Jack's Learning Adventures

Bits and pieces of what I've found along the way.

[jacklearning-blog]

Insulation is a critical component of many outdoor and household products. Goose or duck down is a popular choice for quilts, sleeping bags, and jackets. Advantages of down include its warmth to weight ratio and ability to pack small. Drawbacks of down products include cost, warmth when wet, and care. For me, difficulty in caring for down products, even expensive well made down products, has been a deal breaker. First, down can clump together, particularly during washing, causing insulation gaps. Second, down products are difficult to clean. Dry cleaning can strip down of important natural oils. Machine or hand washing is a delicate and difficult production that takes real time. These challenges often result in folks not washing their down products or sporadically letting them air out in the sun. Cleaning such products, however, is not something you can neglect as body oils left behind attract bugs and cause the product to degrade.

A great synthetic insulation alternative is Climashield. Unlike synthetic insulation that mimics down like PrimaLoft, Climashield is a continuous layer of filament insulation (seen above) that does not suffer from gaps. It is also very thermally efficient, warm when wet, and can be washed and dried with ease at home.

There are surprisingly few big name companies in the United States that use Climashield. The popular Mountain Hardware HyperLamina Flame sleeping bag, however, is the exception. Another mainstream option is Wiggy’s, which is an established supplier to the US military. Wiggy’s carries a range of basic sleeping bags, quilts, and apparel that are all made in the Unite States. Climashield is also popular with cottage industry outdoor companies, particularly those that produce quilt style sleeping bags. Another option is Snugpack from the UK, who uses the insulation in both their civilian and military products which can be found on eBay.

My intention is not to start a wag against down products, rather to increase awareness of other products that may be more practical for some.

[jacklearning-blog]

Altering trouser or pant length is a relatively simple and handy skill, particularly if buying second-hand clothing. The length of wool trousers can be both increased and decreased while cotton can only be decreased. Cotton is not as forgiving as wool and will show signs of an existing seam when lengthened. Jeans and casual chinos are often hemmed using a straight stitch sewing machine that will reveal a line of stitches on the outside of the garment. When altering more formal trousers it is necessary to use a blind hem stitch.

My preferred blind hem stitch is the catch (or cross) stitch detailed above. The video does a good job of demonstrating sewing left to right, only catching one or two threads on the visible side, and creating neat and even stitches. The video also demonstrates the importance of not pulling the thread too tight, but letting the stitches hang naturally.

Remember to use pinking shears when cutting away excess length, else the fabric will unravel!

[jacklearning-blog]

There are two ways to achieve an optimal shirt sleeve length. The first requires the measured length of the sleeve to reach just the right spot on the wrist. The second requires a slightly longer measured length, but an appropriate sleeve cuff diameter to ensure the sleeve rests on the right spot without sliding down the hand. The second methods is preferable for two reasons. First, it provides a little extra sleeve length so that the arms remained covered when raised. Second, and more importantly, the proper length is achievable by making a simple modification to the sleeve cuff button.

The first time I sewed a button I followed instructions from a popular Youtube video. I was able to achieve the desired result but soon realized the method was exceptionally sloppy. The preferred method comes from Alexander Kabbaz, a renown custom shirt maker.

Follow the link above for a full set of instructions. The slightly modified, cliff notes version is as follows:

Knot one end of your thread and enter the fabric from above, slightly aside of your desired button destination. Come up through the fabric, straddling your target. Make another pass. Create an “x” by passing through the fabric twice more, perpendicular to your first set of stitches. This creates an anchor for your button.

Slide your button down your needle and thread. Pass through any two holes of your button and fabric approximately ten times, without pulling the button particularly tight to the fabric. When sewing, try and pass the needle through your target spot. This will get easier with practice. Pass through the other two holes and fabric ten times.

Come up through the fabric and instead of passing through the button, wind the thread ten times between the button and the fabric. This creates a shank that allows space for the fabric when the button is buttoned. If you pulled your thread tight in the previous stage, creating the shank might be difficult.

To finish the process, pass the needle and thread through the shank you have created. This may be difficult and so a thimble or forceps can be helpful. Repeat a handful of times, tie off, and cut the excess thread.

This process becomes easier and neater with practice. Once you get the hang of using a needle and thread read the Kabbaz method again. It is quite elegant and worth aspiring to.

[jacklearning-blog]

I found a great tailor when I lived in New York. He sewed most things by hand and used an industrial straight stitch machine for the rest. Rare these days when most avail themselves of seamstresses in dry cleaning shops who use a machine for anything and everything.

When I relocated to Boston I was wary of the trial and error process of finding a competent tailor. I’m quite confident there are excellent tailors in the Boston area. For the purposes of hemming trousers and sewing shirt buttons, however, I was ready to tackle these tasks myself and ensure quality control.

Over the next few months I built a sewing kit and learned basic hand stitches. I found out very quickly what my tailor meant when he told me that hand stitching takes much longer than one would think. For long straight stitches, however, a sewing machine is still king. I was lucky enough to stumble upon my grandmother’s old Singer table top unit (above), perform some basic maintenance, and start off running.

The next few posts will detail several hand stitches and their application.