Reddit reviews Making Trousers for Men & Women: A Multimedia Sewing Workshop

I haven't started to make my own clothes, but I have taken some in which improve the fit tremendously. I plan on making some pants and I've found the resources below that have been recommended to me either here on reddit by the r/tailor or r/sewing sub and have purchased the books but haven't had time to test out my skills.

Teach Yourself VISUALLY Fashion Sewing

Making Trousers for Men & Women: A Multimedia Sewing Workshop

Joost - Trousers from scratch

How to Tailor Your Own Clothes


Good luck!

edit: formatting

This book: Making Trousers for Men & Women: A Multimedia Sewing Workshop by David Page Coffin.

I cannot begin to describe how fantastic this book is. I went from an "okay" seamster (my word for male seamstress cause I'm not a tailor yet), and when I presented my first pair TO my tailor, his jaw dropped and he said "Ryan, I don't even make trousers anymore."

It covers a little more history than you need, but the book combined with the DVD is irreplaceable. I reference it every time I make a pair. GO FOR IT!!

EDIT: unless you're making jeans, you're most likely going to need to blind stitch the leg openings. And unfortunately, most home sewers don't own or have access to a blind stitch machine. I would suggest simply leaving this part undone, and having your local tailor do it for like 10 bucks max

|i've searched the sub and seen that posts on mens clothing seem to be lacking. P
m me with your "Male. Problems." :D. I am in the vast minority as a male on here so bit me up via
PM if you get stuck.




http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1589234499/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1406736256&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40

I can personally attest that it is certainly possible to go from zero sewing experience to making mens' garments in a few years, but there is a huge, yawning chasm between home sewing from patterns and becoming a good enough bespoke tailor to garner a brand/reputation. From a basic "where do I get started" standpoint, I recommend having a go at some vests; something super simple at first (Simplicity 2346 is a great starter pattern) and then you can move on to patterns that add details like facings, darts, lapels and/or actual pockets. You get the satisfaction of a functional garment without a lot of complex technique.

When I first started sewing and thinking about how cool it would be to eventually make old-fashioned mens' clothing, I did a lot of googling for books, web tutorials, etc. on the subject... and came away frustrated because the overwhelming message was (and still is) "Fine tailoring is a trade that is still handed down from master to apprentice, and there is really no other way to truly learn it."

Which sounds rather snobby on the one hand... but on the other I think the real issue is not that the knowledge can't be communicated by any other means than old-fashioned apprenticeship, but that it's just not really worth the time and effort it would take someone to write an extensive book/shoot a DVD containing it all; there's no way it would ever sell enough copies to be profitable, so nobody's ever bothered.^

I haven't gotten into production sewing garments yet, although I do make accessories; I don't think I'll ever make a living at it, but I've done OK on Etsy and at local shows. Over the last year or so I've been thought about targeting a niche market: vintage clothing enthusiasts, but come away discouraged. While I may know how to assemble a vintage style newsboy cap or flat cap, I really don't know anything about the historically accurate details (construction, materials, etc) that vintage people would be looking for; if I wanted to establish a strong vintage style brand I would need to invest a whole lot more energy in learning all about the market, which doesn't really interest me. Similarly, even if devoted the next 10 years teaching myself traditional tailoring (cutting, drafting, sewing, fitting) I would still be lacking so much general industry/marketplace knowledge that I'd be lost trying to compete at that level.

I don't actually mean to be discouraging - these are just my observations as someone who first touched a sewing machine five years ago with similar daydreams. You can certainly learn to sew and become very good at it, and even make some money if you can find that sweet spot where you can sell your products to enough people at enough of a profit to make it worth your time and materials. But establishing a fine fashion brand requires a whole other level of knowledge outside of the nuts and bolts of actual sewing, and without making the conscious effort to immerse myself in that world (and without having the background, connections, or money to afford my own products) it's not a realistic goal. So I spend a lot of time thinking about those niches where I do have both the sewing ability and domain knowledge to tap into a market. And I try to keep making new/more complex garments; that's the other thing about apprenticeship, you spent a lot of time doing basic, repetitive tasks over and over again, far more than most people would when sewing as a hobby. Hard to become a pro at something when you can only spend the occasional evening/weekend working at it on top of a full-time dayjob.

That being said, there are some books out there on the subject of tailoring... but all of the ones I've looked at assume a fair amount of sewing knowledge up front; I've never seen a book that starts with "This is how you use a sewing machine" and concludes with "Here is your custom-drafted three-piece suit." I'm trying to work my way towards drafting by way of sewing from commercial patterns, so I can get an overall sense of how garments are constructed before attempting it myself; once you have a grasp of both technique and construction, you can start to mix and match them to get the results you want. You should definitely check out three books by David Page Coffin:

• Shirtmaking - Developing fine skills for sewing
  
• Making Trousers for Men and Women
  
• The Shirtmaking Workbook: Pattern, Design, and Construction Resources - More than 100 Pattern Downloads for Collars, Cuffs & Plackets (I've only skimmed this one so far, but it looks just as good as the other two, and covers a wide range of shirt styles, crossing over into jacket territory as well. I have it on order and can't wait to get my copy.)
  
  David also learned to sew as an adult and in the introduction to Shirtmaking he explains that the book is an exploration of how to construct fine quality, bespoke shirts in a home-sewing context; that is, without a lot of the specialized equipment or assembly line techniques that a production shop would be likely to have. It's an astoundingly thorough book, but very accessible. Making Trousers for Men and Women takes a similar approach with pants, detailing the overall construction of trousers as well as the many variations and finishing touches that can be applied to them. And if nothing else it's encouraging to see how much a person can learn on a subject as an adult!

