Made a Plaid Vest to go with my Plaid Slacks.
Plaid Slacks: ua-cam.com/video/aAU3VjoXing/v-deo.html
Pattern: McCalls 8962 Mens Shirt & Vest (vintage); graded down two sizes; missing instructions.
Materials:
- 100% Italian plaid wool; 100% polyester plaid (lining); cotton poly blend navy satin (pockets); 100% polyester black thread (main); 100% cotton ecru thread (tacks); 100% polyester light blue thread (basting); Hawaiian shell buttons.
Goals:
- Practice couture techniques.
- 100% hand sewn
- Practice pattern matching.
- Wearable two set piece.
Process:
- washed, pressed all fabric. Starched lining fabric.
- single layer cut out all pieces.
- pattern matched double pieces.
- tailor tacked all markings including sewing line.
- assembled darts and pockets.
- assembled body.
- assembled and bagged lining.
- buttonholes and buttons.
- clean up, wash, press.
Learnings:
- Upped my hand stitch skills.
- Upped my hand stitch buttonhole skills (I kinda prefer them now to machine stitched!)
- Upped my eye for pattern matching.
Overall thoughts:
- Handstitching isn't as tedious as it seems. And has advantages to machine stitching such as fine tuning of pattern matching. You can get super precise.
- This is a truly unique item. None other has, has had, or will ever exist in the universe.
- I like hand stitching buttonholes. Who knew? haha.