Choosing the perfect fabric is the most difficult aspect of sewing a men's t-shirt!  This guide will help to demystify menswear appropriate knits so that you can start the sewing confident that you will end up with a classic and flattering T-shirt.

What makes a t-shirt knit masculine?

To many people, the answer to the above question would be easy - they would say that the knit must be 100% cotton and of medium weight.  As you may have already discovered, it can be very difficult to find such a fabric at your local fabric store!  I am here to argue that you can make a very manly t-shirt with all manner of knits.  Let me prove this to you by showing you some big brand store-bought examples ranging from basic cotton interlock to blended fabrics completely void of cotton!

As you can see, most of these shirts feature medium weight fabrics with little drape and minimal stretch.  It is interesting to note that the only shirt containing spandex content features a much tighter fit than the other shirts.  Since spandex content is becoming an increasingly common element in knit fabrics, it is good to know that a masculine t-shirt can still be produced with the spandex-laden fabrics found all throughout fabric stores.

Aside from fabric content, it is important to note the style of knit.  An interlock knit is stiffer and has less drape than a jersey knit.  I find that if I am in doubt about the suitability of a fabric for menswear (especially if I am choosing a printed fabric), I will err on the side of caution by using an interlock rather than a jersey.

Check your closet!

So now that we've determined that there is a surprisingly large range of acceptable fabric types, we must narrow things down by keeping the prospective wearer's preferences in mind!  The easiest way to do this is to open up the recipient's closet and look at the t-shirts that are already there.  Are they mostly of medium weight?  What do the fabric content labels say?  Do many feature unusual textures and graphics?  Are there a broad selection of styles or does the person favor one type of fit?

Here are Matt's favorite t-shirts as an example along with why they are his favorite:

He has had this free event t-shirt for MANY years and it is only just now beginning to show wear.  He loves that the hems do not fold up and wrinkle as many of his t-shirts with less polyester content tend to do.  The weight is quite heavy compared to some of his more 'fashionable' t-shirts but the polyester adds a bit of fluidity to the fabric so it doesn't look too crisp and so that it forms to his body just enough to be flattering.

He wears these v-neck H&M t-shirts often because he likes the fit of the sleeves and the v-neck (and the selection of bright colors).  He wishes that the fabric were slightly heavier because they tend to show a bit of nipple!

While he wears these Armani t-shirts often, their tendency to wrinkle bothers Matt.  The sleeves are always folding up and the narrow neck binding makes them look a bit misshapen.  These shirts were designed as undershirts rather than t-shirts and the fabric is even more light weight than the H&M t-shirts due to this.  Matt requires all of his clothes to be suitable for mulitple purposes so a thin t-shirt meant ONLY for use under button-ups does not suit his wardrobe.

This is Matt's favorite Strath Tee!  It is made using a Girl Charlee knit that is no longer available.  I think it may be a blended cotton/poly knit.  It doesn't contain very much stretch and it is of light to medium weight (a touch heavier than the H&M tees).  Matt gets compliments on the print CONSTANTLY and he feels really confident in this shirt.  I shortened the sleeve length considerably to be the most flattering length for Matt (I will talk about this more in the next sew-along post!).  I think that the print suits the crew neck style and might be a touch more wild than Matt prefers if it were on a v-neck shirt.

How thick? How stretchy?

I like to err on the side of thick and not very stretchy but picking fabrics with different properties (thick and quite stretchy, thin and not very stretchy) is still a possibility as we saw in the ready to wear shirts above!  Here are the fabrics that I picked for the Strath Tee sew-along.  They include:

A 100% Cotton Interlock of medium weight with matching 1X1 ribbing...

A 100% Cotton Interlock of medium weight without ribbing...

A 100% Cotton Jersey of light weight (note that there is no spandex content so this fabric does not contain too much drape)...

A cotton/bamboo blend jersey of light to medium weight (sorry, I don't know the percentages!)...

You can sort of see their relative thicknesses here (the teal and white knits are the same fabric in different colours so I only photographed the white interlock):

And here are their stretch capabilities:

I have stretched each fabric as far as it will stretch without becoming misshapen.  None of them are able to stretch very far but I was surprised that the cotton/bamboo jersey stretched farther than the interlock!  The cotton jersey stretched least of all and bounced back to its original shape the slowest of the three fabrics.

