In Progress

One of our latest projects is a men’s smoking jacket. These were loose-fitting lounge jackets that were intended for wear at home, often while smoking (hence the name). Depending on cut, these were a looser-fitting version of the conventional sack coat (although often they looked more like glorified bathrobes). Below are a few progress pictures:

Sewing in the front pockets:

Finished exterior- front right piece.

Pad-stitching and taping the canvases on the left front piece:

And then the right front piece:

There’s definitely a lot of hand-stitching going on there. Just the pad stitching and taping alone took four days…but the end result will be worth it. Stay tuned for more! 😁



And For Something Different…

Sent the jacket fronts down the hall to Adam so he can pad stitch the lapels as I whip up a pair of stripey pajamas so we can get ready to get out to Tombstone for some old house fun. We have a plan, just have to stitch it to win it!😉

 


Unveiling The New Sack Suit!

It’s been a good time out at No. 11 this weekend and especially since it gave me an opportunity to wear my new sack suit for the first time. 🙂 Constructed of a brown houndstooth linen fabric, this suit is based on styles of the 1880s-1890s and is meant for wear in warmer climates such as those found in the Southwest. This was a collaborative effort between the two of us, me handling the canvas preparation for the two jacket fronts and construction work on the collar while Karin handled assembly and overall finishing. Due to various commitments,  construction didn’t start until last weekend, effectively giving me only a week to get it down- no pressure there! 😉

The finished product on Allen Street.

Below are a few construction pictures- unfortunately, due to time constraints, we were unable to take more detailed construction pictures.

One of the canvas front panels before mounting to the fashion fabric front. This side will be facing “out”.

The left fashion fabric front. This will eventually be mounted to the canvas.

Interior work on the undercollar. For a crisp edge, the haircloth interlining is deliberately trimmed so as to leave only the fashion fabric (which has been flatlined with a light cotton shirting).

The fronts slowly take shape along with the sleeves.

Finishing the cuffs.

As we assemble our various pictures, we’ll update this post a bit. 🙂