OK, one more time on the BACK PLEAT issue...

Posted by Shawnkara from spider-wi011.proxy.aol.com on April 28, 2001 at 03:13:46:

Don't mean for the heading to sound rude, just wanted the post to stand out. There are two ways to fix the pleats on a 'pre-mod' Wested. The first way is: Open up the seams of the lining that run from the collar to the bottom hem. You'll see that, on the backside of the pleats, there is a sort of cheese cloth material. Go to any fabric store and buy two feet (one foot for each pleat) of NYLON webbing, 1" wide, and glue it to the 'cheese cloth'. Nylon webbing comes on spools and looks just like Indy's Army belt, only it's nylon. You have to use nylon; cotton webbing just absorbs the glue. To fit it in place push it gently but firmly against the shoulder seam, keeping it even with the raw edge of the pleat where the two layers of leather are sewn together. There are many glues reccommended for leather, take your pick. I used Super Glue, but then again I'm crazy. This method will stiffen the pleats and keep them from laying open. The second way is a trick I copied from Patterson. He says it did not work for him, but it did the trick for me: Open the seams as before. Using spandex make two panels. The panels should start from the shoulder seam and run down the pleat's raw edge to just above where the side strap is located. They should taper to three inches and meet directly in the center of the rear panel. DO NOT.... sew the panels together at the narrow end. If you do you'll only be able to sew one of them to jacket. Sew one panel to each pleat along the raw edge. Yes, a common household sewing machine will go through lamb skin if you use a heavy gauge needle. Now you can you can line up the narrow ends and stitch them. Don't worry, none of these seams will show through the leather, even when it's stretched across your back. If you feel that hemming the panels along their edges makes you happy be sure to use a zig-zag stitch so the flex with the fabric. Closing the seams in the lining the way they are originally sewn is nearly impossible. I just lined mine up and stitched them on the outside. It looks kinda like what you'd see if you turned your shirt wrong side out but, personally, I didn't mind. In the end I'd suggest having a tailor or a seamstress close the seams. If you choose the spandex method you may want to have a tailor or seamstress tackle the whole job. It takes about an hour. Hope this helps!
Cheers,
Shawnkara

Follow Ups:

Post a Followup:

Name:    
E-Mail:  
Subject: 
Comments:

: Don't mean for the heading to sound rude, just wanted the post to stand out. There are two ways to fix the pleats on a 'pre-mod' Wested. The first way is: Open up the seams of the lining that run from the collar to the bottom hem. You'll see that, on the backside of the pleats, there is a sort of cheese cloth material. Go to any fabric store and buy two feet (one foot for each pleat) of NYLON webbing, 1" wide, and glue it to the 'cheese cloth'. Nylon webbing comes on spools and looks just like Indy's Army belt, only it's nylon. You have to use nylon; cotton webbing just absorbs the glue. To fit it in place push it gently but firmly against the shoulder seam, keeping it even with the raw edge of the pleat where the two layers of leather are sewn together. There are many glues reccommended for leather, take your pick. I used Super Glue, but then again I'm crazy. This method will stiffen the pleats and keep them from laying open. The second way is a trick I copied from Patterson. He says it did not work for him, but it did the trick for me: Open the seams as before. Using spandex make two panels. The panels should start from the shoulder seam and run down the pleat's raw edge to just above where the side strap is located. They should taper to three inches and meet directly in the center of the rear panel. DO NOT.... sew the panels together at the narrow end. If you do you'll only be able to sew one of them to jacket. Sew one panel to each pleat along the raw edge. Yes, a common household sewing machine will go through lamb skin if you use a heavy gauge needle. Now you can you can line up the narrow ends and stitch them. Don't worry, none of these seams will show through the leather, even when it's stretched across your back. If you feel that hemming the panels along their edges makes you happy be sure to use a zig-zag stitch so the flex with the fabric. Closing the seams in the lining the way they are originally sewn is nearly impossible. I just lined mine up and stitched them on the outside. It looks kinda like what you'd see if you turned your shirt wrong side out but, personally, I didn't mind. In the end I'd suggest having a tailor or a seamstress close the seams. If you choose the spandex method you may want to have a tailor or seamstress tackle the whole job. It takes about an hour. Hope this helps! 
: Cheers,
: Shawnkara

Optional:

Link URL:   
Link Title: 
Image URL:

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