James Williams
Historical Tailor
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 …
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 …
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 …
