Gentlemen, show us what you've made!

[GuyLdeB]

leather bike pannier

[/IMG]

Hi I made this pannier completely by hand the other week. Its for my enfield and should last longer than I will. Started making my own leather bags etc as I was fed up of buying stuff that falls to pieces or costs the earth. I've tried to keep the old style of my bike with the bag and am looking forward to watching it get older.

 

[GuyLdeB]

whoops heres the pictures

[/url] IMG_0240 by the unsleeper, on Flickr[/IMG]


[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/53420054@N08/53

 

[Johnny J]

Dude, are you like a tailor? Or going to open your own shop? Because if you are, give me the address, I'll buy from you.

Thank you. Actually, I still consider myself a beginner. I made myself a couple of pairs of these trousers, and I finished another one for basically my first customer in black which they were happy with. Right now I'm working on one for a friend, another for my brother and so on. PM me if you are interested.

 

[Nick D]

Well, I've been working on this for a long while now, and since it's done I'll post it (I already posted a couple pictures in the What Are You Wearing thread).

The fabric is a wool blend, I didn't want to splash out on 100% wool on my first attempt. The patterns are EvaDress 1930s trousers and sport coat, and a Vogue waistcoat pattern which I took 2" in length off to make it fit right. I used hair canvas for the interfacing with a padstitched chest, shoulder pads from Vena Cava Design, wadding in the sleeve heads, and satin lining with two in-breast pockets. The fronts and bottom edge of the jacket are taped, the sham holes on the sleeves are worked in a buttonhole stitch. The trousers have a notched waistband and a button fly.

The collar, linen canvas and French melton.

And completed on one side. The collar was drawn on by hand.

Pleated patch pockets. The lower pockets are fully lined, and the right side has a coin catch.

Half lining with taped seams.

The whole thing. The jacket has a bi-swing back.

The front isn't pressed as well as I'd like, so I still need to work on that. I didn't get the hang of the sleeves quite right, either, but I had to alter the armscye quite a bit which threw them off. Also, between start and finish I lost a few inches around the middle, so the jacket and waistcoat are bigger than they would have been. I still have material to make matching plus-fours.

I don't reccommend the Vogue waistcoat pattern, the neck opening is very wide and the pocket placement is off (I should have fixed that but I was paying too much attention to length). If I make another lapelled waistcoat I'll just adapt a pattern I copied off an original '40s waistcoat.

A very difficult project, but I learned a lot, which will hopefully help in my future projects (blazer and linen suit are next on the list).

 

[Feraud]

Extremely well done job Nick D! I saw your pics in the other thread and was going to ask if you made it. :eusa_clap

 

[Flat Foot Floey]

:eusa_clap:eusa_clap:eusa_clap:eusa_clap:eusa_clap

Great! I know it must have been hard work. My girlfriend is a seamstress. Started with womens clothing and still has very much respect on men's suit jackets. They need the highest sartorial skills for sure.

Taking in the jacket would make it perfect, I think.

 

[Methuselah]

WOW!
That's a really impressive effort Nick.

Really like the overall cut of it, and the lapels on the waistcoat are great.

Would you mind letting us know where you got the fabric from? (If it was anywhere near Leeds I'd be interested as I work there)

 

[Johnny J]

Very nice job Nick! I'm looking at your work and just wondering how long did this take you? I barely have enough time to work on trousers and when I think of what is put into making a coat I stay away.
Congrats!

 

[Nick D]

Thanks all

Flat Foot Floey, in this case I think I just need to drop from the 42 to 40 on the pattern. I actually took it in at the sides quite a bit, and added front darts (the original had none).

Methuselah, I got the fabric in Kirkgate Market in Leeds, from one of the fabric sellers (on one side there's two stalls right next to each other, it was the smaller one). He's got a lot of really nice wools right now tempting me, but I've got a pile of fabric I need to work through before I buy more!

Johnny J, I've been working on this for months, but only because I only have a couple hours in the evening to work, and I've set it aside several times to work on other things, like the tweed suit for my wife, another pair of trousers, just to take a break, etc. Also, I spent a lot of time on the jacket mock-up tweaking the pattern. If I had worked every night I had the opportunity it probably would have taken 6-8 weeks all told. After seeing your 1940s EvaDress trousers I bought the pattern and now have the cut pieces ready to put the fly in, but I'm very nervous about the zipper. I've never done a zip fly before, though I have sewn zips by ahnd and machine.

