Sometimes I hear about things being done that I find a little hard to fathom; pad stitching a chest with a blindstitch machine is one of those things. I had heard rumors of it, but I had never seen it before. Until now.
And twice in one week.
Don’t get me wrong. I am not against the idea of machining a chest- with the right equipment you can do a great job of it. A blindstitch machine, however, does not afford the kind of control necessary to get a good shape, and I was afraid that you couldn’t handle the layers properly without it shifting too much during sewing.
So when I opened up the Caraceni I was rather dismayed to see that they had done the chest with a blindstitch machine, and the sort of thing that I was worried about is, in fact, a problem. This is the side that sits toward the cloth- it has been stitched from the inside. The canvas has shifted during sewing and there are little bubbles of fullness, just as I had expected there to be; these are much more obvious when you handle the chest than in the photo.
Then this weekend I saw a vintage garment that Dominik Kufner has in his collection.
This, too has been done with the blinstitch machine, but from the outside of the chest. Not good for shaping the shoulder, IMO.
Anyways, something to think about. I am not a fan, and am even less of a fan now that I have seen it up close and personal.
So the seamstress that now owns Samuelsohn has the specialized equipment to machine a chest properly.
Wouldn't you think Caraceni in its long history of being known for fine tailoring would have invested in similar equipment at some point, not only because it does the chestwork better than its handsewn counterpart but also because it allows the tailors and seamstresses to concentrate on the precise work that benefits from being done strictly by hand…?
The cost and modification of the machinery aside, what is it about venerable old firms relying on antiquated techniques?
She doesn't own Samuelsohn, she owns the company that makes their coat fronts. And in fairness, few tailor shops would invest in a machine that is made to do only one or two jobs.
J
Give me your opinion. We have been making pocket squares attached to a insert card to save men time and frustration.
Do you think there is any future in this concept.
http://www.PocketSquareZ.com