Once more into the breeches

this week, I have started working on a black broadcloth suit for a vicar in the local regency era group. I love making breeches, honestly. But, there are many of you out there who hate the process. I have come to realize that a lot of that hate is from trying to make breeches by machine. Asking the machine to do things regency and eighteenth-century breeches had never dreamed of doing.

In short, there are different processes to sewing in the machine era and the pre-machine era.

Ok, So how do I start making breeches?

I start by stitching the centre front seams on both the fashion layer and the lining. This you can do by machine. Then I press the seam allowances open.

Next, I press under the top edges of the fall on both the fashion layer and the lining. I place the two pieces together, wrong sides together, with the lining just a hair shy of the top edge. Then, BY HAND, I fell the lining to the fashion layer of the fall. This nails the edge in place and creates that beautiful little 'top' stitch that you see on the edges of hand stitched garments. It can only be achieved by doing it by hand, since it is so close to the edge. If you were to achieve this same 'nailing down' of the seam, preventing the seam from rolling, you would in effect, have to do the seam three times instead of one. You would stitch the seam, right sides together. Then, you would edge stitch all the seam allowances to the lining. Then you would top stitch the whole mess. This machine method is not the greatest, and believe it or not, is also not the fastest. I have tested the theory, and found that I can accomplish a better seam by hand in a quicker amount of time.

Top of the finished fall, right side. Notice the sides of the fall have not been cut yet.

I then baste the sides of the fall and lining together, and then with a small running stitch, I stitch the lining in place through the crotch. The edges of the lining are turned under a scarce 1/4" through the crotch, but left raw along the sides of the fall, since they will be encased in the fall placket.

I still haven't cut the sides of the Fall.

Next, I press the fall plackets into shape. It's important to press them properly so that stitching them will be easier. Trust me here. I will say it until I am blue in the face, the steam iron is the most important tool in the sewing room.

You'll also notice, that I stitched up the top edge of the fall placket. I did that part by machine, and pressed the seam allowance open, trimmed my seam allowances, and then pressed the whole thing flat. These are all well pressed and ready to go.

Next up, I stitch the curved seam of the front bearers, those bits that hang out inside the fall for modesty. I baste-stitch the curve by machine, and then roll and press the lining to the wrong side. Then, I fell the two pieces together. I baste by machine, right sides together, then turn and press, because I can achieve a nicer curve this way then by just pressing the curve under.

I am not quite ready to cut the sides of the fall...

Right sides together, I stitch, by hand, the placket edge to the fall edge. At the bottom of the seam, I knot-off, but do not cut my thread. Then I cut the sides of my fall. I then stitch the bottom point of the placket into place, wrong sides together, using a little slip stitch. Once I have gotten to the other side of the point, I turn the work to the wrong side, and slip stitch the bottom of the backside of the placket in place, and then up the remaining side of the placket, encapsulating all the raw edges of the side of the fall. The whole process is done with a single length of thread, and one continuous seam. 

You just cannot do this process by machine as easily.

After the fall is nicely finished and pressed. I stitch the bearers in place, also by hand, starting off with right sides together, then at the bottom of the seam edge, I turn and stitch from the back side. I will also slip stitch the bearer to the bottom of the fall placket to secure everything nicely.

There! The hardest part of breeches making is done! At this point, long seams can be done by machine and pressed open.

The second biggest thing people complain about are pockets. in this pair, I am including a waistband welted watch pocket.

My first step is to stitch the welt to the pocketing, and press the seam allowances open. I have done this by machine.

Keeping the welt and pocketing to one side, I stitch the welt to the waistband, following the same stitches as before (between the pins).

on the wrong side, I have marked in chalk where I need to cut the waistband open for the pocket. I am going to cut right up to, but not through the stitching, or past it...this is important. If you cut too short, the welt won't sit properly, if you cut past it, there will be a hole, and you may as well start over again. you cannot fix the hole once it's cut.

At this point, I stitched up the sides of the welt, and pressed everything nicely from the right side. I can double check now, to see what the finished welt will look like. If I have cut the pocket opening too big, there's only one seam to carefully unpick so I can start over again with a wider welt.

Back to the wrong side of the waistband, I have picked up the bottom edge of the pocketing and will stitch it to the other long edge of the pocket opening, between the pins.

I press that seam open, then stitch the sides of the pocketing shut, catching the tiny triangles that form on either side of the pocket opening. I usually stitch my pockets by machine, running back and forth a few times over those triangles to fully support the sides of the pocket opening. I have also serged the sides of the pocketing, since linen frays. I have determined that the side that shows when the breeches are inside out, will be my 'good side' of the serging (yes, there is a good side and a wrong side to serging). Then, taking a darning needle, I have run the ends of the serging stitches up inside the wrong side of the serging. This is a couture/dancewear thing that keeps the serging from ravelling if you have just cut the threads flush. Leave them long, and then run them back through. It takes like 3 extra minutes but makes for a far nicer seam finish.

Ta-da! pocket. I have now stitched the sides of the welt to the waistband itself as well...thus the shadow line.

Finally, the edges of the waistband are pressed under, same with the waistband lining, and the two pieces are felled together. Waistbands finished and ready to be applied to the legs.

A few final notes: Sewing takes time, sewing seams properly, and by hand can sometimes take more time, sometimes less. The iron needs to become your best friend, honestly. Just enjoy the process of making, your garments will look better for it. These breeches took two afternoons to make, and are still in need of buttons, buttonholes, and knee bands...and a fitting in there too. You will not get a quality garment for less than the price of the material cost...even from Asia. 

Be well, make good breeches!