Sewing Help

[Redbeard]

I am about to tackle my first sewing project, an SA jacket from C. Childs. The directions look clearish enough to someone who has experience, and I cannot complain. What I can do is recognize that I have a lot of reading to do before I tackle this. Can anyone recommend a tutorial on this jacket? I found this youtube set of three videos about sewing a sack coat:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0JJFihVZ1Y

and this where she shows some of the construction.

http://fabricoftime.blogspot.com/2016/01/schuylkill-arsenal-infantry-jacket.html

Is there some other obvious resource I can keep on hand when I get into a bind?

[Calum]

Re: Sewing Help

'morning,

While not a direct answer, I'd recommend becoming familiar with the different types of stitches, be comfortable how to do them, etc. A jacket is a very ambitious first project.

I wasn't new to sewing when I started doing period clothing - I've stuck mostly with Wambaugh & White kits. But even there, I started simple and worked my way up - drawers (several sets, both issue and civi), shirts, etc. Practical experience will give you more than reading. And be sure to keep lots of patience on hand, you'll need it.

Good luck!
Mike

[rmilstead]

Re: Sewing Help

Jacob,
I agree with Mike, you have picked a challenging project. A few years ago I did a Mounted Service Jacket using Charlie's pattern which I am sure is similar in the instructions and definitely in construction. Some suggestions:
1. Don't rush. No matter whether you are experienced or a novice trying to go fast will get you into trouble (have a seam ripper tool).
2. Read the instructions carefully and be sure you understand exactly what they are telling you to do before you try to do them. If I have never used a pattern before I "mockup" the job using muslin first to check the pattern sizing. If the project requires construction steps I have problems in understanding I will take muslin and actually build that part of the garment to see how it goes together first before getting into the job and guessing. On the MSJ I didn't fully understand how the pocket was put in so I actually made did a mockup of just the pocket working to understood how it went together. On very difficult or complicated pieces I have made complete mockups of the entire garment first using the cheapest material I could find that was close to the real stuff so as not to mess up expensive wool used in the final. I did that on a pair of SA Mounted Service trousers I made a few years ago using heavy blue denim at $7 per yard instead of the $70 yard sky blue kersey I had purchased for the final project. When the mockup was finished I knew how to make the final garment and actually had a pair of knock around blue jeans with seat reinforcements.
3. When sewing together the piece I always use the rule: "pin it", "baste it", and finally "sew it". That way by the time you are doing the final seam you know it goes together and you have put the pieces together properly. Sleeves are always a challenge for me particularly when lined but then maybe I'm dyslexic (I always seem to get things messed up). If you pin things together first and then baste them (slightly off of the actual seam allowance), you have some idea if you did it correctly before you spend the effort sewing and avoid needing that seam ripper as much. SA garments were all hand sewn which means you end up investing a lot of time in doing the final seams. Believe me after spending an hour or so backstitching a leg seam finding out you did it backwards is not a good feeling! Basting is your friend. I even baste down seam allowances before pressing them open and leave them that way until the garment is complete. I am lousy at pressing and also it makes sure that they stay in place until the garment is really finished when I finally remove the basting stitches.

Others may chime in with other tips but I find these important in my efforts to make sure I do a good job.

Good luck,

Dick Milstead
Liberty Rifles
The Company of Military Historians

[Redbeard]

Re: Sewing Help

'morning,

While not a direct answer, I'd recommend becoming familiar with the different types of stitches, be comfortable how to do them, etc. A jacket is a very ambitious first project.

I wasn't new to sewing when I started doing period clothing - I've stuck mostly with Wambaugh & White kits. But even there, I started simple and worked my way up - drawers (several sets, both issue and civi), shirts, etc. Practical experience will give you more than reading. And be sure to keep lots of patience on hand, you'll need it.

Good luck!
Mike

"God will not have his work made manifest by cowards." - Ralph Waldo Emerson Self-Reliance

I do plan to study the stitches, etc.

I have plenty of time before I need this jacket, so I intend to go slowly.

My plan is to research each step before I begin. I have read the directions several times. The muslin mockup is a good idea and I am may adopt it.

Thanks for the advice.

[Ambrose Bierce]

Re: Sewing Help

Jacob,

I have made many garments over the years, some of them quite complex, and I started out making poke sacks and handkerchiefs to improve my stitching. These are easy projects and you can also learn how to press your seams prior to and after stitching them. You can make them with running, back, baste, overcast, and any combination of stitches.

I also recommend using spare materials of a similar weight and weave as the project you are working on to learn buttonholes. Hard to do with a kit, but finding some wool or other material will help in this regard.

You will be well-served to get a good iron, such as a gravity fed professional tailor's iron or a Rowenta 8061. Both are pricey, but will hold your seams for pressing very well.

I am sure you have thread, needles, etc., but a healthy supply of pins and a sewing ruler (about 6" with a sliding scale in the center) will also really help in getting things set up.

As mentioned, lots of patience is necessary. I like Charlie Childs' kits, but if you don't know much about sewing the instructions can seem daunting. You really do need to know about sewing and construction techniques to interpret them at times. If you think you have it, so much the better.

For all of it, while there are primers (such as thesewingacademy.org) and books out there, the key to success is to practice. Being that SA garments were entirely handsewn you have at least taken on a project that you can work slowly on and learn in the process; machines are a different tool entirely.

Good luck, and let us see what you finally produce. Hopefully in the field at an event!

[LibertyHallVols]

Re: Sewing Help

Great advice here!

If you can't get your hands on a completed jacket, I can't emphasize enough that you should follow Dick M's advice on making a mock-up *FIRST* in order to practice and understand each step.

Practice your stitches.
Practice your buttonholes.
Find pics of orginals, etc. so you can see what the stitching looks like on the real deal.

Childs' kits are made to give a knowledgeable sewer the info they need to put together a kit. They are succinct and all that you need to go through the sequence of construction steps.

What kind of stitch to use?
How that stitch looks on the original?

No - That's on you. Childs gives you instructions, not a dissertation on the original jacket. That's where a Childs kit differs from, say, a WW&Co kit.

Best of Luck!

When you get stuck - STOP! Post questions here. Don't push ahead blindly. :)

[Redbeard]

Re: Sewing Help

Great advice here!

If you can't get your hands on a completed jacket, I can't emphasize enough that you should follow Dick M's advice on making a mock-up *FIRST* in order to practice and understand each step.

Practice your stitches.
Practice your buttonholes.
Find pics of orginals, etc. so you can see what the stitching looks like on the real deal.

I have definitely done so. Truth be told, I have sewn before, but nothing like this. I made an apron, repaired trowsers, have put on buttons, fixed seams. I am okay. I guess. But this is my first complete garment. It's daunting.

Childs' kits are made to give a knowledgeable sewer the info they need to put together a kit.

Thus my blind panic. LOL

When you get stuck - STOP! Post questions here. Don't push ahead blindly. :)

I have a few pards, my MIL, and this forum for that. I appreciate you all.