Student Work

Teaching is one of my greatest passions!!! I love breaking down big sewing concepts and seeing that glimmer in the eye's of my students when they finally get it! I wanted to showcase the work of one of my students Rae, who started sewing in July. Fast forward 3 months and she amazingly churned out a wonderful seersucker suit--both jacket and skirt. Only in 3 months!!!! Please don't mind the wrinkles on the suit, it's on a display form in my shop. Trust me, this suit fits her like a glove. I believe that with the RIGHT TECHNIQUES anyone can learn how to do the same thing. I teach in a way that helps my student get the maximum results in a minimal amount of time. I look forward to sharing this type of information in all future YouTube videos and DVD's I produce. I'm so proud of my students!!!!

Alteration DVD Set WINNERS!!!!

It's time to announce 10  the winner's of my Alteration 2 Disc DVD Set!!!! The day has finally come and I'm ALL TOO EXCITED to be hosting this giveaway. Ok, with the help of Random.Org, here are the winners.....

1. Nothy Lane

2. DawnSSL

3. Gjeometry

4. Mamafiore

5. Monic

6. Sillykid

7. Beckypb

8. Emily

9. Faye Lewis

10. Shaqeatta Jackson

CONGRATS Ladies!!! To claim your DVD please email me your full name and address at GentlemanJimMT@gmail.com.

Also, allow me to announce that my next DVD will be on PANTS!!!! Be on the lookout for that in November! More info to come!

Work Sneak Peek and Upcoming Video....

Hello All!!! I just finished up 2 jackets and a pair of dressy houndstooth print knit shorts for my daughter and thought I'd share them with you. You might recall from this post that I completed a pair of pants for her not too long ago. Since she's in business school up at FAMU I help her maintain a professional wardrobe. Anyhow, here are the pictures. I will be doing a VIDEO in a few days showing the details of all 3 pieces. So be sure to check that out.

BTW, don't forget my 10 Alteration DVD Giveaway ends September 16th. To find out contest rules see this post.

Hope you're having a delightful Saturday evening! Talk with you soon.......

(Shawl Collar Jacket and houndstooth print knit shorts with wide cuff)

(Shawl collar jacket and shorts on hanger)

(Yellow jacket. Note: Due to photo rotation jacket looks a bit longer then actual size)

Video: Sewing a Welt Pocket on a Vest

Hello All! I was busy in my studio working on a client's vest and thought I'd give you a sneak peek into how I put a welt pocket into a vest. The video was an impromptu decision so please forgive the smart phone quality. I'm actually planning a future video that will show my pocket installation techniques in great detail. Here's the video and I've also included a few stills so you can see the details better. I know this fabric has a busy design and it may be a little hard to see details on it. As a side note, vests are a popular item for me to sew. One of my clients has a collection of about 60 vests, majority of which I've sewn. I can usually sew one together in one hour. Hope you enjoy the video and again excuse the fuzzy quality at times.

 (Marking on the vest and welt (see white chalk lines) where they need to be sewn)

 (Reverse view of vest after sewing down welt and clipping open the opening)

 (View of the pocket lining and facing after being sewn)

(Bagged pocket view up close)

Also, don't forget about my 10 Alteration DVD 2 disc set HERE! Make sure you join the giveaway. I'd love for you to win one of my wonderful DVD sets!!!

Remember these Pants.....

You may recall  I created a YouTube video on "Video Tutorial: How to Add Waistband, Ban Roll and Clamp Hook and Eyes to Trousers Part 1 and Part 2 on last month.Well I wanted you to know what became of those pants. It turns out I was making them for my daughter who's a business major at FAMU. I've been making clothes for her all of her life. She's one of my favorite "clients" (wink). Since she's a business major she has to wear business attire ALOT! I've made more jackets and pants for her then I can count. I'm currently working on a white jacket for her and a just finished up a pair of hounds tooth dressy shorts to go with it. I'll post pictures of both of them once I finish the jacket. Well here's a pic of her just trying them on the pants in the video for the first time. Forgive the crude pictures captured by my cell phone. Below are the front, side and hanger view of the pants.

Allow me to point on something about these pants. This is a side view of her pants on a hanger. Notice how the top of the backside of the pants angles up. This is to account for the fuller rear she has. You add height to the center back of the pants to ensure the pants cover her fully and that upon sitting the pants won't dip down.

Anyway just wanted to show you the finished product. It's always great to have a satisfied customer, especially so when she's your daughter (smile).

Dress Alterations: Before and After

I recently had a client come to my studio who wanted to make some adjustments to a dress she'd bought from a boutique. She wanted her dress with a V-shaped neckline converted into a strapless dress. She'd been around to all of the the local alteration shops and everyone had turned her down for one excuse or another. They said they couldn't do it, it wasn't possible, too difficult--you name it. Well as a tailor I like to take on unusual requests. I studied it for a few minutes and then I came up with a solution. You'll see the before and after pics below. I simply removed the straps and add a panel that joined the front bodice pieces together. I did the same for the back but instead used a bow. The alteration turned out great and my client LOVED the dress! She couldn't stop raving about it! Don't be intimated when you run up against a sewing challenge. You'd be surprised what you can pull off with a little thought and ingenuity:)

BEFORE---this is the dress featured on a model on the Allure Bridal website here. I forgot to take before pics of my client in the dress.

After: Front and Back photos. This is my client wearing her altered gown. The strapless conversion was just what she wanted!!!!

The 70's Postman Competition Suit

I appreciate the response to my 10 Alteration set DVD Giveaway! If you haven't had a chance to enter the giveaway go to this link HERE. I'm ALL TOO excited to be able to do so and I'm glad that it's brought us together so I can get to know you guys more. I look forward to all of our future interactions and being able to bring you the type of tailoring info that interests you.

The 70's was a wonderful decade! And it definitely had a style all it's own. I did alot of tailoring during those years. Unfortunately I didn't take alot of pictures of my work. I worked in a tailoring shop and just made wonderfully tailored clothes without the real thought of documenting it.  We made SO many suits!!! It's just what we did. Fortunately, I was able to go back in the New York Time archives to pull up an article on a project I'd been involved in. Now I wasn't mentioned in the article per se. I was supposed to remain "anonymous" so the gentleman wearing my clothes could get all of the credit. You see the Postal Service was running a competition to see which postal service worker could come up with the best fashion design. Check out the article.........

What a cool competition! My involvement started when Henry Ridges approached me about the project. Of course he didn't have any tailoring experience. We brainstormed a bit and the above suit was born. That style collar and overall suit shape was my signature at the time. What a transformation!!! It turned out great, huh? And Henry took home one of the prizes.  You have to admit he did look pretty sharp in his suit! And I was more than glad to offer my services for such a neat project. No credit needed! Have any of do some sewing for a competition. Did you enjoy it? Was it a good/bad experience?