Ultimate Tennant Suit -lining the calico test

So far I have cut the Pattern for the body of the Tennant Suit, this time with allowance for the limited fabric available when I cut the GAP trousers (see right).
There was a lot to think about, but I got there in the end.

Next up is doing the sleeves.

First I draw a block for the sleeve based on the measurements I need (see below, left).

From this I have traced off the two parts, smoothing the corners at the elbow, and adding a cuff allowance (see below, centre).

Finally this get traced off onto tissue paper, adding seam allowances as I go (see above, right).

Once I’ve cut what I need from calico, it’s then a simple process to make the sleeves up and set them in the jacket (see right).

NB:
Don’t forget that at the moment the hem isn’t turned up, so it looks a little long.

Ultimate Tennant Suit - new calico test

Now before I start cutting any of the precious GAP fabric, I need to be 100% certain on the pattern I am using, therefore I an going to make a new calico test jacket.

I have previously done such a test (see left) but I do need to make some serious revisions due to one major restraint I am now faced with that I didn’t have to worry about back then.

The first thing I have to do is re-draft the basic block from which my pattern will be drawn (see below).

It is while I am tracing off my pattern pieces that something struck me, which means I need to stop and think carefully.

Although I have a good range of sizes of trousers to use, ranging from a couple of waist 33s up to the biggest at waist 36, I have realised that even these will not cover the pattern shape for the front panels – well not in the same way I cut them last time around.

For the tailor who has everything

It’s Christmas!

Yes, it’s that time of year and I asked Santa to bring me a few extra tools and tailoring equipment to help me in the coming year.

In our household we have two present opening sessions on Christmas morning: the first is from the stockings at the end of our bed, so are small, modest gifts; followed later by the bigger presents from under the tree.

Talking of which – do you like our tree? (see right)

So here’s my selection from the stocking.

Burgundy Suit - assembly starts

I have now designed the bulk of my Tennant Suit Pattern, and have cut the main parts in the Burgundy Pinstripe Fabric I have created. Time now to start making it up.

As I do with the Tennant Coats I have made, I have found it much easier to work the panels of the garment flat, setting the pockets separately as I go, rather than trying to do them in a bulky, already made-up coat.

I start with the breast pocket, repeating what I did in the Calico Test.

I sew the front panel of the pocket to create the pleat which is exactly two pinstripes wide (see above, left), and press it flat. I then attach the lining along the top edge and fold it in half, making the pocket front (see above, centre). The edges are then press over and stay-stitched ready to be sewn onto the jacket (see above, right).
The flap above the pocket is sewn from two halves, and simply attached inverted in place and pressed firmly into its final position (see right).

I then make the flaps for the faux flap pockets. To make sure they don't curl upwards after they are in place, I use a simple little trick: I put in a pin pointing towards the tips of the corners (see below, left). This pushes the top over the underside by the slightest amount and when it is sewn (leaving the pins in place) and turned rightside, this subtle distortion remains and the corners curl slightly, but in the direction I want them to (see below, right).

The flap is then pressed in half to its final size (see above, right) ready to set. I do this now, because if it is pressed after it is sewn in place, it can leave a nasty footprint on the body of the jacket under the flap.

The flap is then sewn in place on the jacket, inverted, at the level of the lower welt (see above, left). The pocket facing is then sewn above it, also inverted, and sewn at the level of the upper welt (see above, centre). The pocket opening is slit between the two welt lines (see above, right) then the pocket facing and the tail of the flap are turned to the back, making the finished pocket (see left).

Interfaced on the inside

Today I start making my burgundy pinstripe Tennant Suit jacket. Now I KNOW it’s not a screen accurate colour - don’t write in! - I’m only doing it as a dry run before cutting into a single inch of my blue fabric.

I have dyed the blue fabric to the right colour, so have dyed some red pinstriped fabric (from the same source as the blue) to a burgundy so I am comparing like-for-like material (see below).

Having started (but not finished) a similar jacket earlier in the year, and a Calico Test only a couple of weeks ago, making it up should be relatively easy and quick.


Before I can do any cutting I need to stiffen the fabric. It is, in reality, a shirting fabric, so quite a lightweight cotton. I did initally wonder if I had found the right material, but a friend pointed out that there was a publicity still where you could see the inside of the trouser ankle - and it was white, which had puzzled him (see below). This made perfect sense to me - it had been interfaced! What I needed to work out was how stiff I needed to make it.

In the UK we have a main manufacteurer for interfacing, Vilene. Their basic range is a Light-weight, a Medium-weight and a Heavy-weight version. This determines the thickness. Each then comes in either a Standard or Ultrasoft option. This controls it’s flexibility.

Since the fronts of jackets are usually interfaced, I am going for a Medium Stanard for the body, but I want the sleeves to be more supple, so I will use a Medium Ultrasoft for the arms.

Usually you would cut the fabric then cut matching shaped interfacing and press them together. But since I need to interface everything I am going to press it first, then cut the pre-interfaced pieces after.

