July purchases

July 2.

The Chucks above are a part of a larger circus, which begins in Orlando last winter on a downpour day which kept me out of the parks and into my rented Chrysler to wander around and into a second-hand store, and out of it carrying a five-dollar tweed.

But you can't just buy a jacket and hope it will fit and hope it will work with whatever else you've got if in-store you can't even picture whatever else it is you've got. Jacket. Pants. Feet. And shirt. These I need fresh to put it all together. Like the rolled up canvas maps that hung above the blackboards in my 50s grade school, you pull a string and presto a complete map of the state o' Maine unfurls. Sixteen counties and you can't jumble them up they must forever stay in the order you see. By the end of July a string in my closet gets pulled so to speak and down rolls a complete outfit never to be mixed or matched with anything else, each piece dedicated to each other and only ever worn that one way and hardly ever worn at all. The feet you saw above, a surprise find, new Chucks in suede in the right size plus the hoped-for color for twenty-five delivered. Or about to be.

The jacket's a mess. Ill-fitting in an unlikeable style, but the cloth and construction are solid. It's Harris. There's work to do. Not a lot, but enough. This is a pic of the cloth...



It's darker than that and the drizzly stripes not so pronounced (my first cell phone pic). It's somewhat in pieces now, arms off waitng to cut the shoulders back. This is part of resuscitation, for the jacket dies right where it lay if it cannot be given a different life. The shoulders will be cropped, de-padded, reformed, slightly roped and sewn back together. I enjoy this sort of thing. Some of the time it can end up wrong and looking half-assed. But only the mirror sees those, just for a moment and then they're tossed for I can always come up with another five bucks, always get back to Orlando or any other place offering cast-off tweeds for nickles.

July 3.



(Why does adding Tex to Castle seem to drain all the romance from Castle?)

A strip of cloth 16-inches long is removed from the interior of the jacket, behind tbe buttons.



This leaves a gape which has to be covered. The patch will be big but won't be seen when the jacket's buttoned. Or even unbuttoned, unless it's a windy day. I used to think that unless the patch were made with fabric comparable to the jacket, like same ounce wool here, that the drape would be affected. It isn't, or I don't notice. So I use cotton khaki twill, because I have a bolt and it works easy.



Below, a close-in of the top stitch that binds the patch to the jacket. This resuscitation is all hand-work. No machines need apply.


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So just why is this jacket being canabalized for a strip of cloth 16-inches long and 3--inches wide?.

Later. Tomorrow's the 4th and I have cherry bombs with extra long fuses to plant under my neighbor's porch.

July 3.01

Below, a picture of the essentials needed before going further with this. Okay, the shoe's not an essential but I was polishing it last night and thought I'd stick it in here to show I don't own just Chucks. Although mostly I do. This shoe is one of the handsomest summer shoes ever made - Allen Edmonds Cody in mahogany. I have refrained from putting it in the non Japan shoe thread because I don't want it associating with the bizarre stuff I see there.



About the rest of what's above, a stapler and wallboard joint tape. Despite what you may think, staples do not harm most cloth. The removal does. The fangs of a staple are smaller in diameter than pins. But the stapler purposely crunches them, making them tuff to get out. And that's because you don't have patience and the right tool. Having both of those removes them without harm and in certain niche instances staples are superior to basting with thread, like what's about to happen here. The joint tape, which equates with card stock for thickness, is used as a stabilizer and as a form around which to thread-tack cloth to ensure a completely straight edge..

I realize that details are being given of a yet-to-be divulged full picture. So be it. Guess at it. While I go back to limbing a fallen apple tree.

July 4.

Wallboard tape is two-inches wide. I need 2 1/4, so two strips are overlapped, one a quarter-inch over the edge of the other and stapled together...


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Then the strip of cloth (3" wide) pirated from the interior is laid flat, the wallboard tape on top, and stapled.

July 5.

Recap.
A five-dollar tweed was purchased last winter in Orlando, ill-fitting, stylistically inept and a smell reminiscent of feet (a week outside in windy weather cured that last part), I've set about to do a resuscitation of sorts, not to give it new life, but a different one.

