Hello everyone.
It's a good morning today, yay marriage!
But onto a much less important thing, repairing vintage clothes!
This Friday I have a very unique item. A 1890s tuxedo jacket with tails. This is more a commentary of the restoration work I did on the garment, as it really needed a lot of inside repair work.
The lining for the sleeves had been completely redone at some time, and now that work needed repair. Men sweat :)
A lot of popped seams. Most unreachable because of how the garment is constructed. It's almost like going back in and relaying the foundation of a house. So I did a lot of top stitching.
As someone had did before me.
Fabric covered buttons starting to show their age. I didn't do anything to them.
The boutonniere hole had been closed. I think I opened it :)
This was a shame. the front of the pocket got so worn that it tore.
Inset pockets are already delicate, so I can imagine all the decades of putting in and removing your handkerchief for your brow or a lady must have been taxing on that area.
Repairing something like that is kind of patchwork only. There is no real fabric to work with, so I did some top stitching. It looks totally better than this washed out picture.
Just a side note, look at that weave, beautiful!
I also sewed pretty much the entire lining, especially around the tails.
It left my hands wearable, but I can see it more as costume than an actual statement piece. It's past it's prime. If it were mine, I'd totally make a pattern of it. I'd love to see it's guts in more detail.
Okay lovely people.
Have a great weekend and happy sewing!
Wow, think of the stories that jacket could tell!
ReplyDeleteI've repaired a few of those cutaway tail coats, usually you can steal a little fabric to recover the buttons from inside the tail. The trouble is: you won't find a new button as nice as the old ones. In my dreams, I find a huge stash of those at a yard sale that are complete sets.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the huge photos; smiling at the details!
I always get a kick on working on men's clothes. They are so robust. I think its because us ladies wore all our pinnings and just draped fabric over that heavy foundation. Men, it's kind of the other way around.
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