Readers, Right after Jack and I put down our bags in our friends’ guest room Wednesday in the little town of Hart, Germany, my eyes fell on the cache of buttons. They had been set aside for me to browse, and I was urged to take anything that caught my fancy. I wished I had […]
McCall 4065, “Misses’ Mannish Jacket,” 1941
Readers, A few days ago I had the jacket I’ve been making using Kenneth King’s Smart Tailoring DVDs properly lighted and photographed in my sister’s studio. As you can see, I haven’t sewn the buttonholes or attached buttons yet. I’m pretty sure this fabric is old–possibly from the 1950s–judging from the shades of blues and […]
Installing the Jacket Sleeves and Finishing the Lining–Old School
Readers, Guess what? I finished my 1941 McCall “Misses’ Mannish Jacket,” except for buttonholes, yesterday! I’ve handed my creation over to my capable photographer, Cynthia DeGrand, to shoot it in her studio this afternoon. This past week found me following Kenneth King’s demos on his DVD set Smart Tailoring to set in the sleeves by […]
Installing the Sleeve Lining–Old School
Readers, The word “vent” is followed by “spleen” or “frustration” with some frequency, and I know why. I spent yesterday afternoon trying to line my sleeve vents neatly the “old school” way following Kenneth King’s instruction in his Smart Tailoring DVD set. And while my first attempt was successful–after a fashion–it wasn’t pretty. Apparently there […]
Constructing the Sleeve: Old School
Readers, This morning I couldn’t resist pinning the sleeves I finished yesterday onto my jacket, just to get a preview. Last week I was gratified to sew the shoulder seams and hand-stitch the collar to the neckline. For the first time I was able to see my jacket as a three-dimensional garment and not just […]
Installing the Collar–Old School
Readers, Following Kenneth King’s “old school” instructions in his Smart Tailoring DVD set, yesterday I hand stitched my collar to my 1941 McCall “misses’ mannish jacket.” I was surprised by how straightforward the process was and gratified by the result. This was the first time I’d made a jacket collar entirely by hand. And it […]
Preparing the Upper Collar–Old School
Readers, Here’s the collar unit I made for my 1941 McCall “Misses’ Mannish Jacket” pattern, continuing with my project to follow Kenneth King’s “old school” tailoring techniques from his Smart Tailoring DVD set. It was fun to make, and unlike any collar I’ve ever made before. I think the collar turned out well, but I’ll […]