A 16-inch strip of wall board tape was laid atop, and stapled to, a strip of cloth of equal length taken from the interior of the jacket. The cloth, which is wider than the tape, now has its edges folded over and basted to the tape, as below...



Maybe easier to grasp if you see the basting from the finished side...



Basting is to hand-sew long, random stitches to temporarily hold cloth in place until it can be readjusted or finished sewn, then removed. It's usually white so it can be easily seen..

Fully aware you've not beeen told what this tape/cloth thing is all about, though some may have guessed, it will be revealed in the next Peak & Pine post, barring my spot is not snatched up by that knitting needle wielding Gramps and his oh-so-cute knitted hats that he makes by unraveling Salvation Army Sweaters. Jeezus, Pops, just buy a ball of yarn, it's not gonna break ya.

July 5.01.

Reasons for the wallboard tape divulged.
It becomes a straight and solid form around which to form and finish the cloth, ensures a razor sharp edge and a consistent width the length of the strip. The alternative, and usual, way to do something like this is to free-hand along a chalk line.

The finish basted strip, staples removed...



The strip is now set aside, into a queue for attachment later on, while the side seams are ripped (opened up top to bottom) to be resewn according to measurements taken from a chance luck superbly fitting jacket bougbt many years ago

But first, here's what the cloth strip is for, roughly pinned to the jacket that at this point is somewhat apart, a quick, grainy photo because I have to get on to other things all of which involve being outdoors despite this rain...

^

Brother makes a fine small machine. From WalMart around $79. I have two (I buy a spare of everything).

He, BSR, haunts the thrifts, I've seen good machines, Brothers, Singers, Whites, etc., there for $15. Problem: most don't have manuals. You need a manual, all machines are sophisticated whirring little beasties that take awhile to get to know. They're not like chain saws. Unfortunately.

I find a machine of almost negligible use in tailoring what's already there, 'cept narrowing pant legs. He wants to make pillows or something so a machine may be great for that kinda stuff, don't know, not a plillow guy and refuse to associate with anyone who is. Maybe he should talk to the guy in the video above who knits booties outta jeans, or whatever. Whadda guy, that knitting Gramps. I wish I could bring him a tray of milk and cookies.

(Doesn't anybody wanna talk about the tweed jacket re-do, the reason this thread was begun and the metaphorical fountain from which all good things here spring, you dirty hijackers.)

July 6.

Moving on...



You'll note the jacket has four buttons. Unsual. It did not come with four buttons. It came with two. The bottom two. I added the top two.

Adding buttons, working buttons, forces the lapel to begin higher. This in turn narrows the lapel. The gorge doesn't change, but becomes less pronounced..

These, to me, are desirable effects. Despite this being an English jacket, it came with an extremely low gorge, almost into Armani territory and gorges can't be altered.

Multiple buttons, when used, lessen the cleavage of the shirt beneath. Similarly with the tie. This becomes a tightened 'look', and one that may not appeal to most, but a jacket, shirt and tie do not hold equal visual value to me and I consider the jacket the star, the shirt and tie accessories. I wanna see a lotta jacket, very little shirt and tie.

Here's a closer look at the buttons. They're leather twist which have been striped of varnish and painted olive. Not sold on this and may revert them to mahogany.

July 7.

The side seams have now been ripped and resewn as mentioned would be done, using a chart containing measurements from a good fitting tweed bought years ago. Basted only. Much cloth lost directly beneath arms, 2 1/2 inches each, then tapering to waist where 1 3/4" is lost and straight down from there.

Misspoke earlier saying the arms were off for shoulder narrowing. They're not. Yet. Though the arm pit has been freed in order to take in the large amount mentioned. This ups the arm hole considerably. Am still toying with whether or not to reduce the shoulders (19" current, but appear wider). Reduce or not, they will be rebuilt.

Take a stare at what's below and I'll point out what's happening after.



When I mentioned I added two buttons above the existing two you may have expected the jacket to close at about the tie knot. Notice it doesn't, because the existing buttoning points (okay, stance) were exceeding low. Note the lapel reduction, into something resembling 1900, and that the Armani-esque gorge gets less notice because of it. The lapel points in pic are pinned, but will be tacked when finished. The top button is out of line and will be moved. The wasp waist (which stays) is made more so by the broad shoulders (which I've decided just now looking at this pic with you, won't stay. Arms off!).

