James Williams
Historical Tailor
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 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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