Do I need ribbing?

As you may be able to tell in the photos of store bought t-shirts at the top of this post, most modern t-shirts do not feature heavy ribbing at the neck band.  1X1 ribbing is the most common choice for modern t-shirt neck bands.  2X1 ribbing used to be a fairly common choice for men's t-shirts in the past (these "Ringer Tees" would often feature ribbing at the sleeve hem as well) but this is no longer the case.  In fact, I have recently been noticing store bought men's t-shirts with self neck binding rather than ribbing!

The advantage of using ribbing to bind a t-shirt neckline is that your neckline will not be prone to stretching out.  Ribbed knits spring back into their original shape very quickly.  If you can't find matching or contrast ribbing, test your fabric's shape retention abilities by stretching it considerably and then releasing it.  Does it revert to it's original shape or does it look a bit saggy and stretched out?  If your fabric contains a small percentage of spandex, you will easily be able to skip purchasing ribbing because the spandex performs the same job as the rib knit.  If you are using a 100% Cotton knit that is quite crisp, you may find it keeps it's shape tolerably well.  If you are using a blended jersey with considerable drape, you will likely find that the fabric is prone to dragging and drooping once it is stretched - you can combat this by cutting your neck band shorter or by finding a ribbing fabric for your neck band.

Can I use prints?

When deciding on a fabric choice, you might be tempted to use crazy prints.  While many menswear enthusiasts will urge you away from all-over prints...I say go for it!  Here are my reasons why:

• It is next to impossible to find a border style print that you can position just over the chest of the shirt to simulate the appearance of your average graphic tee - believe me, I've tried!  If you don't feel like getting crafty with fabric paint, spray paint or screen printing, an all over print might be your only choice.

• It is fun to push boundaries while sewing!  A t-shirt doesn't take much fabric or time to create so this is the perfect canvas for edgy print choices.  If the recipient is overwhelmed by the print, the t-shirt can easily be made into a tunic dress or a women's t-shirt instead (speaking from experience here :P).

• All over prints are becoming increasingly common in menswear.  Here is my favorite example from Canadian company Frank & Oak.  I like the idea of adding a solid pocket to the t-shirt to break up the print:

Where to shop:

Since fabric stores are most often geared towards women's fashion, children's garments or quilting, it can be a little bit disheartening to sift through the knit section.  I often find myself grumpily pushing aside licensed cartoon French Terry, silky rayon knits, and endless bolts of pastel knits until I am left with only three or four suitable bolts of interlock or jersey to choose from!  Luckily, men's t-shirts can be easily personalized using contrast stitching, contrast neck binding or even a contrast pocket if you are faced with a limited selection of colors or prints at your local fabric store.

If you are very limited at your local fabric shop and would like to find better quality or selection online, here is my tried and true list of online knit fabric shops!  Each of these shops is a favorite of mine for a unique reason:

Organic Cotton Plus

The quality and selection of the organic knits in this shop are excellent.  You can sort the fabrics so that you are only looking at Interlocks or Jerseys and you can even sort so that you are choosing fabrics made within the US!  The solid colors available are generally quite earthy and manly but there is also a growing selection of intriguing geometric prints.

Simplifi Fabric

If you are in Canada, you might feel extra limited in regards to knit choices due to the current exchange rates - ordering internationally just doesn't make sense right now!  Fortunately, there is no need to look outside of Canada because Simplifi (based in Ontario) carries eco-friendly textiles of high quality.  Their knits section is quite large but you will have to sift through a large amount of prints designed for children's garments (which are SUPER cute!).  If you sort by fibre, you will find that they have a great base of solid knits including a comprehensive selection of bamboo knits - my favorite!

Girl Charlee

If you are looking for a huge selection of fun all-over prints, this is the place to look!  You might want to order swatches since Girl Charlee carries such a huge range of knit styles - it can be difficult to tell how drapey, stretchy, heavy, or good quality they are based on the descriptions alone.  Matt finds some of the Jersey Blend fabrics are just as comfortable and light weight and easy to wash (no wrinkles) as his favorite H&M t-shirts.

