Hi all,
I stumbled across Rory's series after I decided I'd like some careful tutorials on coat making... Perfect! Thanks for the videos. Very enjoyable, helpful, and therapeutic. I've learnt a lot and I know that when I go through the second time there'll be all sort of detail that my mind subconsciously (and naively) discarded the first time round...
I'm a complete amateur, inexperienced, and to be honest not even sure if this forum is meant for random members of the public like me or an exclusive circle of coat makers by invitation only. If it's the latter show me the door... In either case, allow me to make a fool of myself in front of all of you who are clearly far superior to me judging by the other posts!
But anyhow, I thought I may as well ask for some advice and see if it took me anywhere. I've followed the videos as well I could up to the fitting. I live with a flatmate who gets annoyed at the sewing so I have precious few photos but hopefully they get the point across enough.
On the first attempt I ended up with something like this. Note the coat is for me so I haven't worried too much about neatness of basting stitches (except where I got the sense it mattered more). That's probably a mistake...
The front looked good to me and my flatmate didn't take another pic I'm afraid.
A couple of things haven't worked too well. One is that the sleeve head is pleating a lot. That's partly because I just haven't managed to get all the fullness in without that happening, also it's gathering at the back of the armhole, not the front. I wondered if this could be fixed by moving the pitch back, but I'm a little ignorant there.
The other thing was that there was quite a lot of excess fabric in the lower back. I judged this to be too much back balance – not sure if this was right. However the waist actually needs letting out slightly and I also tried stooping and it seemed to really solve the problem on the back so I thought it must be too long.
Didn't really know how to actually adjust for this, so I decided to experiment (not exactly the precision tailors are known for, I realise...) and just lowered the top of the back 5/8" to the chest line. I guess I'd then add it back in at the hem but I didn't bother at this stage as I just wanted to see what happened at the top. (Again, I'm sure this is bad practice but I'm not really sure what is better to do so I just gave it a try!)
It's ended up like this:
It's quite hard to tell but a lot of this is improved quite a lot. There's a lot less fabric in the small of the back. Obviously not ideal though!
The crease across the shoulders seems to have got worse. Is this an indication the shoulder width is too narrow?
I was also wondering about the vertical creases down the side of the armhole. I thought that could be to do with the ad hoc alteration though, the pattern pulling up the sidebody in a way it's not meant to be pulled up.
I'd'd be interested to know if the first step I took was at all correct and also if anyone is kind enough to help me out now with what I could try... Thanks in advance, Robbie
Here's the front and side view by the way:
PS if more photos are needed I can try to persuade my flatmate...
I haven't even started the course but think you are very brave! Congratulations.
My first thought is that the sleeve pitch is incorrect. I would take it out and rotate towards the front.
I also think that the back is too wide.
That's as far as my knowledge goes!
Regards, Bonnie
I'll provide my input - but you should definitely wait for Rory and prioritise his advice regardless of what I or anyone else says.
Overall, I think this is a great start. Fitting is IMHO the hardest part of coat making. There's a reason why the rank of 'cutter' is considered to be superior to 'tailor'.
There are a few good books floating around the internet which focus purely on fitting (R. Sytner and J. King Wilson are authors of two of the main ones).
I think the front looks pretty good. You can probably leave that for now. Back and sleeves need some major changes.
I think the back balance is too long. I would try pinning out 1.5-2cm horizontally across the back over the shoulder blade area and see how the back looks after that.
Sleeves are pitched too far forward. Drop the pitch mark on the coat 1-2cm and re-set the sleeves.
Both of the alterations I've mentioned above are probably necessary due to what appears to be an upright posture.
The sleeve caps look like they may be too large - I'm not sure how that's going to work out on the final garment. It may be difficult to ease those caps in without puckers... and the result might look weird. It's possible you might need to drop the sleeve cap height and/or thin the sleeve to get the ease into a more manageable range.
"Fitting is IMHO the hardest part of coat making."
In my experience, fitting is the hardest part of any garment sewing project, once you are in control of the techniques like sewing and pressing.
Another, more home-sewer oriented book that addresses fitting to some degree is Roberto Cabrera's Classic Tailoring Techniques: A Construction Guide for Men's Wear. A free version of the first edition is available on the web.
@Kunsthandwerk I agree - Cabrera is the #1 textbook that I would recommend to anyone.