A better pic of the back, with the arm pits open and the belt roughly pinned in place. At the cuff of the left sleeve a trial gauntlet is pinned in place.

July 7.01.

Mannequins do not have dropped shoulders. That this one appears to is not its fault. It's the jacket. The padding has moved. And the 'dropped' shoulder is 1/4" longer than its mate. These discoveries lead to the decision to remove the sleeves in order to even them up, and to cut them back to 18" from the current 19 1/4". Once cut back they'll be repadded with lower loft and pressed to a slope congruent with actual anatomy and, maybe, slightly roped.

July 8.

In case you joined this thread late, or are reading it backwards, a quick recap...

An ill fitting, style-less, vintage 80s Harris tweed was purchased for five bucks in Orlando last winter and is here being rebuilt. A belt for the back has been made, front buttons switched from two to four, lapels upped and narrowed, sides basted in a vast amount and now the sleeves are off to enable a shoulder rebuild. Got it?

Swell, you may continue. Below, butcher shop prep...



Maybe blow it up. AAAC software wouldn't allow pic in orig size, so have spent better part of afternoon learning how to compress pic files, trying different aps and scratching myself. I'm doing this on a cell phone because my zip code has no wifi and it's a raging thunder storm and cell reception is fulla uh-oh's and whadda you care. Finally got the above to load, but it's smallish. (I have nice hands you'll notice. One is 75 years old, not sure about the other.)

The white line closest to the opening is the cut line, a half-inch in. The white dashes inward from the cut line are thread, bastings which bind together the outer cloth (which tailors call the shell but I don't because I keep thinking of clams), the inner curtain (which tailors call canvas but I don't because I keep thinking of paintings of clams) and the lining, all together so they don't move during the cut or come apart after.

July 10

Last post in this series as I'm having way too much difficulty resizing and posting photographs without a true internet connection. Squinting into this cell has got me weary. The resuscitation of the jacket will continue, but not the documentation of it. The final picture, below, sizes okay on mobile, but was configured on a lap top at a hot spot where it came out Times Sq. billboard size. Oh well.

This right shoulder, last seen with sleeve off. Is near completion. It's been cut back one-half inch, de-padded, sloped and roped with the sleeve now back on. It came out well and I am pleased. The slightly wavy joint is because it has not yet been shaped with an iron and is only basted in that area. Again, sorry about the size if you're viewing this at home and will figure out how to put up a final pic of the finished piece, with me in it, in a week or two. This is the first time I've attempted base ball posting, and by that is meant that after day is done, turning on the radio to a Marlins game (Yankees if it's a Florida travel day), hauling out buttons and buckles and cotton and wool. thread, a single needle, pieces of something second-hand and remaking it all to fit and befit the Lord of the Pinery while yelling at Derek Jeter for buying and ruining the Marlins. But alas, no baseball, or rather, no f'ing baseball. However, I'll master proper picture posting (which is every bit as important as the duds themselvrs, no selfies in a tooth paste splattered mirror here) on another day, download the Fenice font, which is what Polo Ralph Lauren uses, take a well-composed and powerful looking pic of me in me resusitated Harris, plant the word PEAK in Fenice acoss it, post it (probably in the Polo thread for it will look as good as any thing there and the model won't be 16 years old with a Connecticut face) and hope all the folks who frequent the ever popular Pizza thread (and beef, desert, guns, and breakfast as well, none of which I've ever clicked on because I'm here for what I'm supposed to be Asking Andy About and it ain't pepperoni) will take a peek at the Peak manifestation and maybe say something, say something awful, don't care, but ten days in, twelve posts and as many pics (accompanied often by grinable text if I do say so) and only Eagle (and thank you, Big Bird) has typed a comment tho someone bothered to divert this with a vid of a loveable, fat old Granddaddy who knits stuff from, o never mind. Below, the last pic I could manage, should look okay on mobile, but like you were three feet in front of a Drive In movie screen if on PC.