Gorgeous Fabrics

This is an excellent shop to peruse if you are hoping to create a high end t-shirt in an unusual material.  There are some beautiful heathered jerseys and even some merino wool knits.  Some of the knits are labelled "Tee-shirt weight" which is useful for our purposes!  By the way - knits are 20% off right now!  And there are some REALLY beautiful Italian sweater knits in stock; I am super tempted to make another Newcastle Cardigan!

Spoonflower

Aside from being able to design your own printed fabric at Spoonflower, you can also peruse the huge library of other people's designs.  Spoonflower can print on an Organic Cotton Interlock knit which would likely be very suitable for a t-shirt and also on a jersey.  I haven't ordered the swatch pack myself so don't rely on my suggestions about which fabric type to print on!  It is probably best to order a sample pack for yourself :).

I hope you are able to find the perfect knits for your sew-along Strath Tee!  Make sure to use #strathtee when sharing your t-shirt progress.

While we have quite a few sew-alongs and tutorials on our website, there are a few big gaping holes which really need to be filled!  One such hole is a sew-along for the t-shirt version of our Strathcona Henley and T-shirt pattern.  Currently, the only tutorial on our site specifically suited to the Strath is my tutorial on sewing the Henley button placket - extremely useful if you plan on sewing the Henley variation but not so helpful if you are sewing the T-shirt!

In preparation for the sew-along, the Strathcona T-shirt and Henley pattern is currently 25% off!  The tissue pattern is currently only $15.00 while the PDF pattern is only $8.25.  The sale will run until the sew along is over on September 23rd.

Here are the aspects I will cover in this sew along - you will notice it will only take three blog posts to complete (it really is that simple to sew a t-shirt):

Blog Post #1 on Sept 16th

1. Choosing manly t-shirt knits

Blog Post #2 on September 18th

1. Choosing a stitch style
2. Cutting out your fabric

Blog Post #3 on September 21st

1. Sewing the shoulders
2. Sewing the neckline
3. Sewing the sleeves and side seams
4. Sewing the hems

I hope you will sew along with me!  Please don't feel rushed to find fabric in time - you are welcome to start sewing whenever you are ready.  Any comments and questions added to these sew along posts will be answered by me indefinitely!  Please use #strathtee to share your sewing process and finished tees!

Today I'll show you the fabric and notions I've chosen for the sew-along pants I'm sewing and we'll take some time to discuss materials you could choose for your own pair.

I'm creating two pairs of pants for this sew-along:

VARIATION ONE

This pair will feature the design details from Variation 1 of the Jutland Pants pattern.  I'm sewing them in a size 30 for Matt.

Materials I'm using:

• Self Fabric: Olive 7.35 oz cotton canvas
• Waistband Facing: Plaid Flannel
• Pocketing: Densely woven cotton sheeting
• Interfacing: Medium weight woven fusible interfacing
• Zipper: 6" Talon metal zipper
• Rivets: Brass.  I'll be using four of these to reinforce the front pockets
• Otter Wax: Two bars.  These will be used for waxing the finished pair of pants!

Changes I'll be making to this variation:

• Create narrower legs (as per Matt's preference...he's a skinny guy!)
• Add buttons to the welt pockets
• Use Otter Wax to create a water resistant finish

VARIATION TWO

This pair will include the details from Variation 2.  I'm sewing them in a size 34 for my Uncle who covet's my dad's orange pair (from our Jutland Pants photo shoot).

Materials I'm using:

• Self Fabric: Navy blue cotton twill - VERY heavy weight (avoid this fabric if your machine doesn't like thick layers!)
• Waistband Facing: Plaid Flannel
• Lining: Plaid Flannel
• Pocketing: Densely woven cotton sheeting
• Interfacing: Medium weight woven fusible interfacing
• Zipper: 6" Talon metal zipper
• Rivets: Brass.  I'll be using ten of these - two on each front pocket and three on each patch pocket

Changes I'll be making to this variation:

• Add a gusset to the main pants and lining crotch
• Add screw-driver pocket instead of the left cargo pocket
• Create knee pad pockets that allow for removable knee pad inserts
• Add additional strengthening top stitching and bar tacks

So now you've seen what materials I've chosen, let's have a look at why I made these choices and how you can make your own choices:

Fabric

These pants can be sewn from all sorts of bottom weight fabrics.  You can try using anything from denim to waterproof Rip-stop!

