The Tools of Tailoring

June 30, 2023

I probably should entitle this "The Tools of Writing My Weekly Report!"  The comments were over-whelmingly positive and I'm so glad.  Thank heavens, I think we may have found a great method to use to write with.  I'm sure this won't be the end of glitches...life happens.  But this is obviously a much sleeker and better template, than the one before.  I love it cause you all can see the photos and pictures that I'm trying to show.  This work is a visual work and therefore needs many pictures, graphics and videos to explain.  

So what are the tools of tailoring, and how is tailoring different from dressmaking.  To me they are both sewist-type skills, but they are also hugely different.  For one thing, there is the totally different shape of the two bodies. Men have more upper body mass, while women have mostly more lower body mass.  Believe it or not, that's why men are more prone to heart disease than women cause they do carry their extra weight above their waist.  For another women have those girls on the upper part of their body, which has to be figured into the armscye fit.  Men have a very clean smooth, flat line from their shoulder to their waist, and a tailor can really play with the drape to make it smoother than glass.  

This is really a beautiful look.  

On the other hand there's nothing more glorious than the great fit of a voluptuous figure.  For me these looks are divine in that they are difficult to fit, but not impossible, and when they fit well, they are truly glorious.

Say what you will about Dolly, her garments not only fit (albeit a little close) but she has some wonderful undergarments that really support her figure and posture, and make her look remarkably younger by keeping her bustline up and supported.  

NOTE:  A lot of the photos have links to them to give you more information about the product and where to purchase.

So tailoring has different body shapes than dressmaking, but also tailors normally stand while dressmakers sit.  Not sure why that is but it seems to be the norm, even today.  

The tools however are the same.  There are many great tools that are worth the effort in your tailoring, because it takes a darn good about of time to do tailoring, and you don't even want to think of messing this up with poor quality components.  And I should probably clarify here that I consider the fabric and thread and notions just as much tools as I do the sewing machine and iron.  

A good list of tools would include

• horsehair canvas
• waxed thread (in the tailor's world they purchase this, but in our world we can use the same need, re-thread it but it must be waxed)
• a pressing ham 
• clapper
• a good, stable, dependable iron
• Nice fabric.  

Although I'm using a lot of ponte for this lately, there is good ponte and really cheap ponte.  

 

It's may be hard to tell from this photo, but this fabric has a "brushed" feel (and look) to it that belies that it's anything close to a ponte.  This is a Robert Kaufman, domestic fabric (click the pic above to get more info on that fabric) that is so gorgeous it is to die for.  I've seen it up close and put my hand on it, and it's delightful to work with.  Marcy Tilton also has some beautiful ponte that is excellent quality.   Any of these would respond beautifully to tailoring techniques.  
 

Horsehair Canvas

So what is horsehair canvas?  Traditionally it was made with the weft weave being horsehair and the warp weave being cotton or linen.  This meant that the canvas would not crease on the widthwise grain (weft) and would be more pliant on the lengthwise grain (warp).  What this does is it is more favorable for a roll of the lapel and collar, making it more favorable to roll in one direction while being limber enough to be comfortable in the other direction.  Horsehair canvas can be made of synthetics, but I like to use the real thing.  It's made from the hair in the horse's tail which is pretty stiff.  Even today you can get the real thing.  It's thinner (16" to 19" wide) and runs around $17 to $20 (click the photo above for more information).  You put it in your hand and you will instantly see that the horsehair grain is far less flexible than the cotton/linen grain, but it makes the most beautiful lapels. Using this in your ponte suit will make a huge difference.  

Waxed Thread

You can purchase waxed thread, but I like to wax my own. The reason is that for some occasions I may want my thread waxed heavily, and for others, I want it waxed very lightly.  

It's so simple to wax your thread, there's really no reason to purchase it pre-waxed.
 

Some tailors wouldn't be without their waxed thread, which for me is OK, after all they use it daily.  For us we don't, so there's really no reason unless you think you're going to be doing a lot of tailoring.  

So when to wax heavily and when not to?  Realize that wax on medium-colored garments, when melted, will stain and it's really hard to get out.  If this does happen, then press with a very absorbent cloth as a press cloth and heat, press, blot, heat, press, blot to absorb the melted was.  Garments like red, bright blue, royal blue, crimson, tan, bright orange, chartreuse, green and in those categories will show the most.  White, light pale, very dark and black fabrics won't show so much.  If in doubt, wax some thread and sew then press.  