Annoyingly the fabric and the interfacing come in different widths, so I do a strip of the fabric and save the off-cut for later.
These off-cuts, once interfaced with the Ultrasoft, will be fine for the sleeves, so nothings really going to waste.

Blue suit - jacket pockets

So far work on the new pattern for my suit has gone very well, far exceeding my expectation of how quickly and well I could cut it to fit.


The Five Coat pattern I cut, although I am totally happy with it, took a while to arrive at, doing through a process of cutting - adapting - cutting - revising - cutting - altering . . . . . before I got to something I was pleased with.

This time round I have cut a block (a base template) from which I then cut my pattern, both of which fitted perfectly first time (see above).

So it is now time to cut the pattern for some of the details of the suit, such as the breast and outer pockets.

The Breast Pocket
I had previously tackled the Breast Pocket before, and had made some decent, but crude samples (see left), so I know the the construction of the pocket already.
I do, however need to work it to the new pinstripe dimensions I have.

This time round though, my style will be a lot better and my work a not neater!

The new techniques I have learnt from my tailoring classes have shown me the best, methodical approach to use, so I first draw up the pocket as a block (see above),  to the finished cut size, then trace a pattern, adding seam allowances only at that stage (see right).

The pocket is made from a front, which is pleat fronted; a lining, which is just the width of the finished pocket; and the flap, which is cut in two parts.

First I make the front by sewing the pleat together, and pressing flat. The lining is then attached to the top edge of the pocket, and it is folded flat, with a one-inch turnover of the front into the inside of the pocket. I then stay-stitch around the pocket to keep the edges stable (see left).

Blue suit - pattern cutting the body

Last time I had created the block for my standard jacket that would fit me, and now I need to create a working pattern from it, that I can then use to make my suit.

For the moment, I am going to concentrate on the front, so am repeating the back from my basic jacket (see below, left).

The front needs to be done in two parts, splitting it at the fitting dart at the side. This creates a narrow side panel (see below, centre) and the front panel (see below, right).

Being a pinstriped suit, it is critical how the design aligns to the pattern.

I have therefore actually drawn the pinstripes onto the calico, using a swatch of the fabric as a ruler (see left).

Many of the spacings for the pocket positions, the size of the pocket and flaps, width of the lapels etc can be measured by counting their sizes in spans of pinstripes.

Firstly, the size and position of the breast pocket. This has a pleat three pinstripes wide, with four visible pinstripes either side. I can then measure how high it is in pinstripes on my reference photo, and translate that to a real-life measurement working to the blue fabric.

For its position, I can see its base is in alignment with the second button down, and is set five pinstripes in from the edge. I incorporate this into the pattern (see below).

Blue Suit - cutting a new pattern

I’m getting a slight feelings of dejvue here, but having found the perfect blue fabric for a Tennant Suit AND with the new skills I have been picking up at college, I think it is time for me to start over on my suit pattern.

To quickly recap, at my college course I have learnt about cutting a Block – a master pattern designed to fit me, from which a majority of patterns to any style can be derived.

Instead of cutting a modern Block, I opted for one based on notes contained in The Cutter’s Guide to Lounge Jackets, (see right) a manual written for the tailors of the 1890s to use for making the latest fashions. This was perfect for me to use, as a lot of The Doctor’s costumes are turn of the century or Georgian in styling.

I followed the guide to plot out the basic shape, using my measurements, firstly at a quarter-scale to gain an understanding of how it is drawn up (see left), then later at full size (see below).

This was then traced to make a basic pattern, and subsequently a twill, or calico test.

Putting it on for the first time exceeded expectation as it fitted perfectly, and my tutor remarked that it needed little or no revision for it to be usable.
That stands as good testament to The Cutter’s Guide as a good source of material!

Suit Jacket - pattern cutting

As you may have been reading over on my Five Costume Blog, I have been attending a College Course to learn some tailoring skills and improve my work quality.
My plan is to apply these skills to a variety of projects including an Inverness Cape over on my new Three Costume Blog.

I also intend to use the course to help kick-start my Tennant Suit work, which has rather lapsed of late.

The last work I did on the suit jacket was way back in May 2009, when I cracked the Faux Flap Pockets. (see right). That work is still valid, as too is the design I did for the Box-Pleat Breast Pocket I had done earlier (see below).

However, the one thing I was having issues with was the body shape of the jacket itself.

Being self-taught has got me a long way, but doing a fitted jacket was proving to be challenge that was stretching my skill too far. My plan is to gain the knowledge I need form the course to rectify this and crack making fitted jackets!

I discussed this with my tutor, Nicola, and she explained that I needed to first create a ‘block’ for my jacket.

A block is a term used for a non-pattern specific shape used for fitting, from which usable patterns can be easily derived.

She explanied to me the best way to arrive at my block.

Firstly, we need to draw everything in pencil at quarter-scale. From there we make up, again at quarter-scale, a thin cardboard three-dimensional test which checks it all meets up at the seams correctly. Once that is done, I can then work to full size to check sizing and fit. Finally, we can plot the position of the seams for a given jacket style to cut the pattern I need.