Making a Collar By Hand

[Henry Hall]

From 'The Yorkshire Tailor'...

https://vimeo.com/145475474

[Schneiderfrei]

Thanks Henry, that's great.

[Claire Shaeffer]

This is an excellent video.
He does several things "automatically" without telling you.
There are no knots; he takes a backstitch to begin. Later, he trimmed away the ends. I use knots, but I like this no knot approach.
He stamped the melton to transfer the chalk mark from one half to the other. You must use clay chalk to do this.
He explained why he was using silk on the roll line. This was probably silamide since I don't think skein silk is available anymore. (Actually B. Black has some colors but not black.)
I like trimming the melton here.
I am old-school and want a seam at center back on the canvas.
Claire

[Henry Hall]

Skeins of silk are still available. Kenton sells them and so does RJ Weldon.

[Schneiderfrei]

Hi Claire,  the no knot thing is good.  I learned sewing from my mother, which of course was dress making, so knots were the go. 

When I learned that  they were unnecessary I found it very liberating.  There is no stoping to tie knots, its all the same rhythm and motion.

G

[Claire Shaeffer]

Harry, thanks for the info. The silk on skeins is a Gutermann product; it isn't available in the US.

Back to the knots. I think the real value with no knots is the time element, but you have to learn to begin without pulling the end through.
Another time saver is to start each row of basting with a new thread and just leave the uncut ends to trim later. This eliminates retreading in the middle of a line. There is wasted thread, but thread is cheaper than time.

[Greger]

Some git pretty good at figuring out what lengths threads they need and have very little waste. Haven't sewn for awhile, but in one glance I knew the length thread needed, visual length, not measured by yard stick, divide the length up to usable lengths, cut, thread the needles, now, sit and sew. Thread may not be as expensive as it was. But, why squander it and lose good skills. You are making money by the second, or, losing it. Tailors who were careless with the thread given for the job, and ran out, had to pay out of their own pocket to finish. Different companies different ways of handling business. So many tailors were paid by the stitches. Faster tailors walked off with more money. When sewing machines where allowed it really didn't help the slow hand sewers.

[spookietoo]

Thank you, Henry. This is an excellent video. Please let us know if there are more.

I've not used knots since I was a kid. Good to know all of my habits aren't bad ones.

[Zanzare]

Interesting,

I do it the other way arround: my canvas has a seam in the Cb, while the felt is cut in one piece.
And in my opinion there is no "bias" in the felt, the fibers lay crosswise in no exact pattern, it is felt after all. I do however place very carefully the grain on my canvaspieces to whatever I want to achieve.

Very nice video and very nice to see other approaches since there are always several ways of doing things!

By the way: Do not like and do not use knots and my taylors and apprentices are seldomly allowed to make knots...

[Greger]

Melton is woven cloth that is felted. Some tailors prefer just felt. One has bais and the other one doesn't. Both used for collars because they don't ravel.

[Zanzare]

Ahhh, melton, interesting, I didn't get it when watching the video, or my brain just assumed it must be wool-felt.

I have to find out what this melton is exactly. Is ist made out of natural or artificial fibers? Or is it a blend? Can anybody tell me how it is called in German or Italian? Is it a kind of higher quality " Molton", though Molton frays like hell or more like a Heavy treated "Loden". Or a thick kind of fustagno? Thanks in advance if somebody can teach me something new here on that topic!

[posaune]

I think in Germany it is called Kragenfilz
http://www.textil-zutaten.de/Kragenfilz/Unterkragenfilz-fuer-das-klassische-Sakko---Gewicht-200-g/m2---Breite-95-cm/NH-81200
lg
posaune

[Greger]

Either of the two felts need to be wool. They need to be shaped with an iron. Man made fibers....at least I don't know of any that can be stretched or shrunk. If the collar is not shaped right the coat is not comfortable. The cloth and canvas he is using are two different natural fiber-. Wool and Linen.

[spookietoo]

I just happened across this video earlier today and noticed the one piece canvas (missed it the first time). Claire mentioned liking the two piece canvas, but I'm not envisioning a stability issue here. I admit, the bit of me that is OCD does like the idea of a directional bias cut, however the bulk/extra stiffness on the center back collar has always bugged me. I can't think of a reason not to use one piece, as both sides are still bias cut.

Any other thoughts?

[peterle]

I like the two piece collar canvas, because I think the warp and weft yarn of the canvas are always a bit different. So the ends of the collar will drape completely the same only when they´r cut mirrorwise with a seam in the CB. But maybe that´s just too much thoughts on a minor detail.