I made some boxing trunks for my friend Juan Higuera. The white satin is double lined. I made two stencils for the side designs, one for the gold, one for the black. His name on the back is my favorite detail.
In the Godfather: Part II Robert De Niro wears an amazing shirt in multiple scenes. It's dusty blue with a contrasting navy blue collar, cuffs, front placket, and welt pockets. Every time Drew and I watch the movie, we're both drooling over the shirt, so I decided to make it for him.
The only blue cotton I had on hand was pastel Easter egg blue, so to get the dusty shade I wanted I just gave the fabric a single quick dip in black dye and it turned out surprisingly perfect. I love the extra large Italian style collar, and it was fun to do the slanted welt pockets.
Drew used to have a beautiful vintage wool hat that somehow got washed and put into the dryer. It shrunk down by about half and was no longer wearable. Drew really loved the hat, so I wanted to make him a new one. I took apart the ruined hat, traced the pieces and enlarged them to the proper size. I used some vintage tweed scraps and stitched this up one afternoon. I was able to reuse the brim from the old hat which was very convenient, because when I began the project, I had no idea where I'd be able to find hat making supplies. I think it turned out alright, and Drew likes it.
For Herschel's birthday gift I made him a shirt with some really great military details: pleated chest pockets, epaulettes, and (my favorite bit) a hidden belly welt pocket that is long enough to conceal a knife.
I used a pale grey heavy weight cotton, then dyed it with a little bit of black to get a dark grey wash that looks like something our good friend John Rambo would have liked to wear.
Our brother James rides a motorcycle, so he always wears some type of jacket. I made this one for him as an alternative to his leather jacket which can get really hot in the spring and summer. I used a heavy cotton twill for the outer and polyester lining on the inside. It has four welted pockets, two on the chest, two at the waist. I did a military-style standing collar with a front snap closure. My favorite detail is the floating cuffs at the wrist. A ribbed cuff is great for a motorcycle jacket because it keeps the wind from rushing up the sleeves, but the gathering it causes can really take away from a sleek looking jacket. So, I decided to make the ribbed cuff and the sleeve completely separate. James will get the functionality of a ribbed cuff, but the sleeves just stay nice and crisp.
Of all the alterations for men's trousers, the waist is the quickest and arguably the most important. If the waist size isn't correct, then it can effect every other aspect of the fit of the garment. So, here is how it's done.
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| 1. Remove the center back belt loop. |
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| 2. Lift up the center back section of the waistband and remove the stitching holding the waistband in place (usually two short rows). |
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| 3. Pin the bottom and the top of the waist band. |
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| 4. Double check from the outside that each seam of the waistband is lined up perfectly. |
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| 5. Mark your stitching line. You will mark half of the total amount that needs to be adjusted. For example this pair needs to be made smaller by 1", so it is marked 1/2" from the original stitching. If you need to make the trousers smaller, your stitching line will be on the left side of the original stitching. If you need to make the trousers larger, your stitching line will be on the right side of the original stitching. The line through the waistband should be exactly parallel with the original stitching. After you're past the waistband, taper it in gently to meet up again with the original stitching. |
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| 6. Stitch down the marked line twice. A double stitch ensures security. |
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| 7. Remove the original stitching. If this is the first time the trousers have been altered, the original stitching will most likely be a chain stitch. You can just clip it on one end and pull the whole thing out in about three seconds. |
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| 8.. Open the new seam and fold the waistband back down. Pin through all the layers keeping the pin right in the center. |
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| 9. Pull out one inside section. Fold up the end corner and tack into place. Repeat on the other side. If you're increasing the size of the trousers as much as possible you won't have end corners to fold up and tack. Instead, just fold the waistband down and tack vertically along the back seam of the waistband. |
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| 10. Reattach the belt loop. |
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| 11. Press the new seam. TIPS -Standard sized trousers shouldn't be taken in more than about 2", otherwise the back pockets can get too close together. -Don't cut out the extra fabric if the trousers will ever need to be altered again. |
For the month of March, Jessica and I wanted to focus on men's clothing. We'll be sharing a bunch of tips, projects and tutorials for all the men and boys in your life. To start out, I'll be sharing a project I made for our little brother.
Hershy wanted an all-black western-inspired suit. So, of course, he needed all three pieces. The trousers have a single pleat to allow a little extra room. I did flapped welted pockets which were inspired by the costuming in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. He chose a black on black floral satin for the vest. The jacket is my favorite part of all, because of the pick-stitching. It took extra time, but it was totally worth it. It just looks so handsome. I modified a vintage pattern for this suit. I altered the size to fit Hershy perfectly, and I added double vents in the back of the jacket,
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