Tailoring: The Classic Guide to Sewing the Perfect Jacket If you can only buy one tailoring book, make it this one. I refer to this book constantly. It is clear and well-organized. Can't say enough great things about this book - this and the one below are two of my 3 desert island books.
Easy Guide to Sewing Linings Not specifically about tailoring, but does include linings for jackets. It has great illustrations and shows how to create lining pieces from pattern pieces - great because not all jacket patterns come with separate pieces for the lining.
McCall's 6172 - Yes, a pattern! This Palmer/Pletsch pattern has lots of great information on fitting the blazer pattern to you. I'm not going to cover fitting in this sew-along - that's a whole sew-along by itself! But I think if you're going to put the work into tailoring a blazer, you'll want it to have a great fit. Honestly, fit is the biggest reason why I started sewing blazers - nothing off the rack fits me well enough to invest the money. That I discovered a love for tailoring is a happy coincidence. The sewing instructions in this pattern are very good as well.
Craftsy Classes
Classic Tailoring - The Blazer. This is the first Craftsy class on tailoring I watched, and it is a great one. I learned so much by watching this class. All the essentials are there, with extras like drafting vents for the sleeves.
Essential Guide to Tailoring: Structure and Shape. This and the class below are new purchases for me. I've watched this one all the way through, and it is stellar. This is probably my favorite Craftsy class so far. It shows all three methods of tailoring and goes beyond the basics with lots of neat tips and tricks. I'm really looking forward to trying some of them on future jackets.
Essential Guide to Tailoring: Construction. I'm about half way through this class, and I like it as much as the one above. Lots of new-to-me ways of doing things I can't wait to try out.
Jacket Fitting Techniques. I haven't actually watched this one yet, but I plan to in the near future. I have been able to do a pretty good job with fitting myself, but need help in fitting the jacket pattern I'm working up for my husband. I'm hoping this class will help me out! This might be a good resource for those who need some help with fitting a pattern. If any of you have watched this class already, I'd be interested to know what you thought of it.
Hi there - great list of resources! I was about to press "buy" on the structure and shape class, but suddenly realized how incredibly short the lessons are! None of them seem to be longer than 20 mins or so. Is this correct? Seems way to short to demonstrate three separate techniques.
ReplyDeleteHi Caroline - Yes, that is correct; the lessons are short. However, they are very concise - there's really no extra "fluff" or wasted time. Also, I should have pointed out that this is not a beginner class. It assumes you have at least an understanding of tailoring, if not some experience. I took more notes on this class than I have on any other, because it showed me so many new ways of doing things that I'm looking forward to trying out. Hope that's helpful to you in making your decision!
DeleteThose tailoring classes look great, good to know they get your thumb's up!
ReplyDeleteThey do! I was watching the construction one yesterday and it shows how to do a melton under collar. The construction is completely different from a normal collar! It was fascinating!
DeleteI've got the Craftsy Class with Steffani and have watched it a couple of times, taking in all her tailoring techniques. Have you tried the Butterick pattern that came with that class?
ReplyDeleteIt's a great class, isn't it? I haven't tried that pattern yet, but I like the look of it. Have you used it?
DeleteYou could really give lessons gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteOnce a teacher, always a teacher I guess!
DeleteGreat list! Will start collecting what I need soon!
ReplyDeleteI started the Jacket Fitting Techniques with Pam Howard and it is soooooo good! It may be the firs Craftsy class I actually finish (I've got a stack I've bought but never finished). I am really enjoying her process.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the McCalls pattern you reference comes with it.
DeleteM6172. She converts the darts to full seams so I'm glad to have a 2nd copy to cut through for learning purposes.
Ooh, good to know! I think that will be the next class I watch. I also have a couple extra copies of M6172, because I love it so much!
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ReplyDeleteThank you for the information you are sharing. I have the exact same fitting issues with RTW jackets. They don't fit well. Sewing a jacket is on my to do list of future sewing projects. I've watched two of the three tailoring classes three times. Next, I will be taking notes.
ReplyDeleteI love the note-taking feature on Craftsy. I refer back to my notes from these classes often!
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