OK - same as the last one - downproof cotton cambric, my own pattern, sewn on domestic (Toyota Super Jeans and Aldi's finest) sewing machines - but this time dyed Olive.
My latest Shirt
- Thread starter John Fenna
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I got started with a Readers Digest book and a charity shop sewing machine ... and taught myself
Your a dab hand on a sewing machine mate... 
I think me mam's got a sewing machine around hers in the loft. Im gonna dig it out, have a go at making some gear on it.
I think me mam's got a sewing machine around hers in the loft. Im gonna dig it out, have a go at making some gear on it.
I got started with a Readers Digest book and a charity shop sewing machine ... and taught myself
I could do that, but it helps to have someone who knows how to sew to point out mistakes and correct you.
" my own pattern "... Excellent. Every time I see one of your creations John, I always think that you and your sewing machine would have been worth your weight in gold on the frontier. Whether it was the Transvaal, The Aussie Outback or West of the Missouri. Practical kit..
Thanks for all your kind comments
I love making stuff - clothing, leatherwork, woodcarving etc - but it is sewing that I am technically best at...
I am an odd shape - as some of my friends are keen to remind me - 5'5" tall, 28" inside leg, 50" chest, 38" waist ...
When I was a full time Outdoor Skills Instructor it hurt me to have to buy expensive kit and then pay someone to alter it for me... so I bought a book, a sewing machine and some cheap fabric and taught myself to sew. I used to buy magazines such as Burda to learn more hints and tips - and got some strange looks...
When the opportunity arose I went to college as a "Mature Student" - a contradiction in terms if there ever was one! - and did a Btec OND in Design (Fashion) a two years course, getting through the interview on the strength of some kit I had already made. Although it was a Fashion Course I turned everything I could to practical wear (much to the annoyance of my tutors) and when it came to my final exam I rejoiced when the brief was for "Resort Wear" ... I decided not to do Sea Side Resort stuff but went for Mountain Resort wear. I even had my fabric sponsored by Ventile and I got a Distinction.
For a while I was a Freelance Designer for - among others - Craghoppers and Snowdon Clothing and later produced some DIY clothing booklets (see Makers Market if you want to know more about these) as well as having a range of my own label waterproof clothing made for me by Snowdon Clothing. When the Snowdon Clothing brand was sold to another manufacturer I stopped making that range.
Eventually I went back to full time Outdoor Skills Instruction but my love of making things remains
These days I am too old and broken to do the Climbing, Long Distance Walking, Mountaineering, expeditioning and Canoeing that were the passions of my younger self and now only instruct (at a basic level) in Bushcraft Skills and do a lot of work at the Care Farm near where I live - helping folk with learning and mental health issues - doing everything from feeding the animals to harvesting wood to charcoal burning to making meals to ...Bushcraft skills and sewing!
My wife moans that we used to have a spare bedroom but now just have a gear store and sewing room instead (true enough) and a garage not a workshop (equally true) but I let her have almost total use of the kitchen and the cleaning materials cupboard! Far's fair after all
No - I do not do curtains and No my wife will not let me make her clothes.
My USP that got me into reviewing outdoor gear for magazines (which later lead to my writing walks articles for such as TGO, Trail, Country Walking and a lot more, as well as several walks books and a cycling guide to West Wales and Bushcraft columns for a couple of magazines) was that I knew gear not only from the users perspective but from the technical, the design and the manufacturing sides as well.
I have been making my own gear for over 30 years now and still enjoy the satisfaction it gives me to have my mini adventures using gear I have designed and made myself
I recommend making your own kit to anyone and everyone!
I love making stuff - clothing, leatherwork, woodcarving etc - but it is sewing that I am technically best at...
I am an odd shape - as some of my friends are keen to remind me - 5'5" tall, 28" inside leg, 50" chest, 38" waist ...
When I was a full time Outdoor Skills Instructor it hurt me to have to buy expensive kit and then pay someone to alter it for me... so I bought a book, a sewing machine and some cheap fabric and taught myself to sew. I used to buy magazines such as Burda to learn more hints and tips - and got some strange looks...
