Bespoke Cutter And Tailor

An atelier I visited near Naples makes beautifil shirts for high end brands. They make felled "english" seams using not the Italian Aurifil but Mercifil from Amann for underarm seaming; I don't know if it is available ex-europe...

Cheerio, Hendrick

Quote from: Gerry on April 24, 2025, 02:00:38 AMThis popped up in my youtube feed. Haven't watched it yet, but should be good:

Oh perfect, I want to watch his collar construction/attachment advice. I'm doing more practice before trying a dress shirt and I want to get the collar right. On the shirts I've made, casual denim shirts so far, I didn't try anything fancy, just lined up the collar pieces and sewed them flat. They're fine enough but obviously they don't sit quite the way you'd want them to, and again on these denim shirts it doesn't look all that out of place. On a dress shirt, though, I want to get it *right*.

Started a practice one this morning on some scrap fabric, my approach was to cut the two collar pieces exactly the same size, then lay them on top of each other and pick one to be the under collar, and then trim off .2cm along the edge (except the bottom that is inserted into the collar stand), then stretch/curve as I sew them together. So, now it's pulling a bit on the undercollar side, and if I make sure it's all lined up correctly when sewing onto the collar stand presumably it'll be the shape I want. I'll see what the DPC video says (seems to be a collar portion around 30min in), but if anyone else has any tips let me know!

I also found this series of videos, haven't watched it yet so not sure if it's any good but they do seem to go into some detail so at a glance it seems promising

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLs3ihQo3hpIOICdxZtg8yovp-fSZTFsfb

My no 1 tip for collars, stands, and cuffs is: don't cut the fabric to size before sewing, just the interfacing. Just cut rectangles of fabric that you know will be big enough, and will give you some option as to exactly how you align the interfacing with any pattern. If you're working with patterned fabric, try and cut them so that they get a bit bigger as you go down the stack, as this makes it much easier to match the patterns.

For example, when making the collar itself (ignoring stiffener slots for now), your stack from top to bottom is interfacing, top collar, undercollar, so cut the rectangle for the undercollar a bit bigger than the one for the top collar, then you can see how the pattern aligns at the edges very easily.

Then you sew the collar using the interfacing as the guide, and only then trim the excess to whatever seam allowance you want. Don't trim the stand edge of the collar until after you've turned it and top-stitched it, then fold it in half to make sure you get it symmetrical.

With non-fusible interfacing, I tend to temporarily glue it in place using Pritt-Stik (a popular stick-type paper / craft glue). A lot of people seem to freak out about the idea of using glue (they think it's going to ruin their machine or something) but I've never had any issues with it, and it was strongly recommended by Mike Maldonado. If you heat the fabric with the iron first, the glue will melt into it, and then you can iron over it to glue the layers together - just be careful not to get it on the sole plate of your iron! I also use it to glue down the clean-finished edge of collar stands and cuffs.

Personally, I've given up trying to shape the collar or stand by easing the lengths of the different layers - I'm not convinced it makes any real difference in practice. Maybe if you were using really thick fabrics or interfacings... I'm usually more concerned about getting a perfect pattern match.

Quote from: Dunc on May 01, 2025, 02:26:05 AMWith non-fusible interfacing, I tend to temporarily glue it in place using Pritt-Stik (a popular stick-type paper / craft glue). A lot of people seem to freak out about the idea of using glue (they think it's going to ruin their machine or something) but I've never had any issues with it, and it was strongly recommended by Mike Maldonado.

David Page Coffin also used glue (he demonstrated it in his Craftsy series).

I use sew-in interfacing, but cut it net without a seam. I then glue it to the cloth, baste all round just shy of the seamline (a belt and braces approach) then sew around the edge of the interfacing. This reduces bulk in the seam (more like a fused collar). The interfacing is eventually secured when top stitching the collar, so it doesn't need to be incorporated into the seam.

QuotePersonally, I've given up trying to shape the collar or stand by easing the lengths of the different layers - I'm not convinced it makes any real difference in practice. Maybe if you were using really thick fabrics or interfacings... I'm usually more concerned about getting a perfect pattern match.

Same here, though I'm more inclined to make casual, one-piece collars, so different rules. It's been a little while since I looked through Patrick Grant's recent book on tailoring, but IIR the Emma Willis brand doesn't bother easing different lengths of collar. So it clearly works for them and they have a good reputation.

Quote from: Gerry on May 01, 2025, 04:51:54 AMDavid Page Coffin also used glue (he demonstrated it in his Craftsy series).

Yeah, I think I first got the idea from his shirtmaking book.

Quote from: Gerry on May 01, 2025, 04:51:54 AMI use sew-in interfacing, but cut it net without a seam. I then glue it to the cloth, baste all round just shy of the seamline (a belt and braces approach) then sew around the edge of the interfacing. This reduces bulk in the seam (more like a fused collar). The interfacing is eventually secured when top stitching the collar, so it doesn't need to be incorporated into the seam.

Nine times out of ten, that's pretty much exactly what I'd do with sew-in interfacing too - the only difference is I've never felt the need to baste it. However, if you leave a seam allowance on the interfacing, the extra thickness can give a "raised edge" effect which can sometimes look quite good - for example, the two collars at the bottom of the page here look to be done this way. However, if you're going to do that, have to trim the seam allowance so that it sits perfectly within the top stitching, and cut the corners of the interfacing diagonally just inside the collar points so they turn neatly.

