tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post930546526648802654..comments2023-10-20T08:27:40.314-04:00Comments on male pattern boldness: Why Johnny Can't SewPeter Lappinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05109154527996679077noreply@blogger.comBlogger88125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-73537764794386682012018-08-23T16:09:08.106-04:002018-08-23T16:09:08.106-04:00I ran into your blog a few weeks ago, and then bin...I ran into your blog a few weeks ago, and then binge skimmed almost back to the beginning. Now I'm looking for specific things, and that's how I found this particular post.<br /><br />I'm a 51 year old hetero male who sews. I learned to sew on my mother's Singer 15 clone when I was eight. <br /><br />In high school and college, I was a bike commuter. I hated riding the school bus, and the University campus was large. It was the 1980s, and mens pants styles were tight. I remember standing in formation on some Wednesday afternoon for NROTC weekly drill, and being asked why my pants fit so badly. Biker thighs. Pants never fit right. <br /><br />For summer training one year, the navy issued me Battle Dress Utilities: the pants fit! BDU pants were designed to fit a range of bodies, and had cinch straps just behind the side seams at the waist, so they could go from about 34 to 40 waist. I patterned mine out and sewed from that.<br /><br />So I made my own pants for about six years. I quit when I discovered Carhartt around 1993, and I've been wearing that mostly ever since. But I'm thinking of going back. I do a fair amount of home carpentry, painting, messing with engines, digging in the garden, stone work, firewood cutting... I destroy clothes. I want to avoid spending too much of my limited budget on clothes, so I should start sewing my own again.<br /><br />Part of that budget should account for time. A pair of BDU knock-offs would take me about 6 hours and a back ache to make. I'd like to try to cut that down to maybe 2 hours, and so I'm looking for ways to simplify them.<br /><br />Right now I'm wearing a pair of pants from Arborwear. I tried patterning these. The result is a less than perfect fit, especially in the crotch. I tried simplifying the fly into something more like the women's skirt side zipper installation you once taught. That has potential. I've also tried to experiment with a broad-fall drop front with inconclusive results.<br /><br />And a friend of mine has been buying English and French fisherman's smocks. These come from a sailing tradition that also spawned the "crackerjack" type Navy enlisted dress uniform, but have a more shirt-like collar. I'm considering those too. I've made one, in copper-orange cotton rip-stop, and I like it a lot. I may put a sailor collar on the next one. <br /><br />This is all to say that the patterns available for mens wear tend to be dressy or non-working-causal. We need patterns for cheap work-wear. Materials for a work smock or a pair of pants runs me about $10. Well made work wear is a bit more than that.<br /><br />My latest machine acquisition is a 1955 Singer 99K. It appears that someone left it out in the rain a few times, but after a bunch of penetrating oil, then machine oil, disassembly, scraping rust, buffing small parts, re-timing, and getting a new belt after I broke the "vintage" one, it seems to be a smooth running machine. I love that resilience. I also have an older model 66 on a treadle base, and a Merritt 2404. Machines come and go. I love being able to get them tuned up a bit and find them new homes.<br /><br />You do beautiful work. Thank you for the inspiration.<br /><br />Dan Huisjen<br />Brooksville, Maine.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-15972246298368243082017-04-12T17:51:39.982-04:002017-04-12T17:51:39.982-04:00Thanks for the comment, Jay. Very inspiring!Thanks for the comment, Jay. Very inspiring!Peter Lappinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05109154527996679077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-36391617812126678542017-04-12T14:56:51.899-04:002017-04-12T14:56:51.899-04:00Ok, so I'm REALLY late to the party on this po...Ok, so I'm REALLY late to the party on this post, but quite relevant to my current line of thinking anyways. I'm a 48 year old husband/father/biker/musician who out of necessity taught myself to sew just last year. The American Legion Riders chapter than I am a member of had chosen a TruSpec Multicam vest as part of our uniform for escort and funeral missions. Unfortunately, TruSpec stop production of this vest. After numerous failed attempts by local dress shops / seamstresses to make a substitute (seriously, it looked like the took a woman's vest pattern, backwards snaps and all and made it out of the material that 1945 Industries graciously donated to us), I finally said "screw it, how hard could it be?" Bought a cheap Singer 2277 and their Pro-Finish serger and fumbled my way through learning how to draft and grade a pattern, add darts to give the female riders' vest shape, and construct this thing. Just started playing with machine embroidery (Singer Superb EM200) and see lots of potential for custom motorcycle seats in my future. My wife is already trying to describe the visions in her head so that I can try to create clothes for her that she just can't buy.<br />Thanks again for a great post. Hopefully more people will read this and my friends will stop threatening to take away my "man card" just because I sew.