Bespoke Cutter And Tailor

Quote from: napwalk on July 04, 2025, 02:04:01 AMI see - the draft I'm working off of gives 2" of ease across the crotch line to begin with, hopefully that's fine for the final fabric. I've made pants in the past that look great standing but restrict movement when sitting, so I've been wary of slimming down that area until now.

For your build, I wouldn't go any skinnier than 2" of ease across the whole seat (1" on the pattern), which will be quite fitted as things stand (though not in a bad way, hopefully).

You should have enough stretch when sitting due to the reasons we've discussed, but (if you don't do this already) it's always a good idea to reinforce the CB seam by hand after machining it, as recommended in some books of yore, because it will take a fair amount of stress.

A simple back stitch with a slightly sturdier thread produces a very strong seam. I like Gutermann 'sulky' thread, which I wax. It's a 2 ply embroidery thread, but quite strong. The 100% cotton comes in two weights: 30 (my preference) or 12 wt, which is good for heavier cloths (and sewing on buttons). Some like to use silk, because it tends to be stronger as a rule-of-thumb, but I've had no issues with cotton: at least not over the average lifespan of a pair of trousers (which is usually less than a jacket).

Quote from: napwalk on July 04, 2025, 02:04:01 AM

Quote from: Gerry on June 29, 2025, 05:03:49 PMThat's a lot cleaner, well done.

Something I've been guilty of with my own trousers is adding a little too much ease across the seat. It's easy to forget that the cloth is towards the bias there and will have natural give. So long as things don't feel uncomfortably tight while standing, that give will allow sufficient stretch over the seat when sitting. Don't feel that you have to make things loose/baggy at the back for comfort.

I see - the draft I'm working off of gives 2" of ease across the crotch line to begin with, hopefully that's fine for the final fabric. I've made pants in the past that look great standing but restrict movement when sitting, so I've been wary of slimming down that area until now.

Quote from: Gerry on June 29, 2025, 05:42:46 PMPS With your jeans cut, you could treat them more like trousers, both in cut and construction (don't feel bound to convention). I've used lighter-weight denim (the sort of stuff that gets used for denim dresses) to make conventional trousers and reinforced seams are not required.

The cut/fit is usually far better than that of jeans, especially around the seat: A more-or-less straight CB line from fork-tip to waist (as is the norm with jeans) is never a good idea. Manufacturers do that because it's easier to sew a lapped seam that way, but it creates bagginess below the seat.

The only thing I don't like about denim is that it's not colourfast, so if making things more conventionally, pressing seams etc results in blue stains all over the ironing board cover, from the steam. In that respect, cotton suiting - especially chambray, if you can find it - is a far better option. Also, with the last batch of denim I used, it was out of true. I literally spent an entire morning stretching the stuff back into shape (which required a lot of effort!). Such is the nature of cheaper cloth.

Thanks for the pointer - I assumed the bagginess was a property of the denim fabric stretching over time, but it makes sense that it's a pattern issue given the whole CB is cut on the bias. Making bias tape has made me realize I've underestimated how much wovens can stretch.

Machinists in the denim industry are called "blue fingers"...

Cheers, Hendrick

Nice workmanship!

As to the corduroy; I think the volume of the fabric "eats" some space too, especially when curved in layers...

It looks a nice linnen quality!

Cheers, Hendrick

Quote from: Gerry on June 29, 2025, 05:03:49 PMThat's a lot cleaner, well done.

Something I've been guilty of with my own trousers is adding a little too much ease across the seat. It's easy to forget that the cloth is towards the bias there and will have natural give. So long as things don't feel uncomfortably tight while standing, that give will allow sufficient stretch over the seat when sitting. Don't feel that you have to make things loose/baggy at the back for comfort.

I see - the draft I'm working off of gives 2" of ease across the crotch line to begin with, hopefully that's fine for the final fabric. I've made pants in the past that look great standing but restrict movement when sitting, so I've been wary of slimming down that area until now.

Quote from: Gerry on June 29, 2025, 05:42:46 PMPS With your jeans cut, you could treat them more like trousers, both in cut and construction (don't feel bound to convention). I've used lighter-weight denim (the sort of stuff that gets used for denim dresses) to make conventional trousers and reinforced seams are not required.

The cut/fit is usually far better than that of jeans, especially around the seat: A more-or-less straight CB line from fork-tip to waist (as is the norm with jeans) is never a good idea. Manufacturers do that because it's easier to sew a lapped seam that way, but it creates bagginess below the seat.

The only thing I don't like about denim is that it's not colourfast, so if making things more conventionally, pressing seams etc results in blue stains all over the ironing board cover, from the steam. In that respect, cotton suiting - especially chambray, if you can find it - is a far better option. Also, with the last batch of denim I used, it was out of true. I literally spent an entire morning stretching the stuff back into shape (which required a lot of effort!). Such is the nature of cheaper cloth.

Thanks for the pointer - I assumed the bagginess was a property of the denim fabric stretching over time, but it makes sense that it's a pattern issue given the whole CB is cut on the bias. Making bias tape has made me realize I've underestimated how much wovens can stretch.

Well done!

And here unbuttoned:









For whatever reason this seems to fit better in the neck and shoulder area than the corduroy one.  Maybe it's the drapiness of the linen, or maybe the displaced seam works better for my shoulder blades.  Or maybe I just did a better job controlling the collar seam length, there was plenty of collar length this time 

Here's a look at the fit, buttoned:









I made some pattern changes (compared to the corduroy blazer here:
https://movsd.com/BespokeCutter/index.php/topic,1605.15.html

- Body length is shortened
- Sleeves are shortened 3/8"
- Shoulder width is reduced 3/8" (per side)

And I used the alternative shoulder seam placement discussed here:
https://movsd.com/BespokeCutter/index.php/topic,1631.0.html

Back to the jacket, here's how it turned out:







I went with the half lining, with a Hong Kong finish on the side, panel and back seams.  Canvas ends at the front of the side pockets, you can see it peeking through the translucent lining.  Used the lightest weight canvas from Bias Bespoke and it's quite comfortable, though I haven't had a chance to wear it out of the house yet.

It's so much better than the last version and I think you are pretty near. The side seams are nice and straight and there is enough width across the thighs.
The back is a bit messy, also distorted by the pinning.
My approach would be: remove the pinning and sorting Out the right waistline at the back. To me the pattern you posted Shows a draft for braces and the triangle 20-22-23 is a braces extension. I would skip this and stay with 22-23. Install a second back dart when the waist line is too wide. To avoid the chevron shape at CB, AIM for a right angle at waistline/seatseam Point.
When the fitting Shows sagging I would pin or baste a horizontal dart across the butt taking out 2-3cm at the seat seam, fading out at the side seams( Like the alteration scetch you posted).
This will also reveal, wether the undersides are too wide and need further alteration.

Quote from: Robb on July 01, 2025, 04:24:38 AM

Quote from: Gerry on July 01, 2025, 03:30:09 AMRobb, have you pinned the CB seam on the outside? ... pinning on the seam is not a good idea (assuming this is what you've done).

Yeah that's what I did, I pinned the excess on the outside of the seam.

Unfortunately it's not very good for evaluation of fit. It would be best if you resew the CB and post pics before taking any further steps.

I appreciate your problems with the waistband. You could possibly take it a little higher at the back. That would probably require a little shaping of the CB seam though, right at the top of the seam. Think of it like an additional dart just below the waistband, about the same length as the actual darts.

Yes, that pattern adjustment is the one I was thinking of. My advice would be to leave that for now. Let's see where we stand with a cleaner CB seam (not pinned).