Tailor’s Tacks, #1

Welcome to Tailor’s Tacks, a new feature here at Line of Selvage.  I’ll be using this series to share random thoughts, and items that are bit too small for one of my normal, more voluminous articles.

Bay Area Sewists meetup – Sewing Bloggers

This past Saturday, I took part in a panel discussion at the Bay Area Sewists meetup on Sewing Blogs.  I shared the panel with local sewing bloggers Beth from Sunny Gal Studio, Emily at Dressing the Role, Laura Mae at Lilacs & Lace, and our moderator Chuleenan at C Sews.

You can see me in the button-down shirt I made as my very first project entry here at Line of Selvage.

Great #BayAreaSewists of #sewingblogs today w/ @dressingtherole @mportuesisf @lauramaedesigns

A photo posted by C Sews (@csews) on

The discussion was a round-robin interview.  We told a little bit of our history, and provided our individual perspectives on how blogging has inspired us, what we found surprising about blogging, and advice for prospective bloggers.

We also showed off some of the projects we’ve blogged about.  I was especially impressed by Laura Mae’s couture construction, Beth’s tailored coat, and Emily’s quilted blazer jacket.

I really enjoyed the discussion as well as the exchange of ideas with my fellow bloggers.  In fact, “Tailor’s Tacks” is inspired by a running feature, “Random Threads”, that Beth features on her blog.

Chuleenan recorded the conversation, and she is hoping to transcribe it. If I get the transcript I’ll run it here as a future article.

Pants Fitting Update

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No, I have not given up on the pants fitting.  Far from it.  I have been waiting until I’ve reached the end of my consultation with Sarah Veblen before writing about the experience here on the blog. Sarah has been a joy to work with, and I have learned so much from my exchange with her.

You see here the back pattern piece in progress, on its way to one final muslin before heading to fashion fabric. (Click/tap for a bigger picture).

New Men’s Sewing Blog – “Sew Masc.”

During my blog panel discussion, I commented that there are very few male sewists with blogs, and we all know who we are!

And now there’s one more.  Allow me to give a shout-out to Patrick and his new blog Sew Masc. He lives in Manhattan and sews for himself out of the 4×4 space in his kitchen. I discovered him when he followed me on Pinterest.

I hope you’ll consider adding him to the list of blogs you follow.

Wild Ginger is In The House

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I took advantage of today’s 20for20 sale at Wild Ginger Software to pick up Pattern Master Tailor Made software for 20% off.

My first task for Wild Ginger might be to draft the facings, fly pieces, and waist bands for my pants pattern.  I’m not completely sold on the idea of digital pattern manipulation – I’ve gotten used to the french curve, and the way you can use it to blend and compose a wide variety of curves with paper and pencil.  But for revising a pattern, the computer looks way faster.

I hope to write about digital pattern drafting using Wild Ginger in future articles.

7 thoughts on “Tailor’s Tacks, #1

  1. Josie

    Hi Michael,

    Thanks for sharing. Your experience with pants fitting, drafting has open my eyes. You encourage me to do the same, learn by doing. I have almost given up on commercial patterns. Lately, I pick up a blouse, or a pair of pants that fits well. Study the fit, construction, and take my mesurements. Then make my own garments. I have a few misses. Most of the time it works.
    This process gives me great satisfaction.
    Thanks for sharing. I will check out the new male blogger. I enjoy different points of view.

    1. mportuesisf Post author

      Thanks, Josie. I’m glad my pants fitting has been an inspiration to you!

  2. John Yingling

    Is that your final back pants pattern? The back rise seems too vertical (nearly parallel to the grain line), and the crotch fork looks a little long. Please tell me you are making some major alterations to that piece.

    1. mportuesisf Post author

      Yes, it is the final back pants pattern (or very close to it). And yes, it fits.

    2. mportuesisf Post author

      John,

      It just occurred to me – one thing that might make the pattern appear a little strange to you is that the waistline hasn’t been drawn in yet. There’s a few extra inches at the top of the pattern that will get cut off.

  3. Patrick

    Hello Michael,

    Thank you so much for introducing SewMasc.com, I greatly appreciate it! What a warm welcome to the community.

    – Patrick

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