With that in mind, I wax my pad stitching heavily, but I wax my top-stitching thread lightly.  You can always run the freshly waxed thread under the iron very quickly to remove the extra wax.  Waxing thread when you sew on the buttons is a dream, and especially when you are creating a thread shank.

When you use waxed thread on the thread shank, it makes for a lovely tight, and very professional look.  All your bespoke jackets deserve this sort of button treatment.  If you are using a button with a shank already... 

...there's really no reason for waxed thread on these buttons.

So why wax anyway?  Waxing adds a strength and ease of sewing to the thread that makes it so much easier to work with.  When you are sewing and tend to get tangled spots in your thread, that you have to stop and untangle before you can go on, often with waxed thread, a quick, little tug, and the tangle will pop out.  The waxed thread is a lot slicker and being that it's a tad stiffer resists tangling and if it does it will often come right how with a tug or a small needle in the middle of the knot to pry it apart, will untangle the thread.  

Pressing Ham

You can get several different types of pressing hams.

These little jewels are practically nothing in cost, and are the most wonderful thing you can have to press with. They have that fabulous curve that's really tight on the roll piece and a lot softer on the ham piece.  Both of them are so handy.  

These hams have one side that's traditionally plaid and the other is canvas.  Use the plaid side, which has a softer brushed hand, for fabrics that are lighter weight and may tend to shine.  What's shine mean?  It means that fabrics are normally made from yarns which are twisted from the small threads of cotton, linen, wool or other even man-made fibers.  The tips or ends of the fibers at a very small level with stick out and make the fabric have a brushed or the opposite of a shine.  If you iron really hard on a hard surface without a press cloth, it will make a shine as the iron will press all those lose ends down and cause it to shine.  Black fabric is particularly susceptible to this.  The darker the fabric, the more it will shine.  

You can clearly see the shiny part on that dart.  This is on the inside of a black linen jacket I have.  Linen, cotton and wool are particularly susceptible to this.  

On the outside, is the beautiful seam pressed flat and crisp, without shining.  Shining may not be something you see immediately, but if you know to look for it, it's a dead giveaway and a sign of very poor workmanship.  When you see something dead black like linen, cotton or wool, and it's not shining, it's probably a beautifully made garment.  

If it does shine, and sometimes that happens, you can take a suede brush, and brush it firmly and this will lift those little fiber ends up and take away some of the shine - not all of it, but a lot of it.  
 

Another handy tool is the sleeve press or sleeve ironing board.  

This is a great one, but it's a little on the pricey side.  While this one....

...is a lot less expensive but does almost the same thing.  If you have a crafty guy in your home, he can make the board - which is the basic shape of an ironing board, curved at both ends, but thin in the middle and about 18" long.  Make a stand - doesn't have to be collapsable, just an ordinary stand.  Then cover it with batting and a muslin cover with a draw string (don't get overly particular about this - take a piece of string, thread it through the middle and zig zag around it - make it big enough so that it doesn't sew on the thread, and then draw the thread or cord till it gathers around the sleeve board.  

This is my favorite foot for this. If you look at the center bottom you can see a small hole.  I use pearl thread which is a little thicker than regular thread, leave a tail on both ends, and set my zig zag width and just go - it's that easy.

This is nice too because your cover will eventually get brown and nasty, so it's nice to have a muslin cover pattern to keep it looking clean and professional.  

These sound like some high-performance tools, but they really aren't.  There are so many other places you can use these tools, but they make your tailored sewing look so much better.  

The SewingArtistry Resource Library is designed to contain information to not only make your sewing better, but to aid in you fitting and flattering your shape, size and style.  Check it out. 

The Ponte Jacket Class has been rescheduled.  We had so many who wanted to take it but couldn't get here for one reason or another so it didn't work out.  We've rescheduled it for September, when we are more interest in jackets, and particularly something that will make us look professional and responsible -- because there are times when we need that look.  You can click here to get more information for the class on September 20, 21, and 22.  If you need any information about places to stay or other accommodations, simply respond to this email and I will get back to you.  I love my city and love showing it off!

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