When the opportunity arose I went to college as a "Mature Student" - a contradiction in terms if there ever was one! - and did a Btec OND in Design (Fashion) a two years course, getting through the interview on the strength of some kit I had already made. Although it was a Fashion Course I turned everything I could to practical wear (much to the annoyance of my tutors) and when it came to my final exam I rejoiced when the brief was for "Resort Wear" ... I decided not to do Sea Side Resort stuff but went for Mountain Resort wear
. I even had my fabric sponsored by Ventile and I got a Distinction.For a while I was a Freelance Designer for - among others - Craghoppers and Snowdon Clothing and later produced some DIY clothing booklets (see Makers Market if you want to know more about these) as well as having a range of my own label waterproof clothing made for me by Snowdon Clothing. When the Snowdon Clothing brand was sold to another manufacturer I stopped making that range.
Eventually I went back to full time Outdoor Skills Instruction but my love of making things remains
These days I am too old and broken to do the Climbing, Long Distance Walking, Mountaineering, expeditioning and Canoeing that were the passions of my younger self and now only instruct (at a basic level) in Bushcraft Skills and do a lot of work at the Care Farm near where I live - helping folk with learning and mental health issues - doing everything from feeding the animals to harvesting wood to charcoal burning to making meals to ...Bushcraft skills and sewing!
My wife moans that we used to have a spare bedroom but now just have a gear store and sewing room instead (true enough) and a garage not a workshop (equally true) but I let her have almost total use of the kitchen and the cleaning materials cupboard! Far's fair after all
No - I do not do curtains and No my wife will not let me make her clothes.
My USP that got me into reviewing outdoor gear for magazines (which later lead to my writing walks articles for such as TGO, Trail, Country Walking and a lot more, as well as several walks books and a cycling guide to West Wales and Bushcraft columns for a couple of magazines) was that I knew gear not only from the users perspective but from the technical, the design and the manufacturing sides as well.
I have been making my own gear for over 30 years now and still enjoy the satisfaction it gives me to have my mini adventures using gear I have designed and made myself
I recommend making your own kit to anyone and everyone!
Thanks for the autobiography.
Do you have any design arguments, for and against, placing pockets on the shirt sleeves?
Do you have any design arguments, for and against, placing pockets on the shirt sleeves?
I personally am not a great fan of sleeve pockets - but it is purely personal
I am short and wide and find sleeve pockets at bicep level make me look even wider and - given my busted up shoulder - I find them awkward to access.
Forearm pockets get in the way of rolling your sleeves up in summer. any sleeve pockets can get uncomfortable and difficult in the extreme if you add an outer garment.
My main design mantra is K.I.S.S - "Keep It Simple, Stupid" - hence the half opening - good ventilation opportunities but as I do not use the lower buttons on a standard shirt just pulling it over my head I eliminated the lower opening: the collar of a standard shirt has a non functioning "fall" to the collar - I eliminated this and just have a "granddad" collar: I like lots of pocket space so I have two BIG pockets but they are set fairly low so that I can access them with either hand without difficulty: the upper sleeves are loose and the shoulders dropped for freedom of movement while the lower sleeves are comparatively tight to avoid excess fabric getting dragged in muck: the elbows are double thickness for wear resistance (leaning on the bar) as is the back yoke (leaning against the wall/trees): simple cuffs and cuff plackets to allow the sleeves to be rolled with ease:simple pocket flaps for basic security.
The fabric is close wove (down proof) and is therefor fairly wind resistant and when I used it in a jacket design proved pretty shower resistant once treated with Nikwax proofing. As the fabric is 100% cotton it is comfortable, stench resistant (compared to synthetics) and easy to wash. The fabric is also cheap.
All in all a very simple shirt designed to fit my needs.
Other folk may find sleeve pockets useful - I do not -, so I do not add them and have in fact removed them from commercial shirts I have worn.
Equally I do not like pit zips in shirts, nor do I like side vents, 3 fold collars, boxed pockets, double button pocket flaps, pen slits in pocket flaps etc in shirts finding them excessive.... but I have found all these on shirts that sell well, so some folk must like them too
K.I.S.S. works for me and in general is easier to sew
Thanks for those measurements John. They've been duly noted down
It's going to make it a lot easier getting your birthday costume together for next years Moot
Thanks for those measurements John. They've been duly noted down
It's going to make it a lot easier getting your birthday costume together for next years Moot
Rude words come to mind!
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