A note about the cotton canvas we carry in our store: I chose our Olive cotton canvas to put in our store because it is strong enough to withstand a lot of wear but it is thin and light enough to cooperate with light weight domestic sewing machines. It is a great weight to use if your machine is afraid of heavy fabrics.  Because the pattern includes details such as flat fell seams, it is a good idea to choose a fabric that is thin enough for your machine to handle several layers and also to choose something that does not fray substantially as this can make ironing the tiny folds of a flat fell seam quite fiddly!

A note about thick materials: As for the thick twill material I chose for my Uncle's pair of pants - don't try this at home (if you're machine is lightweight).  I sew this weight of material on my industrial sewing machine.  If you would like to sew pants with a heavyweight material such as this one, I'd suggest skipping all flat fell seams and keep in mind that the details such as the knee and hem reinforcements can result in a lot of layers so it might be a good idea to skip them.

A note about stretch fabrics:  Stretch denims and other stretch materials can result in a great pair of Jutland Pants.  Just keep in mind that the stretch inherent in the fabric will change the fit of the pants.  You can either size down or make sure that key fit areas can't stretch.  For instance, you could use a non-stretch woven material as the waistband facing or as interfacing in the waistband to prevent this area from stretching bigger throughout the day while the pants are worn.

Pocketing

(I love the personalized Star Wars pockets that Lindsay used on The Monthly Stitch!)

While actual pocketing will create light weight but strong pocket linings, it can often be difficult to find at your local fabric store.  Pocketing (whether labelled as such or not) just needs to be densely woven, thin and strong.  Any quilting cotton will work nicely (and it's so much fun to pick personalized prints!) - just keep in mind that the more densely woven your material is, the stronger your pockets will be.  I like to use high quality, high thread count sheeting (fabric intended for sheets) since I happen to have a lot of pocket size scraps of it from an old job I had sewing for an interior designer!  Waste not, want not :).

Hardware

Choose a zipper with all metal components.  Look for quality brands such as Talon (an old American zipper company) or YKK (a Japanese zipper company).  Don't skimp or compromise when choosing a zipper!  This is a notion that needs to deal with a lot of stress and use.

Rivets come in all sorts of shapes and sizes.  Don't worry if the post seems too long to suit the thickness of your fabric.  You can trim the post to suit your material thickness perfectly to create a strong and effective fit.  Check out the tutorial Matt made to show you how to do this!

Choose a button that suits your style and the wearer's preference.  For a casual and rugged look, use a jeans button that is applied just like a rivet.  For a dressier look, use a thick hidden hook and bar closure.  You can read a detailed post on this closure style at The Cutting Class.  Or personalize your pants by using a wooden, bone or plastic sew-on button (check out the button sewing tutorial that I made to make sure that your button won't fall off of your pants!).

Tomorrow I'll be going into all sorts of detail about my approach to preventing and fixing fit issues.  Please email or comment with any questions you might have!

Today is the last day of the Tailored Peacoat Series!  Thanks for following along!  Today we are sewing the finishing steps and will have a finished peacoat to present by the end of the post.

Finishing

Topstitch the coat, starting at the edge of the facing along the bottom of the hem, and stopping at the mark for the top buttonhole and roll line.  Don’t backstitch, but pull the thread to the back of the coat and tie off.  Flip the coat and topstitch from roll line to roll line along the lapels and collar, then flip again and stitch from roll line to the end of the facing.  This way, you’re always stitching with the “right” side of the coat facing you.

I made buttonholes by hand, and also made a buttonhole on the right side of the coat and sewed a flat button underneath the top decorative button on the left side.  This button supports the underside front and keeps the coat hanging nicely.  Bonus points if you actually remember to button it when you wear the coat.

Remove all the basting threads and tailor tacks (there are a lot!!!).

Press the coat, working slowly and making sure edges are crisp and seams are flat.  Use a clapper to smash out any bulky spots.  It can take an hour to properly press a coat.

The finished coat! (Wahoo!  What gorgeous results after all of this hard work.  Congratulations, Dana!)

