Wednesday 29 January 2014

Gallifrey One 2014 -
Advanced Tailoring Techniques

Last year when I attend Gallifrey One in Los Angeles, I presented a solo panel in which I discussed and showed some of my more challenging tailoring projects.

Due to popular demand, I have been asked to do a similar panel again this year.
The premininary schedule is now out and I am down to present my panel at 4pm on Sunday 16th February 2014.

The main drive of what I shall be presenting will be British Tailoring and the art of the Frock Coat.

I have been making a lot of Frock Coats one way or another over the past 18 month so I’ve gain a lot of experience.

All of the coats have their roots in the classic Edwardian design despite their differing appearances.

I hope if you are coming to Gallifrey One you’ll come alone and join the audience - there will be Jammie Dodgers.....



If you can’t make it, or just want a good idea of what I’ll be talking about, here is a video of my panel from last year.
Enjoy.



If you a specific topic you’d like me to discuss at my panel, please mail me at tennantcoat@me.com 
with your suggestion.

Thursday 23 January 2014

A tie at the Eleventh Hour - the tie making

The making of my ties are now out of my hands, but I’m confident that the guys working on them are the best in the business and are doing it with the same passion I put into my own work.

Almost everything about these ties is a bit of a pain to handle.

First the ties have to be cut. As a long experienced tie maker, they have pre-made patterns to use for all common sizes. Luckily they have one which is just the job.

The card template gives the cutter the shape he needs to cut. The window inside this is the finished visible face of the tie.

This was positioned over the embroidery, referencing my Lacroix tie which I left them as a guide.

The ties are made in three pieces: the front leading up to and including the knot; the tail which has a partial repeat of the embroidered design; and a joining piece between the two.

Here they are, all cut and ready to make-up.

The ends of the tie are lined in red silk, and I provided them with some suitable fabric to use.
This is machined in place before the three sections are joined together.

The ties are then folded along the length, pinning them together at the seam. The seam is then hand-sewn together, leaving a short opening at each end.


A strengthening stitch is added at the end of the hand sewing to stop it accidentally tearing. This is on the original tie, and has been replicated in a red thread to match.

It took a couple of weeks for the ties to be made, but I now have the first one finished and it looks FAB!

I still have some work to do, which I shall do soon.