What to do with this fabric?

[Tenorclef]

My good lady found this in a charity shop for the princely sum of £1. I did wonder whether there was sufficient fabric for a simple two piece perhaps? Its 59" in width and 86" in length. It does have a nice traditional feel to it I think.

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[Yeps]

I don't remember the exact numbers for a suit, but that seems pretty low, especially since with plaid you have to cut more carefully/more wastefully to get the proper matching.

 

[Gin&Tonics]

Could you perhaps make a sport jacket with it? Maybe a traditional norfolk jacket!

 

[DonnaP]

I've read that for a men's pants you need an average of 2.5 yards of 45" fabric, for a jacket, 2-3 yards of 45" fabric. Your fabric is wider, but as noted, will need extra yardage for to match the stripes. I would think you could get a jacket or pants but not an entire suit.

 

[John in Covina]

Maybe a vest?

 

[Tenorclef]

Maybe a vest?

hah hah.......cheers John et al, yes I'm thinking possibly a sports jacket may be a better option as I'm now starting to realise there is not enough fabric for a 2 piece. Possibly a Norfolk but not quite the colouring I'd choose for a Norfolk although I think a sports coat and matching flat cap might work. I think this will go on the back burner for now though.

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

Get Johnny J to make a vintage cap out of the fabric

 

[Rudie]

It's enough for wide trousers. If you're not too big/large you could probably make a sportcoat from it. But not both.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Just over 2 metres. You might get a small sportscoat out of a plain fabric, but unlikely with complex pattern, I should have thought.

That fabric would make a nice pair of trousers, and might leave enough fabric to have the aforementioned cap made … food for thought.

bk

 

[Two Types]

Is there enough for trousers and a waistcoat? If so, you could wear them with a lightweight summer jacket to replicate the mid-20th century casual look of the office worker leaving work and replacing his heavy suit jacket with a summer jacket (if I recall correctly, Raymond Huntley does this in 'Passport to Pimlico').

 

[Shangas]

If my mental measurements are correct, no. You probably won't get a suit out of that.

I'd say you'd get either a waistcoat (quite possible in my opinion) or a jacket (might be a bit tight). But I don't know about a whole *suit*!!

 

[Tenorclef]

Oh I should think ample for a jacket, the tailor I use said I should bring the fabric into his shop and he'll have a look and see if he can make me a 1920's style sports jacket. I must say I'm quite tempted so I'll probably pop it into his shop tomorrow and hopefully their will be enough material left over for a flat cap.

 

[Edward]

Is there enough for trousers and a waistcoat? If so, you could wear them with a lightweight summer jacket to replicate the mid-20th century casual look of the office worker leaving work and replacing his heavy suit jacket with a summer jacket (if I recall correctly, Raymond Huntley does this in 'Passport to Pimlico').

Or Howard Hughes style, with a leather jacket.

If there is enough for a sports jacket, I would suggest something like this, from EvaDress.com:

http://www.evadress.com/C30-4972A-1930s-Mens-Sport-Coat-Size-A_p_188.html

I not quite enough for that, maybe a shorter jacket like:

http://www.evadress.com/C40-3969-1940s-Mens-Jackets-38-44-Chest_p_183.html

or

http://www.evadress.com/C30-9051-1934-Mens-Windbreakers-40-chest_p_298.html

FWIW, I have a Merc branded Harrington-style jacket (differs from the norm in that it has a pointed shirt-style collar rather than the usual square-ended, buttonable one - maybe why I was the only eBay bidder and got it new for something like GBP15.00??) in a very similar fabric, with black knits. I love it with a collar and tie for a Summer-equivalent to the 'dressed up' A2 / Halfbelt / whatever leather look.

 

[Undertow]

Depending on your size, a jacket might be a stretch due to the matching of plaids. A vest is probably in the neighborhood of 1.5 yards, and you could manage trousers at around 2 yards.

I'm not sure you could do both, especially with the matching of plaids.

Do let us know what you end up with, and post pictures!

 

[Tenorclef]

I'm definitely on the bigger size Undertow, my normal jacket size being a 46 however I took the material to my tailor today and he laid it out on his work bench and said a jacket should not be an issue in the 1920's style he does PLUS he said he was going to surprise me with something else. Not sure what he meant by that but I'll find out later. He is pretty snowed under with suit making at the moment so he said it was going to take longer than his normal six week turn around so it may be quite a few weeks before I can post up a photo of the final results. I got to say though I do rather like the tailors take on a 20's style suit.

 

[Stanley Doble]

When he said surprise you later the first thing that popped into my head is that he thinks he has a remnant of the same material. Once he finds it and compares, he will know if it is the same. A stroke of luck if my guess is right.

 

[DamianM]

At the moment I seem to have gone crazy and make everything myself from patterns I have been acquiring. And yes Plaids need more yardage because you have to match them to keep a clean look and looks like its not enough for a suit and jacket.
Ive been making those Leisure/Howard huges Jackets with about three yards.
Shirts with two yard so im thinking you can make a vest and a cap maybe?

 

[Gin&Tonics]

A waistcoat and a flat cap would be a very nice combination of garments to make out of that material. You could nicely work those into your existing wardrobe for good effect.