 Whew, and that's the end!  Once again, thank you very much, Dana, for contributing this incredible series - what a resource for everyone planning to sew a Goldstream Peacoat!

As I said in previous posts, I have learned a lot of techniques (and have been reminded of a lot that I had learned in the past but have neglected to do!) during this series.  I'm really looking forward to trying out pad stitching and I will certainly be basting A LOT more than I did throughout the last pea coat sewing project!  I don't know if I'll have the patience to baste quite as much as Dana did but I really should just slow myself down and force myself to do it.  After all, if I am going to put hours and hours of work into sewing a coat for Matt (not to mention all the money for nice wool!), I would like the finished product to look as beautiful and last as long as Dana's coat does and will.  Hmmm you just got a glimpse of the boxing match going on in my sewing room: too much excitement to see the finished product vs. the desire to create perfect, quality results.

Now that we are armed with all this knowledge and inspiration, we are completely ready to conquer our fears of tailoring and our habits of sewing only projects that provide immediate results.  It's time to begin your big Goldstream Peacoat sewing project!  What did you think of this series?  Which tips and tricks do you think you will be using?

Today is the last big sewing day for the Tailored Peacoat Series since tomorrow's post will involve just finishing touches.  Get ready to insert your sleeves using a different method than our usual one (no gathering with this one!).

Sewing the Sleeves

I sewed the front seam of the sleeves, then used a strip of bias silk organza as a hem reinforcement, since I don’t have wigan (you can buy this bias cut sewn in interfacing here).

Pocketing might have been a better choice.  The sleeve linings were cut with an extra 1 inch of seam allowance at the top of the sleeve (Dana added this extra seam allowance, this is not included as part of the Goldstream Peacoat pattern).

After the sleeves were hemmed and linings assembled, I sewed the seam allowances of the sleeve and lining together for a few inches at the elbow.  This keeps the linings from twisting inside the sleeve.

Sew the lining at the hem with an ease pleat, and baste the sleeve and lining together about 3 inches below the top of the sleeve.

Setting in the Sleeves

I was taught to set coat sleeves using a different method than the gather-the-cap method almost every book, pattern, blog, etc, uses.  In fact, when I have to gather the sleeve cap (I’m looking at you, 1840’s men’s coats), I usually want to scream/cry/throw things.  If that method works for you, great, but I've always had trouble with it.

The sleeves have ¼" seam allowance (The Goldstream Peacoat pattern uses 5/8" seam allowances but Dana has adjusted her pattern to include 1/4").  Mark ¼" seam allowance on the armscye of the coat, either with tailor tacks when you cut the coat, or thread trace it now.   Pin the sleeve into the armscye, matching the notches.

The pins don’t have to be close together, just enough so you can tell how the sleeve is hanging.  Don’t worry about extra ease in the sleeve right now.  Once the sleeve is pinned, check to see how the sleeve is hanging.  The sleeve ease is really well distributed in this pattern, so it should sit well, but feel free to move it around if you aren’t happy.  Next, baste the sleeves with matching thread, since this can stay in the finished coat. Use a fairly small running stitch.

This is where you want to ease any wrinkles into the armscye; happily, most wool likes to ease, and using a small seam allowance makes it easier to control the fabric.  Check the hang of the sleeve again, and make sure there aren’t any big wrinkles or other unhappiness.  If you’re having problems, you can try pressing the seam, just don’t go more than an inch into the sleeve.  Hand sewing the sleeve into the armscye instead of machining it also gives you greater control.

Once the sleeves are sewn, baste around the armscye from the exterior of the coat, as close to the sleeve seam as possible and going through as many layers of canvas, shoulder pad, and lining as you can.

You want to push all the seam allowances of the coat and sleeves towards the sleeves, and to hold all the layers in place.  Since there is extra ease in the lining, there might be a few folds when you baste the layers together, just make sure the lining isn’t pulling anywhere.  From the inside with the sleeve facing  you, backstitch through all the layers close to the stitch line using heavy thread.

