Making mens clothing: where are the vintage mens clothing patterns?

[Creeping Past]

One of the most interesting pattern I got was for a early 1920's summer union suit ( both arms and legs are short ) This pattern is now in the hands of a seamstress and hopefully I will be seeing 6 pair some time this summer.

Good work! Hope you'll post some photos.

Folkwear bush jacket trousers: Nice idea. Will you use cotton drill fabric? Khaki, perhaps?

Another way to get patterns is to buy cloths that can not be warn and take them apart

That's my plan if my most recent Ebay jacket purchase is a dud...

 

[Creeping Past]

P.S. I will grade that 1930's trouser pattern I have and it will be ready this fall. Not yet sure what waist size I can successfully take it up to yet, but should be well above the original's 30"...

Above and beyond the call of duty... thanks for listening.

CP

 

[BellyTank]

That's my plan if my most recent Ebay jacket purchase is a dud...

The Tweed jacket?


B
T

 

[Creeping Past]

The Tweed jacket?


B
T

Eventually. I'm making a natural denim (£3 per m) one first, starting next week.

I was even considering making a cotton drill one. Yesterday I looked again at the Adventurers' thread and noticed your tailor-made khaki wünderjacke. A style beyond me... for now. Excellent design and well cut, especially the button array and the back.

Just visited Mackenzies on Piccadilly. Great selection of tweeds, both Harris and Shetland. Plus Holland & Sherry cotton and Minnis wool flannels. Nice people, too.

 

[renor27]

Pants fabric

Good work! Hope you'll post some photos.

Folkwear bush jacket trousers: Nice idea. Will you use cotton drill fabric? Khaki, perhaps?

I will be making them out of two different fabric
for light weight will be using a 9 oz cotton canvas
for heavey weight will be using a 13 oz cotton canvas in a carhart brown will fade out to a wonderful color. Plus will wear like iron. I am very hard on my pants and shorts the desert tears up clothing.
David

 

[Honey Doll]

Another thought for patterns....

Another idea is to make a pattern, not by taking an existing piece apart, but by coping the garment while maintaining it whole. You can do this by lying the garment flat, pinning it to trace paper and using a pin to poke holes down the length of the seam line. If there are darts, mark them. After that remove the garment and with a pen, connect the dots and add seam allowances. Where you have darts, cut your paper pattern and spread it out the width of the fabric uptake in the original dart, then trace out again on your muslin. I'm reproducing a 40s chemise this way right now and it is very doable. I should think trousers would be fairly straight forward.

There was a good detailed pic by pic instruction on the Threads site.....hmmmm....

Try here

http://www.taunton.com/threads/pages/t00220.asp

Honey Doll

 

[Creeping Past]

Another idea is to make a pattern, not by taking an existing piece apart, but by coping the garment while maintaining it whole.
Honey Doll

Now I'm in a whole different world of possibilities! Busy summer...

 

[Kishtu]

Just a thought (and no doubt totally useless to most people, but it's how I got my patterns...) my OH's grandfather was a bespoke tailor in Kent in the 1950s. Chatting to OH's gran, she cleared out her cupboards of various patterns and boards of fabric. There is yet more to come, but we can only carry so much in one go...

Anyway - 1) always worth chatting up retired tailors or their families but 2) our patterns are not the standard shop-bought tissue ones, they are obviously individually tailored to one individual and drawn out onto stiff card. If I ever get on-line at home of a weekend (ha right as if) with access to a camera I'll take some pics of the jacket patterns to illustrate. Lots of scribbled measurements and geometry on there.... 's quite fascinating.

 

[Creeping Past]

If I ever get on-line at home of a weekend (ha right as if) with access to a camera I'll take some pics of the jacket patterns to illustrate. Lots of scribbled measurements and geometry on there.... 's quite fascinating.

If that's possible, you be making an invaluable contribution to this forum and many, many other people all over the place who're interested in this stuff.

No pressure, mind ... none at all... :whistling

 

[Lady Day]

*bump*
I have a modest collection of mens patterns. Mostly casual things.

The above one is my favorite. Simply describes as a 'professional jacket' on the back.

And lastly father and son matching shirts.

One more...

LD

 

[Hepville]

Very nice patterns Lady Day!

I have some nice original 40´s and 50´s patterns, too... always on the hunt for more... but the really seem to be rare if you are looking for other things like Pajamas and Shirts ;-)

http://www.evadress.com has some men´s patterns from the 30´s, 40´s and 50´s. I´ve talked to her some days ago... she said for fall there will be a 50´s french trousers pattern available.

What I did a few times: I´ve deconstructed some vintage items, resized it and made my own patterns out of it.

Whit some knowledge, understanding of a garment and changes you can e.g. "easily" make a jacket out of a shirt pattern... but this took me some years and a lot of mistakes in the beginning.

 

[Creeping Past]

Yes, responding to many requests here and elsewhere, Evadress pulled out all the stops and made some great patterns available, including this great sports coat pattern.

She's my hero.

 

[Qirrel]

Vintage mens patterns can be found in tailoring/cutters manuals used in bespoke tailoring. These are books that contain several standardized patterns and complete instructions on how to modify the pattern to a set of measurements specified. Its actually pretty straightforward as far as the making of the pattern and cutting is concerned, the trickiest part is the construction. Although if you stay away from fitted coats (suit coats etc.) you should do just fine.

Try looking/asking around this website: http://www.cutterandtailor.com/forum/ for where to get patterns.

 

[Hepville]

Another thing that can be easily done on basics like e.g a button-down Shirt 40s/ 50s style:

Buy a todays Shirt pattern (McCalls, Kwik Sew, Siplicity).
The construction is equal/ very similar to a 40s/ 50s shirt... technically it´s about things like the shape of collar/ pocket shape/ stitching...
Change these details, choose the right fabric/ buttons and... tadaa: You have a 40s/ 50s shirt!

If you get a deeper knowledge you can do this on other garments, too... and I´m pretty sure some professional "Vintage Tailors" do it this way with help of old specialist literature

 

[thunderw21]

I've several boy's and men's patterns, mostly shirts, robes and the such.

But I've also been able to find two patterns for sports coats and matching vests, both from the late '40s/early '50s.

 

[Johnny J]

I purchased from EvaDress.com the 1940's Men's Wide-Leg Trousers pattern and so far so good. I have the pants stitched together, with zipper. At this moment I am working on the pockets, and then on to the waist band. I will post some pics when I get farther ahead.

 

[EvaDress]

I wish to have input on this late 30's Men's Shirt

Hello all, I have been working this pattern up and I wish to know in what sizes you would like to see it.
<img src=http://www.evadress.com/3089.html>

Presently, I am testing it in the 35" sleeve length size. I am not yet certain to what chest measurement that coordinates as I am just beginning the testing phase.
I can say that thus far, I plan to take it to 37" sleeve length. The sleeve length is taken in this manner:
<img src=http://www.evadress.com/images/sleevel.jpg>

On a personal note, I LOVE the long jacket-style shirt-makes me wish I were a man this lifetime so I could wear it. Looks ultra-smart!

P.S. HoneyDoll gets the credit for making that men's sport coat pattern available to me so I could do the multi-size pattern.

 

[EvaDress]

To Jonny J:

I very much look forward to seeing what you do with your trousers pattern!

 

[Johnny J]

I very much look forward to seeing what you do with your trousers pattern!

Hello EvaDress. This is what I made out of your pattern.

And I also altered it and made a Hollywood waist pants.

 

[EvaDress]

Your trousers

WoW! These are really wonderful! Thank you for sharing.