@BenjaminJust got those two fitting books from Archive.org. They look full of fixes for every imaginable issue. Thanks a lot! We definitely need a thread with book recommendations.
That's too bad about your flatmate. If your phone camera has a timer, you might try buying an inexpensive tripod, mounting your camera, setting the timer and taking photos that way.
Just a few observations (you should wait for Rory):
One front of your coat looks longer than the other.
I can't tell about the pitch of your sleeves because your arms seem to fall in a different position in the front and side photo. Rory said that the sleeve should fall halfway down the flap. In the front photo, your sleeves look too far back but in the side photo, they look too far forward.
It looks like there's too much fabric in the shoulders and upper back and too little in the waist and seat area.
The sleeve cap seems to be too big (did you try gathering or shrinking it?) and the sleeve from the cap to the elbow may be too wide.
Despite these issues, I must say I could never have gotten as far as you with relatively little sewing experience.
When I saw these replies I was overwhelmed, thanks everyone for taking me seriously for a start, and the detail in your advice is fantastic.
Of course I'd be really interested to hear what Rory has to say – I imagine he'll echo what you've said!
I was slightly harsh on my flatmate. I should probably mention he is also my best friend of six years. He's just tired of all the thread littering the flat...
Thanks also for the references, they look really useful! I learn best with my hands really but clearly I will save a lot of time with some diligent reading!
Just by way of an update, I did reset the sleeves by about an inch. Miraculously that seemed to sort out the pleating problem too – not sure how that happened. They look much better now. I've also pinned out the back width by a few cm and also the length. How I've managed to end up with so much extra fabric I'm not sure! If I go much further I think it'll start to feel tight.
A couple of pictures (also featuring my flatmate's plate on the floor – promise it's not mine!)
I think there's a temptation to take it in until it's almost skin tight to get rid of the creases which is obviously undesirable!
I'm itching to continue the process but I know there's no point doing it slapdash. One never learns by doing it half-heartedly...
Thanks again, I will keep trying!
Indeed, this is a strong temptation when you're starting out. As I've said in other threads: my garments nowadays are much looser than when I started, and they look (and feel) infinitely better. And you are right to avoid taking in the back too far. If the back is tight, it will be uncomfortable to wear.
Great job so far. Sleeves looking much better. And I agree with Kunsthandwerk
about the waist suppression.
Is there any chance you might share some photos of your garment or your work im sure everyone on the forum would appreciate it i am also pretty much an amateur i have been slowly learning on my own in my spare time. Any knowledge or images would be appreciated
It looks better, but I think you need more room in the waist area. There's too much waist suppression.
Agreed – don't like that Moss Bros look (no offence to them!)
That looks much better through out the shoulder/sleeve area. Good work!
your pockets look really good
Back needs a bit of work but great first effort
The back always causes the issues so it’s no surprise. Even savile row tailors have issues with the back fitting properly.
When attempting to remedy a back balance issue, pin across the waistline and not the chest line.
Pinning across the chest line will take out the shoulder angle and back neck squaring also which can get confusing for learners.
When the waist is pinned, pin the centre back neck and across both shoulders to the shoulder points.
If you are doing this alone it will take quite a time but it can be done. I would recommend using a video camera for self fitting.
Your sleeves are a little too wide I think. The official method to find the sleeve width is half the armhole circumference from pt 0-pt4. Some sizes might need a 1/2” added and others will need a 1/2” subtracted.
When you are struggling with sleeves it’s best to redraft, lay the pattern on the existing sleeves and re-cut.
Does it make sense for him to get the back right and then redraft the sleeves to conform to the armscye of the modified body, or can he redraft at this stage?
As for pitch, if the wrinkles are on the back of the sleeves the pitch is too far forward, if the wrinkles are on the front the pitch is too far back. Move the pitch a 1/2” and try again.
That's interesting and for me, counterintuitive. I would have guessed it was the opposite.
The front pitch on the sleeve is 3/8” from the armhole run on the fore-arm seam and 3/8” down on the hind-arm seam. These line up with 3/8” from the armhole at a 45 degree from pt 19 on the coat and 3/8” down from the half back line on the back.
Carry out these alterations and then re-baste. Try not to loose faith or momentum.
Congratulations on your efforts so far.