I was able to go through the shoulder pad and catch the lining on the other side, but if your shoulder pads are thick you might have to do a second line of backstitching from the lining side, catching the shoulder pad to the lining.  Trim away the extra wool, canvas, lining, and shoulder pad; I usually leave only ¼ inch under the arm and taper to ½ inch at the top and sides of the armscye.  Sew a sleeve head in the armscye, starting at the front notch or sleeve seam and going around the top of the sleeve to the back sleeve seam.  Sleeve heads fill out the ease at the top of the sleeve and give a smooth look to the shoulder.  You can buy them or make your own; I used a bias strip of wool 2 inches wide, folded over about ½ inch and pressed.

 Fold the sleeve lining over ¼" and slip stitch in place, matching seams with the sleeve and just covering the backstitching.  Its perfectly acceptable to have small gathers in the lining around the top of the sleeve.  Lining rarely eases as nicely as wool.

I split the under collar at the center back.  I cut two pieces on the bias from hair canvas, trimming away the seam allowance, and also cut two bias under collar  pieces from wool.  If you are suave like Matt (Matt appreciates that statement, thanks Dana! :P) and want to pop the collar of your coat, I would cut the under collar from a single piece, but you can still cut the interfacing on the bias.

I lightly pad stitched the canvas to the under collar, making sure I didn't go all the way through the wool -  but my wool is quite thick and fuzzy, so if your fabric is thinner or has a tighter weave and you’re worried your stitches might show, its okay to skip pad stitching.

Cross stitch the canvas to the wool to keep the edges in place.

Fold the seam allowance up from notch to notch along the neck edge and baste in place.

Lay the coat out with the neck facing you, and with the wool side of the under collar up, pin the collar to the neck edge matching center back and the notches.  I also put a pin at the roll line.

Making sure the canvas and linings are laying nicely inside the coat, and easing as needed along the neck edge, baste the collar to the coat.

Check to make sure the lining isn't doing anything weird (sometimes it likes to jump around) --- (Remember that Dana didn't use the back neck facing so she is dealing with lining fabric at the neck seam) --- and sew the collar to the coat using a fell stitch and double thickness of thread (to see how to do the fell stitch, have a look at the second stitch on Colette Patterns' "Basic Hand Stitches" guide).  Don’t be afraid to catch the facing and lining.

From the inside, cross stitch the neck seam allowance to the collar, clipping where needed to get it to lie flat.

Cut a piece of fabric about 1 ½ inches wider and 2 inches longer than the under collar.  Fold it in half, and using a hot steam iron, stretch the top and bottom long edges.

Don’t stretch the center of the strip.  When you’re done, it should ripple on both edges.

Mark the center of the strip.  Align the center of the strip with the center back of the collar and pin in place.  Its easiest to do this with the coat on a dress form, but you can also drape it over your knee or hand/arm.

Working from the center back to the front, smooth the fabric over the collar, keeping the straight edge at the top even with the seam allowance of the under collar, and pinning as you go.  You’re trying to build some ease into the upper collar so it will roll nicely.

Its okay to trim some of the excess fabric if its getting difficult to work with, just make sure you have plenty for seam allowances.

Once the upper collar is pinned in place, baste around the outer edge of the collar, and remove the pins.

Sew the outer edge of the collar from notch to notch with the canvas side facing up, similar to how the front facing is sewn onto the coat front.  Press the seam open and grade and trim the seam allowance.  Turn the collar right side out, and baste close to the edge, rolling the seam towards the under collar, like the front edge.  Put a line or two of basting in the collar, working from the edge towards the coat, then fold the collar under (like the lapels on the facing) and run a line of basting to keep the ease in the upper collar.

Trim the neck edge of the upper collar so you have 3/8" to 1/2" seam allowance, and turn it under and baste in place.  Slip stitch in place.

Well, there you go, the collar is finished!  How different from our usual approach to sewing a collar!  I look forward to draping my own upper collar when I sew Matt his tailored Goldstream in time for next winter.

Thank you to everyone who has commented via the blog/email/in person about the useful nature of this series.  Dana put a lot of work into all of these posts and I am sure many of us will be referring to her teachings for all sorts of coat projects in the future!

Look forward to a post on an alternative approach to setting in sleeves tomorrow!

