This is part 2 of Canvassing 201. For part 1, click here. For Canvassing 101, click here. Congrats! You have made it this far. Now that you have your fronts and you have finished preparing your canvas, it's time to baste them together so they can be treated as one. Of course, there are more… Continue reading Canvassing 201: assembling the canvas and jacket front
For the intro to canvassing, complete with an outline of the different canvassing styles, click here. Finally, it is here: an in-depth canvassing guide! I'm making this guide in the context of a heavy flannel winter jacket, so I decided to use the British style of canvassing. This is the most canvassing you are ever… Continue reading Canvassing 201: preparing the canvas
Wonder why when using machine thread to hand sew, it turns weirdly? It’s the twist! So, it turns out that threads come in two flavors: S twist and Z twist Image from Yarnsub. Machine threads are in Z twist, whereas hand sewing threads have a S twist. This convention is born out of the fact… Continue reading Threads have directions, who would have thought!
Finally, it is here: my new linen suit! I got this Irish linen last year with the idea to make this suit and I finally followed through. After 3 versions of this self drafted jacket, I think I have nailed the general shape. This time I opened the quarters slightly more for increased ventilation and… Continue reading Linen suit: ready for summer
I’ve been asked several times what my secret for a crips sleeve placket, as this particular part of shirt making is often badly explained and ends up dissuading many people from making shirts altogether. For this reason today I’m sharing with you my own method. I confess it’s been a lot of trial and error… Continue reading How to sew a sleeve placket, the easy way (IMHO!).
Setting in the sleeves of a shirt is possibly my least favorite sewing task. My problem is not so much the actual setting in, with easing and all that jazz, but rather the felling of the seam: the seam is too curved for the magical felling foot, and very conspicuous. In Neapolitan shirt making it… Continue reading Attaching a shirt sleeve with 1 pin: myth or reality?
One of the most challenging aspects of shirt making, in my opinion, is determining which collar shape best suits one's face. I'm not in the business of telling you what you have to do or not, just to show what I believe harmonizes a face...but these are by no means rules! Take it as a… Continue reading The collar: a frame, but for your face!
If you have been following me on Instagram in the last couple of years you may remember that in 2020 I vowed to develop the perfectly fitting shirt block. This turned out to be quite an endeavour since I'm by no means an expert pattern cutter, nor did I receive any formal training. I did… Continue reading Shirtmaking adventures
This is Part I of a series on Classic Tailoring. For Part II, click here. Anybody who knows me or at least follows me on social media is aware I've a passion for classic tailoring which borders on obsession. I'm also non-binary, and while this part of my identity should not matter, it did have… Continue reading #TailoringForThem – Part I: Rationale and Resources
Hi! This is an off topic post, absolutely not sewing related. As somebody who wears only leather shoes, mostly boots, I get asked how I care for my shoes. Now, it's not like I'm the depository of any sort of received wisdom, but over the years, and thanks to a husband who loves classic menswear… Continue reading Shoe care 101
