Bespoke Cutter And Tailor

My current iron spits and releases steam whenever it feels like, without me pressing the button. If I do press the button, no matter how hot the iron and water, it makes puddles like a nervous puppy. And the spray button is just incontinent. I'm forced to use it dry, but I would much rather have steam. Some fabrics just do better when hung on a dummy and steamed without an iron. As long as a boiler-type will blow steam from a vertical iron, me happy.

Quote from: jruley on July 10, 2025, 10:19:26 PMAnd of course there's nothing wrong - and nothing can go wrong - with a heavy dry iron and a press cloth.  That's how tailors worked for centuries before all this fancy stuff was invented 

Other than not paying attention, forgetting to lift it from the cloth, forgetting to turn it off when it has come to heat. burning the garment or worse burning out the iron element -  

You want the waistband to have grip on the upper edge of the hip bone and at the tummy. So you should distribute the ease from the back dart, over the side seam to the fly. You can keep it flush between the back darts.
As the waistline is roughly cross grain the easing amount is limited.

I've had good luck with these:

https://www.amazon.com/Sapporo-SA-SP527-Gravity-Feed-Iron/dp/B002KEL55S/ref=pd_lpo_d_sccl_2/146-0077536-7902506?pd_rd_w=Ijlfi&content-id=amzn1.sym.4c8c52db-06f8-4e42-8e56-912796f2ea6c&pf_rd_p=4c8c52db-06f8-4e42-8e56-912796f2ea6c&pf_rd_r=0YESJWKYRGQX4V1HBZN4&pd_rd_wg=cbDlI&pd_rd_r=c180afbd-4c38-44d5-aec3-929064bf6193&pd_rd_i=B002KEL55S&psc=1

The beautiful thing about this setup is that nothing stays wet except the water bottle and tubing.  At the end of each sewing day, I disconnect the tube, heat the iron, then turn it upside down and let any remaining water run out of the solenoid valve.  The heat boils any moisture out of the innards so there is no internal corrosion.  I've had these last ten years or so, and they're cheap enough to replace.

Any iron will spit (in my experience) if you try to make steam with it before it's fully up to temperature.  Make your first burst of steam AWAY FROM your work.  Once the iron is happy you can start pressing.

And of course there's nothing wrong - and nothing can go wrong - with a heavy dry iron and a press cloth.  That's how tailors worked for centuries before all this fancy stuff was invented  .

Quote from: peterle on July 10, 2025, 06:06:51 PMIt depens a bit on the fabric how much can be eased in but 1 to 1,5 " for the whole waistband should be possible.

And only ease in the front, correct?

Yes, that's what I thought of. I like the inner button at the waistband seam.



It depens a bit on the fabric how much can be eased in but 1 to 1,5 " for the whole waistband should be possible.

Quote from: Greger on July 10, 2025, 10:43:36 AM
This is more like hips forward or, another name, sway back. Which has nothing to do with overweight. If you look in Clarence Poulin's book in the trousers making, at the end, he deals with some fitting problems. You will probably do the wrong one first. (When you have proper inlays you can fold out the unnecessary and add in the necessary.

I can see now that I've been running in circles. I looked at Poulin's book and that is more or less my problem. Thanks for mentioning it.

I started out thinking they were horseshoe folds but most alterations suggest increasing the fork in the back. But Poulin suggests reducing it, the opposite. Hard to get a good fit if you read the wrong books.

Quote from: Greger on July 10, 2025, 10:43:36 AMThe amount of ease as Gerry mentioned is not correct.  1/4 inch seam allowances four times equals one inch.
The style of these trousers is wider legs and the rest is loose fitting, too. So, lots of ease.

Whoops, momentary brain-freeze! Thanks for spotting that Greger. 

This is more like hips forward or, another name, sway back. Which has nothing to do with overweight. If you look in Clarence Poulin's book in the trousers making, at the end, he deals with some fitting problems. You will probably do the wrong one first. (When you have proper inlays you can fold out the unnecessary and add in the necessary.

The amount of ease as Gerry mentioned is not correct.  1/4 inch seam allowances four times equals one inch.
The style of these trousers is wider legs and the rest is loose fitting, too. So, lots of ease. The pattern can be adjusted for many styles.

On the subject of gravity irons, I read a LOT of reviews complaining about leaky joints. I'm a consummate DIY guy but plumbing is the one thing I have to hire done. And something tells me Mr Plumber will laugh if I ask him to assemble a gravity iron. So boiler machines it is. Except I look on Amazon and the voltage either seems to be missing or it's 120 because Murica. But I wired the entire house so surely I can tap a 240 circuit off the dryer.

I see recommends for Biefe Italia. Baby Vapor looks good. I'll save my shekels and grab one soon, along with a bit of 1/2 inch dense industrial felt. I'm glad people don't delete threads here or I probably never would've heard of Biefe. Thanks for the thread.