Hmm.. No replies? 8 days ago? Not sure how this snuck by me, I camp sewing/new like it's my job. Better late than never, and I'll be thorough to make up for it:

First, the bad news. There aren't any good men's wear patterns.
Just kidding. ;) I'm exaggerating, but unfortunately, not by much. Good men's patterns are few and far between, especially compared to the plethora of amazing women's patterns, and what's available is a bit limited. Judging from pattern company offerings, most men are either chefs or nurses, and they spend all their free time sleeping. There are a hundred patterns for scrubs, pajamas, and bathrobes. It's still a good idea to start off with commercial patterns though, if only to get a feel for how garments are made and how the pieces fit together. A lot of the basic shirts and pants are good starting points. Here's some of the better things available for men:

• Burdastyle - Two shirts, one interesting-looking pattern for what looks like cargo pants of some sort.
  
  
• Collette Patterns - One shirt pattern, "Negroni", in long and short sleeve variations.
  
  
• Kwik Sew - There are a few patterns that could work - just try to ignore their fabric choices. If you squint at them just right, you can see the shape of the garment and picture the modifications you'll make, and they look okay. Just pretend you can't see the hunter orange fleece and RealTree camo, and it's all good.
  
  
• Vogue - Vogue has a whopping 11 patterns for men. But they're all basics, and they look useful. Based on my experience making their advanced women's patterns, I'd guess that they have more details than other pattern companies. I would get some of these and then use David Page Coffin's Shirtmaking and Making Trousers books to upgrade them. (Both of his books have associated DVDs, and I'm a particular fan of Making Trousers. Easy to understand, lots of pictures, step-by-step hand-holding directions.)
  
  
• Green Pepper Patterns - lots of outdoorsy and athletic patterns. The Barn Jacket and Silver Falls Raincoat have potential; I think the second could be a good base for a classic trench coat.
  
  
• Butterick has the standard ugly bathrobe-and-scrubs men's offerings, with the notable exception of this interesting priest-looking robe pattern. I like it, especially with all the fitting options - look closely at the line drawing, and you can see it's got a multi-part sleeve to fit the arm really well and nicely fitted curved seams at the back/shoulders. Just not sure what to do with it, seeing as how I'm not a priest... I feel like it's got potential though.
  
  
• McCall's - Once again, ugly sleepwear and scrubs, but there's also a shirt with a western-style yoke variation, various tux accessories, simple shirt without a yoke, and this shirt, vest, and tie pattern with both a back pleat and yoke on the shirt.
  
  
• Simplicity has the same basic shirt and pants patterns, and is unique in having a pattern that includes suspenders. The Suede Says jacket looks like it has potential, if you look only at the line drawings and imagine it in other fabric, without the silly accent strips. I haven't added it to my library yet because I can't get past how much I hate his hair. ;)
  
  
• There are some very cool, non-commercial patterns floating around on the internet. You just have to find them. The Lastwear Hakama pants on deviantart are on my wish list. There's a pattern for a RAF Greatcoat out there someplace too, in case you love Captain Jack Harkness as much as I do, but I've lost it.
  
  
• I like the Victoria & Albert Museum for inspiration.
  
  
• Peter Lappin's blog, MalePatternBoldness, has a few sew-alongs, including boxers, that shirt from Collette Patterns, and jeans based on Kwik Sew 3504. (Which isn't the only men's jeans pattern in print, despite his comment -- Vogue makes one too.)
  
  A lot of people recommend patternreview.com, but I think the site is so hideous and hard to navigate that it's not worth the time.
  
  Now the good news! Drafting your own patterns for yourself is actually pretty easy. Start with ready-to-wear patterns so you can learn the basics of how you get from a piece of fabric to a completed, wearable garment. Then move up to taking a purchased garment you like, copying it to paper, adding seam allowances, and making your own version. And then from there, you should be ready to just draft your own.
  
  A couple random bits of advice:
  You need an iron and ironing board/surface too. It's just as important as your sewing machine. Press all your seams; pressing is what keeps garments from looking home-made in the not-so-nice Little House on the Prairie kind of way. Coffin recommends a dry iron in Making Trousers; I've got a steam iron. Whatever floats your boat.
  
  Make sure your presser foot is down before you start to sew. The feed dogs will eat your thread and make a snarly mess on your fabric if you don't. I had an unhappy start to sewing because I used to forget this. :)
  
  Don't worry about notions yet. To get started, you need your sewing machine, a good iron, good sharp shears for cutting fabric, machine and hand needles, thread to match your fabric, and pins. A seam ripper, seam guide, silicone thimble, and point-turner round out my basic kit and are nice to have, but you don't actually need them. You can ignore the bewildering array of extras for now and save your money. (I mark fabrics with a number 2 pencil and weight down the pattern pieces with heavy beanbags I made with fabric scraps. Heresy, I know, but I'm not made of money.)
  
  Don't use your sewing scissors for cutting anything other than fabric. I like to use a fine-point sharpie to write dire warnings for those who would even think about cutting paper with them. Skulls and crossbones and everything.
  
  Needles and pins get dull over time and aren't meant to last forever. The strawberry attached to the tomato pincushion is an emery/sharpener thing that'll keep them going a little longer, but you'll eventually need to replace them.
  
  Be choosy about who you make things for. People will ask for things when they find out you know how to sew. Personally, I only sew for people on the Kidney List, which is to say, if I would give you one of my kidneys, I'll make something for you. People are so used to easily available cheap things that they don't understand how much time, effort, and money go into hand made items. If the person isn't on the kidney list, they should pay you for your efforts, or at least trade you something of equal value.

I recommend David Page Coffin's shirtmaking or trousers books. Plenty of helpful tips, equipment suggestions, guides on how to do small things, and you'll be able to wear what you make.

Shirts: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1589238265/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_VafJDbJPXMT7P

Pants: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1589234499/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_HbfJDbGG1FTAA