James Williams
Historical Tailor
With the pocket bags assembled, we can now install them into the trousers. First, we need to trim the trouser fronts to match the shape of our pocket facing pattern, which can be a little intimidating! Place the trouser pattern on the trouser front, aligning the pocket opening marks, and trace the pocket opening shape. …
To begin construction of the pocket bags and facings, first transfer any stripes or plaids to the rear facing pattern. Cut out two of each type of facing and two pocket bags, on the fold. Here’s how the facing matched up after cutting it out. Transfer the pocket open marks from the draft to each …
Drafting an open-top pocket is slightly more involved than the side-seam pocket, due to the special facings and shapes involved, but after a couple of tries you’ll get the process down. Begin by tracing top section of the trouser front pattern on a fresh piece of paper. Add the 1/4″ seam allowances. You really only …
All measurements should be taken over what you will wear underneath this coat, if possible. That’d mean a period shirt, trousers, and waistcoat if you have them. If not, I’d recommend adding maybe an inch to your measurements if just measuring over a regular shirt, for example. A good idea for beginners is to tie …
Shirts and other similar garments of the mid-19th century were often hemmed with what is known as a rolled hem, a very narrow – 1/8″ or even less – stitch that rolls the fabric back over itself. It can seem intimidating but once you learn how it works, it becomes second nature very quickly. In …
I finally finished up the pleated-front shirt project. First off was hemming the shirt with a rolled hem, entirely by hand. This is a fun little stitch that seems a little intimidating at first due to the narrow allowance, but really isn’t all that hard once you get used to it. The final hem width …
Continuing on with the shirt construction, I started putting the body of the shirt together by gathering the back into the yoke. This makes the shirt very roomy, yet the yoke gives a slightly better fit and more durability around the shoulders. Before joining the back and front together, I find it the best time …
With the pleats done, it’s time to attach them to the shirt front. The long sides are pinned and then basted securely. The long edges at the sides are then felled carefully to the shirt front. Here you can see the felling stitches from the wrong side. Even though they’re not seen, I try to …
With the shirt drafted and fitted, I began work on the pleated front section. Linen has a tendency to skew out of square due to the nature of the material, and so careful layout is needed. I first laid out the pattern for the pleated front, marking each of the fold lines in pencil for …
I recently started a new project, an 1860s civilian pleated-front shirt, both for myself and for teaching those members on Historical Tailoring Masterclasses. And as always, things started off with drafting a pattern and making a muslin toile for fitting purposes. Here’s the shirt front pattern, where I’ve determined the number of pleats and their …
A reader asked me a question the other day on collar construction and I thought it was suitable for a more in-depth article rather than trying to explain with words only. Regarding attaching a collar to confederate enlisted garments. I’ve attached them before using the method of sewing the whole collar to the outside of …
The running stitch is the most basic of stitches and forms the basis for a number of other stitches. Surprisingly, it’s not actually used all that much in tailoring, as it is a very weak stitch that will easily break under a little tension. The main uses within the tailoring world are for basting (covered …
We’ve all experienced a loose button or two in the past, or even lost a button completely. In this tutorial, learn how to attach buttons using traditional methods that will keep your buttons in place for years to come. Begin by marking out the button position based on your pattern, or transferring from the buttonhole …
When taking measurements for a pair of trousers, it’s very important that you are taking each measurement from the same height. In the 1860s, trousers were worn at the natural waist, or about the level of the belly button. If you have trousers that fit properly for the period, please take your measurements while wearing …
Recently, I embarked on a new project, copying an original linen paletot from the 1860s. Paletots are similar to a frock coat, though they lack a seam across the front waist, and could be cut anywhere from very fitted, to loosely fitted. I decided to make mine semi-fitted, with a shapely yet relaxed fit. The …
Darts, or fishes as they were sometimes referred to, are quite common in men’s clothing of the 19th century, helping to better fit the clothing to the body and give some shape to what would otherwise be a flat-looking garment. Most of these darts are created with the same general method I use here, though …
We all must have that one friend, or perhaps it is our self that is guilty, who insists upon sewing without the use of any thimble. I will admit I was one of them when I first started sewing more seriously, and was so proud of the callous on the tip of my finger that …
If one enters the world of tailoring (in any era), it is usually not long before you hear of some mythical era of tailoring when tailors could do everything with regards to drafting and fitting with their ‘rock of eye’. They could probably even make an entire suit with their ‘rock of eye’ just by …
Constructing an accurate and quality frock coat is all about the details. One such detail is the buttons, often covered in fabric and which could take hours of work to complete. Cloth buttons were very commonly used on frock coats during the 1860s period. Of about one dozen original frock coats I have examined, all …
Have you ever been plagued with knots or fraying threads while doing some hand sewing work? It can be a most frustrating event to be in the middle of a line of stitching and suddenly have the thread break off. For many years now I’ve been not only waxing, but pressing my sewing thread as …
Today I began a very ‘unique’ waistcoat, in that it’s drafted using Devere’s 1866 manual, has an 1890s or later styled collar, and is made out of a bright and very cheerful pink cotton seersucker fabric. So no, this is not period correct at all — rather it’s for a member of Connecticut Valley Field …
The Jetted or Jeated Pocket is one of the most common pocket types, and forms the basis for many other pocket styles used in coats, waistcoats, and trousers. With this importance in mind, we’ll start with this pocket style in this tutorial series, and build upon your skills in future variations. For now, we will practice making the jettings only, without worrying about the pocket bag and other details. I highly recommend making at least ten pockets for practice, out of a variety of fabrics and weights: wool, silk, linen, cotten, using whichever scraps you may have leftover from other projects. This experience will benefit you greatly in the future.
For a slight change of pace, we will learn how to draft a gentleman’s nightcap today. I was in need of one a few months ago, and whipped the whole thing up in about in hour – drafting and sewing included. This draft will give you the basic shape of the nightcap, from which you …
Plait or pleat pockets in a frock coat are often misunderstood, construction wise, and can be tricky to do correctly. Studying an original coat in my collection, I have reconstructed the methods of making these pockets, and share them for your edification. Your coat should be sewn together at the sidebody and forepart, and skirt …
