Bespoke Cutter And Tailor

Quote from: DrLang on June 28, 2025, 10:33:16 PMI have taken to using a 4mm felling foot (you can also get 6mm if you want a wider hem). I do one pass with very loose thread tension and then another pass with normal tension. Then I remove the first row of stitching. I tried for days to use a narrow hem foot like Coffin suggests, but gave up. The felling foot method works great even if I need to take time to remove the extra stitching. Definitely faster than trying to make the hem foot work!

That's a very clever use of a felling foot, I'll have to try this (I have a 1/4 in. foot somewhere).

The problem with hemmer feet, apart from being fiddly to use, is that the edge of the cloth has be be held in a certain way in order to achieve the hem; meaning that the cloth can't be tensioned in the normal way to prevent creep. As the cloth goes through the foot, the part that is being wrapped around to form the hem gets pushed along on account of said creep. This results in stress marks all along the edge - AKA 'roping'. Industry's solution is to press the hell out of the hem with industrial presses; but the roping comes back after a single wash ... and it's not that easy to combat with a mere, domestic iron.

Quote from: Gerry on June 28, 2025, 11:53:33 PM

Quote from: DrLang on June 28, 2025, 10:33:16 PMI have taken to using a 4mm felling foot (you can also get 6mm if you want a wider hem). I do one pass with very loose thread tension and then another pass with normal tension. Then I remove the first row of stitching. I tried for days to use a narrow hem foot like Coffin suggests, but gave up. The felling foot method works great even if I need to take time to remove the extra stitching. Definitely faster than trying to make the hem foot work!

That's a very clever use of a felling foot, I'll have to try this (I have a 1/4 in. foot somewhere).

The problem with hemmer feet, apart from being fiddly to use, is that the edge of the cloth has be be held in a certain way in order to achieve the hem; meaning that the cloth can't be tensioned in the normal way to prevent creep. As the cloth goes through the foot, the part that is being wrapped around to form the hem gets pushed along on account of said creep. This results in stress marks all along the edge - AKA 'roping'. Industry's solution is to press the hell out of the hem with industrial presses; but the roping comes back after a single wash ... and it's not that easy to combat with a mere, domestic iron.

Roping lasts forever; the more you wash and iron, the worse it gets...

I actually have never used a rolled hemmer foot on curves; they're fiddly enough on straight hems for my tastes!

For "series", we  a cut a press form in aluminium sheet or ( ever harder to find) ironing cardboard that has a sort of teflon coating. We hem once 5mm / stitched at 1 mm, which is easy enough. Then we topstitch the curves with a coarse, loose stitch at half value of the hem width. We can then use the coarse stitch as a puller when we pre iron the hem value around the pressform. Using some starch the outside of the hem is supersuper clean and flat with only a bit of slight gathering on the inside. We use the same method for patch pockets and bluffed pockets...


Cheerio, Hendrick

oops, forgot; always put your iron down on the seam vertically!

Quote from: Hendrick on June 29, 2025, 05:59:49 AMI actually have never used a rolled hemmer foot on curves; they're fiddly enough on straight hems for my tastes!

I a total coward, I mainly do french seams. In a shirt I prefer them, telling myself that I am sweeping away my footprints (Of stitching - so as not to leave any trace of the tailoring).

In trowsers, I feel forced to baste tham, not having a friendly seamstress to reveal trade secrets.

The closest I got was to sign up to Mike Maldonado. But that was a long time ago.

Quote from: Schneiderfrei on June 29, 2025, 04:23:38 PMI a total coward, I mainly do french seams. In a shirt I prefer them, telling myself that I am sweeping away my footprints (Of stitching - so as not to leave any trace of the tailoring).

I'm starting to come round to the idea of using French seams in shirts, though I'll probably fell them flat towards the back using a 1/16th in. wide compensating foot.

My problem with conventional shirts-seams is that they're starting to look a little utilitarian to my eyes. Recently I've been looking at ladies blouses (no, not for that reason) and the seams (often French) look far more elegant. I like the idea of a cleaner-looking garment, especially in silk.

The argument for felled and lapped shirt-seams is that they're strong. But lets face it, how many of us are going to fell a tree while wearing a dress shirt? Do we really need all that seam strength? Arguably, if a garment is cut well there isn't sufficient stress on any seam to cause breakage.

I once went to see an exhibition on Gabriele D'Anunzio's impressive wardrobe:

https://trama-e-ordito.blogspot.com/2013/01/labbigliamento-di-dannunzio.html

There was a silk shirt that was made with french seams that were settled with tiny piqué stitches on the sides and undersleeve seams... quite beautiful indeed!

Cheers, Hendrick

That looks like a cool exhibition, Hendrick. Some nice period pieces there.

Quote from: Hendrick on June 29, 2025, 08:19:56 PMThere was a silk shirt that was made with french seams that were settled with tiny piqué stitches on the sides and undersleeve seams... quite beautiful indeed!

That's kind of what I was getting at, and yes Gerry, they dont require to be industrial, or military strength.

French seams are very flexible, deform the cloth minimally and then it's also just about the shape and the cloth.

Yes, amazing actually.

Quote from: Gerry on June 29, 2025, 08:30:05 PMThat looks like a cool exhibition, Hendrick. Some nice period pieces there.

..

Yes, very interesting...
There used to be a gorgeous fabric show at the Villa D'Este in Biella for fine suitings from the region, Usually there were expositions of historic clothing. I remember some pieces of Giuseppe Verdi and Garibaldi during that time. Last year I went to see the one about Christian Dior, spent the day there...

Cheers, Hendrick

I especially like that D'Annuncio had toes as long as his fingers!

Quote from: Hendrick on June 29, 2025, 08:19:56 PMI once went to see an exhibition on Gabriele D'Anunzio's impressive wardrobe:

https://trama-e-ordito.blogspot.com/2013/01/labbigliamento-di-dannunzio.html

There was a silk shirt that was made with french seams that were settled with tiny piqué stitches on the sides and undersleeve seams... quite beautiful indeed!

Cheers, Hendrick

This blog is quite a resource itself, looks like lots of interesting information in here. Thank you!

Yes. it's nice. I heard that the italian fashion comittee support "private initiatives" like blogs on the condition that their content has cultural relevance. That way even small museums and even schools can maintain blogs arount crafts instead of big, institutionalised websites...

Cheers, Hendrick