Quote from: Dunc on May 01, 2025, 06:07:34 PMNine times out of ten, that's pretty much exactly what I'd do with sew-in interfacing too - the only difference is I've never felt the need to baste it.

I mostly make Italian and 'Cooper' collar shirts. When turning the points I sometimes have to have a few goes (it's the perfectionist in me) and this can cause the interfacing to become unstuck, so it can slip out of position (more so than with a conventional collar). The baste keeps everything together while I'm monkeying around.

QuoteHowever, if you leave a seam allowance on the interfacing, the extra thickness can give a "raised edge" effect which can sometimes look quite good - for example, the two collars at the bottom of the page here look to be done this way. However, if you're going to do that, have to trim the seam allowance so that it sits perfectly within the top stitching, and cut the corners of the interfacing diagonally just inside the collar points so they turn neatly.

That's really interesting, I've never noticed that before! I learn something new everyday! 

I've seen that too, looks beautiful... Part two of the trick is when topstitching the collar, use an adjustable zipper foot; it will follow the with of the seam allowance perfectly and is also easier visible... Btw, I sometimes do that for french seams too...


Cheers, Hendrick

Quote from: Hendrick on May 02, 2025, 02:04:58 AMPart two of the trick is when topstitching the collar, use an adjustable zipper foot; it will follow the with of the seam allowance perfectly and is also easier visible... Btw, I sometimes do that for french seams too...

I use a quarter-inch edge guide foot - the kind with a spring-steel blade in a slot in the foot. (You ideally want an industrial one, not the garbage ones they sell to home sewers at ridiculous prices... Seriously, the Janome edge guide foot specifically for my machine is GBP21, and it's completely useless - the guide blade wobbles by a millimetre or more. The industrial foot is infinitely better and cost less than a fiver.)

Quote from: Dunc on May 02, 2025, 02:23:06 AM

Quote from: Hendrick on May 02, 2025, 02:04:58 AMPart two of the trick is when topstitching the collar, use an adjustable zipper foot; it will follow the with of the seam allowance perfectly and is also easier visible... Btw, I sometimes do that for french seams too...

I use a quarter-inch edge guide foot - the kind with a spring-steel blade in a slot in the foot. (You ideally want an industrial one, not the garbage ones they sell to home sewers at ridiculous prices... Seriously, the Janome edge guide foot specifically for my machine is GBP21, and it's completely useless - the guide blade wobbles by a millimetre or more. The industrial foot is infinitely better and cost less than a fiver.)

I suppose you mean the "click-on" stuff; never use them. In Japan there is a whole industry in customised pressure feet for industrials. I heard that there is one firm in Poland that produces custom pressure feet and felling parts for the industry.

Cheers, Hendrick

All good stuff, thank you! I wanted a deeper dive on collars and this helps. Practicing some now. Broadly, DPC's order of operations is an improvement on what I had been doing, and these additional finer points help flesh it out.

Quote from: Dunc on May 02, 2025, 02:23:06 AMI use a quarter-inch edge guide foot - the kind with a spring-steel blade in a slot in the foot. (You ideally want an industrial one, not the garbage ones they sell to home sewers at ridiculous prices... Seriously, the Janome edge guide foot specifically for my machine is GBP21, and it's completely useless - the guide blade wobbles by a millimetre or more. The industrial foot is infinitely better and cost less than a fiver.)

I have a couple of heavy-duty, low-shank 1/4 inch feet, which fit my vintage Singer. I can't find them anymore, so I'm glad I bought two (everything else on offer is cheap crap, as you describe). They have a spring loaded guide on the RHS, but I removed it on one of the feet for better manoeuvrability when tackling curves. A good 1/4 inch foot is essential for shirt-making IMO.

Instead of glue or basting why not a couple of pins?

Quote from: Greger on May 05, 2025, 12:38:55 PMInstead of glue or basting why not a couple of pins?

Gluing is so much more accurate, especially with patterned cloth. Fabric just doesn't shift around in a way that it can with pins or basting.

I posted this pic earlier in this thread. It was just a sample, but there's no way I'd have got this level of pattern matching by any other method than glueing.

In the DPC video it appears he attaches the sleeves to the armscye flat and sews them together WS to WS, which means when he gets to folding down and sewing closed the flat felled seam that all occurs on the outside of the shirt. That would seem to place a very high burden on getting that folding exactly right - our eyes can judge parallel lines very well.

Most other instruction I've seen is to sew the sleeves to the armscye RS to RS, and the folding takes place on the inside of the shirt though you still stitch from the outside of the shirt. Stitching from the outside it's much easier to get a nice parallel line, though you have that issue of needing to be careful keeping that fold in place and catching it on the underside. Recently I made that a little easier by introducing an additional step prior to that - I stitch the fold first - as in, I fold the longer SA over the shorter SA and sew them together, shirt entirely out of the way, so then I'm stitching from the outside of the shirt I just have to make sure that now-single piece is on the right side and I'm good.

I saw another video where they attached WS to WS and then pinned the fold down and stitched from the WS, but I'd rather stitch from the RS since that always looks nicer.

Do any of you do the DPC way where he seems to attach RS to RS? Then again, I could have misinterpreted his instruction; for the sleeve he's just making a sample so it isn't immediately evident which side he's working.