Making my first leather jacket- the shell is done

[Edward]

Great looking jacket - love the colour in the photos. Looking forward to seeing the finished article.

 

[fishmeok]

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 with no windflap, collar snaps, or throat latch. I messed up one of the side panels and the jacket will be about 1.5" shorter than I originally planned, but I was making it a little long so this will probably just make it look more period correct, like an original Aero. Next step is to begin installing the liner and zipper.

Cheers
Mark

 

[fishmeok]

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.

 

[Brinybay]

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 way this could be done with a non-industrial machine, they just don't have the power and strength needed.

When are we going to have another MPLS get together?
Cheers
Mark

I'm curious as to how you learned tailoring. A formal class, self-taught, or ?

 

[fishmeok]

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

 

[tonyb]

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

Can you make something for her? Surely you won't be retiring that groovy machine after just one jacket, right?

 

[Bogie1943]

This has to be the most impressive thing I have ever seen around these parts!:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[mister7]

WOW!

All I can say is I wish I could keep my stitches that even in fabric! That is an amazing piece of work, better than a certain amount of stuff you see commercially available.

Did you develop the pattern or is it someting you acquired? If it's homegrown that seems like as hard a job as the sewing itself to me. How did you transfer it to the leather? Also, where did you acquire the leather and what weight is it?

Doing something like this is probably just fantasy material to me but it is a project I would love to tackle someday. I have long thought about getting hold of some industrial sewing machine, primarily for making climbing gear. My Riccar is seriously overmatched sewing through many layers of fabric, so I appreciate the difficulty of heavy duty sewing.

Again, congratulations on an outstanding project!

 

[Vintage Betty]

Great job! May I ask how much leather you used to complete the jacket?

 

[fishmeok]

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 complete hide, between 47-50 square feet. This can get very pricey depending on where you get your leather. I've been lucky and founbd some cheap stuff on e-bay, but it's always a gamble with quality, blemishes and folds in the leather, etc. I just spend $200 that I probably should not have last weekend on a hide , but I really liked the the color and grain.

Cheers
Mark

 

[fishmeok]

Can you make something for her? Surely you won't be retiring that groovy machine after just one jacket, right?

I have no idea how to fit clothes for women, they have all those irregular bumps and curves...

Cheers
Mark

 

[tonyb]

I have no idea how to fit clothes for women, they have all those irregular bumps and curves...

Cheers
Mark

That's why they require such careful scrutiny.

 

[James Miller]

Wow!

This looks just like the one I'm working on. I have some photos on the lounge somewhere. If I can find them I'll show you. I'm the one that wrote you about my old Phaff sewing machine. we need to trade stories. I've been restoring old jackets for some time now.

You have done a nice job on the epaulets. I hade a little trouble because the leather was thick with Shoulder and sleeve it's several layers thick once you start to attach them all together.

 

[fishmeok]

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 the fun thing about making it myself, I can put the pockets I want on it, and try out different ideas.
Cheers
Mark

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

If ya want something done right, ya gotta do it yourself. Anxious to see the final product, and I wish I had the equipment and such to do this too and make my own jackets to wear,..why, I'd make at least 2 or 3,...dozen! lol

 

[fishmeok]

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 46 to get measurements from. After some cussing and irritation I pulled the whole thing back apart and tried to fix it. I shortened the collar and decreased the neck hole size by narrowing the front panels at the top. It worked OK, but now the epaulets are too far forward...

As with any project that gets taken apart 2 or 3 times it never goes back together as well as it did the first time. I managed to make the bottom tabs (where the waistknit ends) different widths (whch they weren't the first time around) and the zipper is not as even as I originally had it.

Also found a problem with the machine that was not as evident on the smaller practice pieces. When I sew at speed or through several layers the stitches get smaller, sometimes excessivly so. Some of it is me learning to manipulate the entire jacket on the table, but a lot of it is something out of whack on the machine. I tried the topstiching and this is where the problem becomes a huge issue. Have not found a solution for this yet.

I probably shouldn't be so irritated about all this, this IS the first time I have ever tried to make a jacket, but damnit, I want it to look like a Goodwear, and I want it to look that good NOW...
Cheers
Mark

This is what it looks like after fixing the collar. The waist knits are not sewn on all the way around yet.

This picture shows how badly the stitch length changes with leather thickness and speed- also the uneven tabs.

 

[dhermann1]

Bad stitch length!

Oh, yeah. That's terrible. Just awful. Horrible . . .
I can't even see what you're talking about. I am so freakin' impressed with this creation that words totally fail me. You have to get some sort of "Coolest Thing Made by a Lounger in 2008" award for this.
This deserves a free ride in a B-17 or something.

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Yes, quite an undertaking, and quite an achievement. Projects like this look easy to us at first,.then when we actually go to do them, we see what we are up against. The first attempt at making something, anything, for a creative person is always mostly a learning experience. Then the subsequent efforts just get better and better.

 

[fishmeok]

Thanks everybody. Apparently I need to spend some more time learning how to make a ^&%* pattern. When I sewed the waistband in the back rode up a good 4 inches above the front. Not bad if you have someone whose back is 6 inches shorter than their front....

So rather than rip this thing up I'm going to try adding a half belt to the back, like a civilian A-2 jacket that was up on e-bay last week. Now that I know I can't be absolutely perfect on my first try can relax and have a little more fun with this. I am determined to make this sucker wearable.

Cheers
Mark

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Mighty impressive for a first effort. Keep at it and you'll be knocking em out in no time. My hat is off to you. :eusa_clap Maybe I can one day get a custom bespoke A2 from your factory?