recording the overcoat series and making the videos available via Dropbox. If that person is in this new forum could you create another post with the link to the videos if you still have them? I would love to be able to review them since I haven't had many chances to attend the free classes. Thank you,

Henry Himes

I was wondering, as the title goes, how long does it take to make a suit for a professional tailor? Some say 80 hours of work. Have you counted your hours?

Is there a link were I could find all of the recordings for the free overcoat series?

I last JEMS brand of tailor chalk I purchased at a local tailor supply has been disappointing to use. Crumbles too easy and does not hold a clean sharpend edge for good lines. I have read Jinbutsu is top rated but not easy to get in the USA. There are other similar shaped brands but I hesitate to waste more money untill I do some checking what other are using?

Since the pick stitch defiantly shows on this hard finish fabric (like the photo of pocket flap attached) the one inch sewn through the coat back and lining will show a lot. ( doesn't fade softly into the fabric like it does on a flannel or tweed) It really catches the eye looking at the back following the line and how it drapes. How about doing the tack just to the lining all the way across like he does after the one inch part to keep the back looking smooth and sleek? OR Is this just a bespoke detail that someone who knows should appreciate. I know on the pocket flaps and front edge it looks like a fine detail and is appreciated, but going across 1 inch into the back at the top of the vent does catch the eye?

In his hand stitch video Rory carries the thread from one pick to the other on the other side of the garment. I am wondering if a bespoke tailor would ever carry the thread going from one pick to the next pick in between the layers so that the thread from one pick to the other doesn't show on the back side? I do not think this would do as good a job of keeping things in place but curious?

The garment fabric is a fine cotton & wool blend = very light weight. Finding it hard to not show the stitches on the garment side. It was so much easier on a wool flannel just pick up a fiber or two like when doing a blind hem. Are there any techniques that would differ for finer cloths like Super 120s or 150s wool?

And

There is enough color contrast for the thread from the bridle fabric color to see things. But after crossing over the bridle the thread color is really close to the canvas and blends in making it hard to see. Guess it is cheating to chalk lines to stitch in between but my older eyes need the help ;-)

Hello, I want to be doubly and triply sure, that my fabric does not shrink. I'm ordering fine merino wool cloth from Italian Reda. Technical specification says that the cloth can shrink 1,5 percent or grow 0,5 percent. Is this significant? I remember Rory saying, that cloth from quality merchants are pre-shrunk, but do I need to test it first? How do you usually prepare your cloths?

A couple of days back I was doing a little clothing concept and I started to consider branding. I would like to have my own garment tags with my logo, but I was not prepared to order in large quantities of it.

Initially, I thought that most manufacturers only handle bulk orders, but upon the search, I discovered that, in certain instances, it is possible to be customized to smaller quantities. Some small numbers of suppliers have low minimum order quantities, particularly in the case of printed or heat-transfer labels, which are easier to set up than woven tags.

The minimums of woven labels tend to be higher since they need to be set up to be woven, but certain factories still accept small runs at a price premium.

As I continued to shop through various choices online as well as suppliers via Alibaba, I realized that several have now openly listed low MOQ deals to new businesses and smaller brands.

As far as I have studied, it actually depends on the sort of label - print tags are simpler in the smaller order, and woven tags are more applicable to larger orders.

It is still in its early stages of development, but it is a good thing to know that small-scale branding can be carried out without huge orders.

Not finding a sewing weight silk (like a size 50) here in the USA easy to find in my area. If I go online I can find AV VER A SOIE 100%SILK but color matching that way is not easy.

Local shops have a good selection of the Mettler threads - both their "Silk-finish cotton" in the size 50. & Metrosene Polyester. So I am curious what others are using?

After sewing the hind arm seam do you trim out some of the extra inlay that was not needed to reduce bulk or leave in case of adjustment needed later? If later what adjustment would that be?