Want to buy or sell something? Check the classifieds
  • The Fedora Lounge is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Search results

  1. fishmeok

    Appleby, 7-1/8, for sale

    Do you have a paypal account? I'll PM too. Cheers Mark
  2. fishmeok

    Eastman Monarch A-2 I dont get it!

    The orignals are thin leather, and the original jacket has a trim boxy cut that many people today have never encountered before. It is supposed to be very thin (Serves the purpose that a windbreaker would today), though there was enough variation during the war to justify almost any thickness...
  3. fishmeok

    Making my first leather jacket- the shell is done

    I was pretty happy with the way this thing was going, until I sewed on the collar and the liner. Somehow I managed to make the collar almost 3 inches too long, the total neckhole diameter ended up around 22-23 inches... I have no idea how I maged to do this, I even have a Goodwear Dubow in a...
  4. fishmeok

    Baby Names? Vintage?

    ARRGH- I married one of you people, it's hard not to in Minnesota.;) My wife is 2nd generation Minnesota Norwegian farmer, though she grew up in the city. Had Lefsa for the first time a few years ago, potato tortillas make no sense to a nice French-Canadian boy like me... We are currently...
  5. fishmeok

    Jeans

    I'm pretty happy with mine- they arrive stiff as a board but after a few washes they are soft and comfortable. Seem to be holding up well. MUCH better than the average jean, imho. and I like the cut. Figure on about .5-1" of shrinkage in the waist, and don't get the suspender buttons if you are...
  7. fishmeok

    Anybody Else Collect Sewing Machines?

    Don't be embarrassed, these things are meant to be used, the more beat up they are, the more impressive, in my opinion. Sometimes it's amazing just how easy it can be to get a rusty old machine to work again... Cheers Mark
  8. fishmeok

    Making my first leather jacket- the shell is done

    The epaulets at the shoulder seam are tough- I use the hand wheel instead of the motor and try to feel my way through, my clutch motor is way too grabby for precision control. That Aero sure is close to the jacket I patterned mine off of- biggest difference looks to be the front pockets. Part of...
  9. fishmeok

    Making my first leather jacket- the shell is done

    I have no idea how to fit clothes for women, they have all those irregular bumps and curves...:) Cheers Mark
  10. fishmeok

    Making my first leather jacket- the shell is done

    Thanks everybody- the pattern is from a size 40 period original that I sized up. It worked out well for the most part, still some things that only experience will work out (like getting the correct armhole size). I think for an average size a-2 type jacket (44-46) you need to plan on using one...
  11. fishmeok

    Making my first leather jacket- the shell is done

    No lessons, (and I tried to find someone nearby who was halfway reasonable, no luck) just a lot of practice, inspecting jackets, looking at pictures, calling Chapman for advice, and reading. Plus a major obsessive streak that tends to get me in trouble with the wife. Cheers Mark
  13. fishmeok

    Making my first leather jacket- the shell is done

    THIS is why you need an industrial- seven layers of leather- There is no household machine I know of that could do this and still feed the material.
  14. fishmeok

    Making my first leather jacket- the shell is done

    Coming along. I finished the pockets today, and tacked the collar on with the first row of stitching. The collar looks pretty big in the pics, but it still has another half inch of seam to give up where it meets the jacket body. It's going to be very A-2, including the useless tiny pockets, but...
  15. fishmeok

    Making my first leather jacket- the shell is done

    I bought it for a song on Craigslist- but it was a lucky find. The machine was originally made for a treadle table, it was built to sew auto tops and the like. It uses a walking needle system which works well, but if I keep on doing this I will upgrade to something with reverse someday. The...
  16. fishmeok

    Making my first leather jacket- the shell is done

    Yes, Yes, and Yes. Had some incredibly helpful advice from John Chapman, and a lot of practicing the smaller bits and pieces. Took a while before I finally decided to do as I was advised and buy some sort of industrial machine, but this is just not something you can do without one. Cheers Mark
  17. fishmeok

    Making my first leather jacket- the shell is done

    This is my ax- a mid '30's Singer 78-3 industrial. I've been practicing on it for a few months now, been working on this whole jacket making thing for about a year now, off and on. Cheers Mark
  19. fishmeok

    Anybody Else Collect Sewing Machines?

    Nice machines! I think a lot of people have been fooled by those modern Singer replicas from China, kind of interesting since you can still find so many originals for next to nothing. I like the old Singer look, but some of the machines from the '50's like the Necchi Supernovas definately have...
  20. fishmeok

    Making my first leather jacket- the shell is done

    Thanks all- I've made a lot of practice pieces and had a lot of detours but it's finally coming more or less together. I'm using an old Singer 78-3 industrial, it works pretty well, but still has trouble holding a consistant stitch length, something I haven't quite figured out yet. There is no...
  21. fishmeok

    Making my first leather jacket- the shell is done

    This is based off that horsehide civilian A-2 I bought. It's coming along well, but I messed up one of the sleeves a bit, put the inner seam too far forward. I look at it and see all the faults, but I have to remind myself it's the first time I've ever tried to make a jacket.... Cheers Mark
  22. fishmeok

    WWII Crusher and Garrison Caps

    I just read through this- we need the pictures back.... Here's one of me in an enlisted "crusher" I made one night when I was bored out of a couple of trashed e.m. visor hats. In the spirit of the thread, I'd go with a crusher, every time. Cheers Mark
  23. fishmeok

    '40's horesehide civilian A-2 style jacket

    Wow- that looks like a dead ringer for the one I just took apart. Even the pockets look the same. Here's a pic of whats left of the label, all I can make out is "styled in California". It's definitely one of the better looking civi jackets that I have seen, and stays true to the A-2 styling. I'm...

Latest posts

Members online

... and 29 more.
Total: 3,275 (members: 79, guests: 3,196)

Forum statistics

Threads
109,307
Messages
3,078,547
Members
54,243
Latest member
seeldoger47
Top