Today is a bit of a shorter post during which Dana demonstrates how to securely place the shoulder pads and shows us her method for assembling the side and shoulder seams of the coat and lining.  You may notice that the procedure is a little different than outlined in the Goldstream Peacoat instruction booklet because the lining pieces have already been separately basted to their corresponding self pieces.  Dana's process involves a lot of hand stitching to complete the lining and I am sure you will agree that this is a very effective way to ensure complete accuracy when sewing such a slippery fabric.

Side Seams (both coat and lining) and Hem

Sew the side seams together and press open.  To sew the lining, at the side seams, fold one edge over the other making sure there’s a bit of ease in the lining.  Slip stitch the lining seams.

Baste the hem up close to the edge, then again about half an inch down from the cut edge.

Make an ease pleat in the lining, then slipstitch the lining down.

 Shoulders Seams and Pads

Sew the shoulder seams.  Since most back shoulders are bigger than the front shoulder, its easiest to sew with the front on top and the back will ease itself in while you stitch.

I've found it much easier to place shoulder pads when the coat is on a dress form, or at least on a person.  My shoulder pads have a center notch; align this with the shoulder seam, and pin the pad in place.

Move the pins so they’re holding the pad to the canvas (separated from the coat fabric), and diagonally baste the pad from the canvas side.

Turn the canvas over, and cross stitch the pad to the canvas.

Re-align the canvas and shoulder pad in the coat (its easy to do this over your hand) and baste it in place.

Fold the back lining over the front lining and facing, and baste in place.

Today, on the third day of our Tailored Peacoat Series, Dana will be teaching a few tricks to put into practice while sewing your Goldstream Peacoat facing and lining:

The Facing and Lining

I overcut coat linings, with the exception of the front edge that is attached to the facing.  Fabrics, especially slippery lining fabrics, tend to shift and not always do what you want them to, so its very helpful having a bit of extra fabric to work with. I sewed the front facing to the front lining, stopping about an inch from the hem, trimming the seam allowances to 1/4” and inserting a strip of bias cut from the wrong side of my lining fabric.  The bias strip is purely decorative, but can be a nice little bit of color.  Instead of doing an interior patch pocket, I made double piped pockets.

Sew the coat front and the facing/lining together, from the collar notch where you stopped trimming the canvas to the end of the facing at the hem.  Its easiest to sew with the coat side facing up, and stitching about a needle’s distance from the canvas.  Grade the seam allowance and press the seam open.  Baste the front edge, rolling the facing to the inside below the top button mark. When you get to the lapel, baste so the seam is in the center. 

Once the edges are basted, run a line of basting in the center of the lapel, then baste the roll line, stopping about an inch below the neck edge.

Fold the lapel over, and working from the inside of the coat, baste a couple lines, working from the edge of the coat towards the lining.  Folding the lapel will ensure it has enough room to roll easily when worn.

Baste close to the facing/lining seam, then fold the lining back and cross stitch the facing to the canvas, working around the pocket.

Fold the lining back far enough so the pocket can lay flat, then cross stitch the side of the pocket to the canvas.

Lay the lining flat, and baste it down, leaving plenty of room for the armscye, side seams, and hem.

From the front of the coat, trim the lining even with the wool around the shoulders, armscye, and side seams.

At the neck edge, clip the facing to the neckline about 1” past the roll line.

Then, fold the fabric under and even with the neck edge.  Baste, then slip stitch, down.

The fronts are done!

The Back and Lining

I cut the back lining from the same piece as the back, since I’m not using the back facing.  I did leave enough in the lining for an ease pleat center back.  Once the center back seam and center back of the lining are sewn, baste them together along the center back seam, then in a horseshoe shape, leaving room for side seams, shoulder pads, and hems.

Now that all the lining and facing pieces are assembled and basted to the main coat, we are ready to sew the main coat seams and insert the shoulder pads tomorrow!

Today, the second day of our Tailored Peacoat Series, Dana is walking us through a couple minor changes to the front patch pockets.  She will also be discussing the use of hair canvas to interface the coat front.  Okay, lets get right into it:

The Front Patch Pockets

The only change I made to the pockets was to fuse a piece of interfacing to the top of the pocket (the part that will be folded over to the back).  It will keep the pocket from stretching (this is a great tip, especially if the wearer likes to shove their hands into their pockets quite often).  I used weft interfacing.

I basted around the edge of the pocket, making sure the lining rolled to the inside.  I also did this for the pocket flap.

