Re: Wested pleats; problem solved

[ Reply ] [ The Indyfan Forum ] [ FAQ ]

Posted by Fedora from 24.116.26.237 on March 04, 2001 at 09:19:43:

In Reply to: Wested pleats; problem solved posted by Shawnkara on March 03, 2001 at 23:43:16:

: No, it's not a review of Peter's revised jacket. This is the result of nearly three months of tinkering, a hybrid of my own idea and something Patterson once tried with a Wested. I did all this myself, but most would probably prefer to have it done. However I have great artistic skill, balls of steel and brains of concrete, so....
: I used two strips of nylon webbing from the local fabric store to reinforce the pleats, stitching them to the full length of the pleat. Fit them from the sholuder seam to the straps, flush against the seam of the pleat, on top of the 'cheese cloth' mesh. When you open it up you'll see what I mean by the 'cheese cloth'. I then laid it out flat and measured the distance (inside the jacket) from the raw edge of one pleat to the other. Using this measurement I made a Spandex panel the same length as the webbing and stitched it in place. Of course once you sew one side you can't sew the other. No, you have to cut the Spandex panel in half, sew in each side and then sew the Spandex together down the middle. Don't worry, this vertical seam does NOT show through the leather, even with lamb. Someone below mentioned that strap placement was a matter of asthetics. NOT true! It has quite a bit to do with function, so my tinkering has taught me. You see, the lower the strap, the longer the pleat. The longer the pleat, the more room there is for gaping. Wested attaches their straps at the edge of the handwarmers, near the bottom. this is inaccurate to the original, and it's poor placement. The straps should be attached at the side seam at about the middle of the pocket. Someone below posted an EXCELLENT action side-shot of Indy's jacket from an old magazine; check it out! Since I had to move the straps anyway I mounted the rear section to the face of the rear panel rather than under. The only thing is that the straps no longer pull the jacket really tight arond my hips; they're more waist-level now. The pleats will NEVER lay totally flat as if sewn down, which I fell some people believe they should do. But, neither did Indy's if you watch closely. They were usually part way open, giving the rear panel a 'boxy' look, like you see on the little Kenner figure from '81. The only time I think they were 'flat' was in ToD, but Wested did not produce that jacket. I'll have some really good 'Indy' pics tommorrow. I live right next door to Omaha, NE, the location of Henry Doorly Zoo and the Leid Jungle. It's a HUGE indoor jungle spanning three continents with cliff faces, waterfalls and even a rope bridge. I'll get the pics up as quick as I can to visually prove my point. Hope this helps everyone. I'm still in awe of the lengths Patterson and Lee have gone to for us, and I'd love to do something equally beneficial for my fellow Indy fans.

I tried this "fix" a while back, and it really works well. Makes me think that if the leather was thicker on the Wested, a "fix" would not be needed. Regards, Fedora


Follow Ups:



Post a Followup:

Name:    
E-Mail:  
Subject: 
Comments:

Optional:

Link URL:   
Link Title: 
Image URL:  


[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ The Indyfan Forum ] [ FAQ ]