 

[Nick D]

On the inside I put a brown satin band.

Johnny J, did you stitch down the front pleats about an inch from the waist seam? Also, did you press the waist seam open, or press the seam allowance towards the waist band?

 

[Baron Kurtz]

I've started making neckties using patterns made from broken down old ties. This is first off the production line. I'm wearing the second off the line today. Not great yet, but wearable. The second one is definitely better than the first!

It's about 51" long. Very lightweight foulard silk and silk tipped.

bk

 

[Johnny J]

Well Nick, on those brown trousers I did not put a waist band on them. I remodified Eva's 1940s trousers and made them into hollywood waist. These pleats are stitched down 3 inches from top.
Now on Evas 1940s pattern I stitched the pleats 1 3/8 in. from waistband and the waist band is pressed open.
Hope that helps.

 

[Johnny J]

After seeing your 1940s EvaDress trousers I bought the pattern and now have the cut pieces ready to put the fly in, but I'm very nervous about the zipper. I've never done a zip fly before, though I have sewn zips by ahnd and machine.

Well the first time I put a zip fly on I did take awhile doing it, and everytime I put one on now I think I do something differently each time, but at the end it looks the same. I've done it like 5 times now and I'm barely feeling comfortable putting one on.
Suggestion: Make sure you have a zipper foot for your sewing machine, cause I did not have one in the beginning and it was hard sewing without it!

 

[Nick D]

I've started making neckties using patterns made from broken down old ties. This is first off the production line. I'm wearing the second off the line today. Not great yet, but wearable. The second one is definitely better than the first!

It's about 51" long. Very lightweight foulard silk and silk tipped.

bk

I haven't tried tipping a light silk tie yet, I've only done the unlined type so far, but I'll have to try it if I get a nice light silk tie to modify.

 

[Kinoss]

Lots of creativity here

 

[Fletch]

I don't "make" clothing - yet - but I occasionally modify it.
I "made" a nonstandard Akubra by taking the dark brown ribbon from a fawn Federation, and the trolley cord (same color) from a Fedora model, and putting both on a moonstone Stylemaster.
Makes it much more versatile than the standard black-banded grey hat.

I've also converted an old-type Eastman steerhide A-1 for winter wear by installing snaps on it and on a Filson mackinaw vest. Two layers become one - lots more practical when you're always entering well-heated buildings.

The snaps are placed so that:
a) the vest "butts" in front when the jacket is buttoned
b) the vest snaps in inside out so the pockets are usable
c) the vest is wearable right side out without the jacket, with no snaps showing

I also set in a piece of brown calf from an old key case, to finish off a windflap I started earlier by moving in the jacket buttons and snap panel.

before

after
All this was handsewn with glover's needles - not the neatest job, but I used the stitch holes where I could.
(Getting a hand needle to go into an existing stitch hole isn't hard - getting it to come out of one is about 99% luck.)

 

[Nick D]

I just finished these, they're the EvaDress 1940s trousers pattern that Johnny J posted previously. I inverted the pleats so they're forward facing, only did one back pocket and gave it a flap, and added a short curtain to the waistband and brace buttons. I could have done them in a 38, so they're a little loose in the seat, but in all they turned out well.

 

[SIGGY]

Although I don't know how to post photos yet on sites I would like to let members know that I make leather WW-2 era flying unit patches of USAAF/USN/USMC Squadron and Group type.

I can e mail photo samples of what my work looks like to anyone who will e mail me , I wish to share my work and hope to hear from members and interested viewers of this site !

Happy collecting to all and Have a Great Day !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Johnny
WeBeEmblems(at)aol.com

 

[Roving_Bohemian]

Holster rig I made (first attempt) for my S&W Victory Model.....patterned after Rick O'Connell's from "The Mummy." I need one more VM.

Amazing first attempt! I work with leather sometimes and can appreciate the effort put into these! Did you design them from a pattern or make your own? Either way, is there a way you could share the design/where to find the pattern? I would like a shoulder holster to complete my wardrobe but these are by far the best I've found...

 

[Johnny J]

I just finished these, they're the EvaDress 1940s trousers pattern that Johnny J posted previously. I inverted the pleats so they're forward facing, only did one back pocket and gave it a flap, and added a short curtain to the waistband and brace buttons. I could have done them in a 38, so they're a little loose in the seat, but in all they turned out well.

Very nice Nick! Did you put on a waist band, or do a hollywood waist? I can't make it out from the pic.