Using the placement markings for the top of the pocket as a guide, I basted a piece of pocketing (I used washed quilting cotton, but there are pocketing fabrics and Silesia out there) on the wrong side to act as a stay for the pocket (Definition: A stay is a piece of material applied to the wrong side of the self fabric to provide extra strength and resilience.  An example that is commonly visible in ready to wear clothing is a button sewn to the inside of a garment at the same time as the exterior button is sewn.  When used, the button will be pulling on the inside button rather than stretching out and damaging the self fabric).  The stay fabric should be about 2” wider than the finished pocket and 3” tall.  Position it so it will be behind the flap but still low enough to catch the top of the pocket.

I basted the pocket in place before slip stitching the edge down, then top-stitching.  Yes, I do LOTS of basting.

 Applying Canvas/Interfacing

In a hand tailored coat, the interfacing is attached to the coat front, not the facing.  I used hair canvas for interfacing. You can buy premade coat fronts, or make your own.  If you buy one, I’d recommend getting a few sizes bigger than the coat you’re making, so you know it will be big enough. (You can find this one in the Goldstream Tailoring Supplies Kit or you can buy them individually at B. Black and Sons.)

Lay the coat front on top of the canvas, and baste in the center of the canvas, making sure you leave space at the top for the shoulder pads, and don’t extend beyond the hem line.

Baste along the front edge, about an inch from the roll line and across the bottom, and at the far edge of the canvas and about 2” away from the armscye so you have room to set the sleeves.

Next, baste the roll line, taking smaller stitches so its easier to see the line from the back of the coat, and baste the lapel.  If the canvas extends beyond the fabric in any places, trim it so they’re even.

To pad stitch or not to pad stitch; that is the question (Gertie has written a tutorial on pad stitching as part of her Lady Grey Sew-Along).  On a suit coat, you would pad stitch the lapel, shaping the wool and canvas so the lapel rolls and sits nicely on the finished suit.  Overcoats, however, are often designed with the lapels to be worn open or closed, and if both sides of the lapel will be visible, you don’t want the stitches from pad stitching to be seen.  If you know the lapels will always be worn open and want to pad stitch the lapels, go for it.

Trim the canvas even with the edge of the front and hem (here’s where knowing exactly where the edge is comes in handy), stopping at the notch for the collar.  Cross stitch (also called catch stitch) the canvas to the coat.

Why didn't I tape the front edge?  Taping the front edge keeps it from stretching, important if you have any curved edges, and makes a nice crisp edge.  However, coupled with heavy fabric, it creates extra bulk, and the top-stitching will reinforce the front edge.

In the last picture, you can see that I divided the roll line into thirds in preparation for taping the roll line.  I used 3/8” cotton twill tape.  Please use cotton tape, not that poly stuff sold in packages.  It doesn't respond well to a hot iron and lots of steam.  Pin the end of the tape 1/3 of the way from the front edge, mark the 2/3 spot, then pull the tape 1/4" to 3/8” past the mark, then lay the tape flat along the rest of the roll line.  There should be some rippling in the coat.

Baste the tape down, easing in the excess.

Whip stitch the tape down, catching only the canvas, then press the crap out of it (Nicely said Dana :P).  The ease will press out, and the tape will keep the roll line snug against the wearer.

And that's it for today's lesson!  Tomorrow we will move on to sewing the facing and the lining.  I meant to remind everyone last post, but forgot so will remind you here instead: We have an Encyclopedia Peacoatica that was compiled by us from your wonderful contributions a couple months ago.  It's a great place to go to find links to resources when planning to start your Goldstream Peacoat!

Today we have another guest post treat - this time from Katie, the author of the blog, The Creative Counselor.  She is the test sewer who made this version of the Jedediah Pants.  She used a gorgeous recycled hemp and organic cotton blend and widened the legs to create a totally different style of pants than our slim fit originals - I love how well these pants display the versatility of a well fitting pants pattern - all you have to do is adjust the width or length of the legs to create endless varieties and styles!

Meg, of Made By Meg was one of the test sewers for our Jedediah Pants pattern.  She was the sewer who produced this spectacular pair of denim pants (with musical themed pocket linings!):