Overall, there's something very satisfying in building your own tools.
It came as a surprise to me, how physical the process is -- especially stuffing the ham. It fitted almost 4x1kg bags of saw dust in order to get dense enough. I believe this is the toughest part of building the ham.
Finished, not perfect... Ham no 2... coming soon too.
My name is Erik, I'm from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I've been sewing since I was a child (a long, long time ago), but I've always dreamed of learning the art of tailoring. I've sewn many jackets before, but always using industrial patterns. Now I've had the opportunity to try a completely handmade process, offered by our generous Reza. I'm very grateful to him for this. I live in a very poor part of Rio de Janeiro and it's very difficult to find all the materials. And when we do find them, they're very expensive.
I was able to complete the entire process with ease, up until the moment of finishing the sleeves. However, I had difficulty sewing the lining, the upper collar and doing all the finishing touches. I don't have the money to pay for a tailoring school (which is very expensive here). But I would like toโฆ
You've got the work ethic and talent needed, especially when you have a hard time finding and buying trimmings. Your sleeves look amazing. Have you thought of going to thrift shops/used clothing stores so you can undo them and re-use them as new fabric? Granted the lining colours and fabric colours may not coordinate well, and you may have to piece small pieces together, but they would still be good for practicing specific areas of tailoring.
First and foremost, a huge thank you to Reza for sharing so much knowledge and content with us. Without it, Iโm certain I wouldnโt have achieved the result I was aiming for.
So, hereโs the final product. I know I deviated from some of Rezaโs guidelines and made a few mistakes along the wayโat one point, I even had to start over, losing two weeks of work. But despite the challenges, Iโm really satisfied and proud of what I managed to accomplish on my first try.
This suit was made for a friend whoโs wearing it to an Antique Car Show. He was looking for a cinnamon-colored jacket and vest combo with a herringbone pattern, but couldnโt find anything that matched his vision. I offered to make the garments myself; all he had to do was cover the cost of materials, as I needed the practice. Also, this project tookโฆ
looking great