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02655305856920881471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-1987837963209916822015-12-22T10:25:02.412-05:002015-12-22T10:25:02.412-05:00Wow! What an interesting parallel we have. My ve...Wow! What an interesting parallel we have. My very poor Texas family of the 60's and 70's struggled in often back-breaking menial minimum wage jobs lived hand-to-mouth and had few basic necessities in life except for beautiful drapes, pillows, curtains, table cloths and linen napkins. Junk store furniture literally was transformed into beautiful home ware. I would come home from school to find table cloths, throws, school shirts, endless textile items. I always assumed that my mom sewed these things late at night or during my school day. Many years later after my grandfathers death my folks cleaned and liquidated his estate. They gifted me with a leather bound vintage 1940 hinged trunk. I opened it and discovered a rather heavy version of an electric portable sewing machine. This macho military warrior sewed silk parachutes, leather gear strapping for aircraft, uniform repair, tent and canvas repair, and altered sivvies for his comrades at arms. After the war he still farmed but his skill level was so high that he could do sail canvass for vessels as well as upholstery. His skill made a grim home life and poverty bearable for us and what he could not afford to give us financially then he gifted us with his time and talent.<br /><br />Gramps was a South Texan, farmer, warrior for his Country and a closet seamster!<br />Best regards to all!<br /><br />P.S. I wish I could sew. I need curtains, pants hemmed, buttons and zippers fixed!<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01631371126995316416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-63397484660738904102015-09-03T09:47:22.013-04:002015-09-03T09:47:22.013-04:00Great to hear from you, Patrick!Great to hear from you, Patrick!Peter Lappinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05109154527996679077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-83180810170383679202015-08-30T19:31:17.799-04:002015-08-30T19:31:17.799-04:00I am a male and I have been sewing for over 23 yea...I am a male and I have been sewing for over 23 years. I was around 24 or 25 and cannot stop! I like (correction, LOVE) to sew. I can make my own "designer" pillows, curtains, and other home-goods. I make my own shirts, which is the best thing for me to make. I like to find odd fabric that one would not find with a RTW shirt. I make my own messenger bags, and even sell many of my furnishings, handbags, etc.. I make my own dress vests, and I have made a pair of shorts, but I have no made any pants yet. I am more of a shirt guy, but I will soon make a pair of jeans. When I go to stores, I am able to look at just about everything that is made, in the way of clothing, home-goods, etc. I keep the "picture" of what I see in my head, and recreate it at home. I am usually 99.99% successful, however, I always find something to change so it suits me much better. The one thing I like about sewing, is I can go to a second-hand store, thrift-store, flea-markets, anywhere I may be able to find leftover fabric. I can find yard of fabric for pennies on the dollar. I have recently begun veering into making crafts. And I do not mean crafts like felt, or yarn woven into plastic mesh. But stylish Christmas Stockings, and other items that I may be able to make for my self or for my family. There really is not limit to what anyone who sews can make for themselves. Fortunately, or unfortunately, as mentioned in one of MPB blogs, mens fashions do not change much over time, and a man can wear the same style of shirt for years and years. I still use a pattern from 1995 or so. And it still fits well, and the style is very conservative, so there is not much for me to change. Patrick P.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-45078628229679211782015-06-22T11:05:24.704-04:002015-06-22T11:05:24.704-04:00Thanks! (Never too late for a comment. :))Thanks! (Never too late for a comment. :))Peter Lappinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05109154527996679077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-88403759373376324372015-06-22T10:00:51.697-04:002015-06-22T10:00:51.697-04:00Sorry to be five years late to the party, but I al...Sorry to be five years late to the party, but I also wanted to encourage you to publish a book. I started sewing this winter, and my husband watched with interest. He then asked for a shirt, and we found a Japanese Pattern book (in Japanese, yikes!) to work from. He loved picking the fabrics and notions for his shirt. Then, my mother brought us my grandmother's old Singer, and he mentioned off-hand that now we could both sew...<br />He has been fixing up the machine, and just sewed his first pair of drawstring seersucker casual shorts from the Japanese book. I completely agree that a stylish menswear and accessories (shaving bag, messenger bag, etc.) book in English would be well received. By men, for men. We love your blog, BTW.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10895656329989268436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-51873336468051607162015-01-17T10:11:05.373-05:002015-01-17T10:11:05.373-05:00Hey, I have a name that could go either way, but I...Hey, I have a name that could go either way, but I'm a straight man, in Tennessee. I just bought a sewing machine to make outdoor stuff, particularly cycling caps because my head isn't designed to fit most hats. I have a metal shop in my basement (welding, lathe, etc.) Sewing machines are a LOT like a table saw or a band saw. The toughest stuff is techniques for hems, or what stitch to use where, locking thread off, etc. I love making things, and I could totally take a shot at making a shirt or something. In the mean time, my hats are awesome, and they fit. I'm trying to think of how to combine bicycling, metal working and sewing. Hmmmm....Pat Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08573077188541811143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-78681848486396564112014-01-08T13:18:10.869-05:002014-01-08T13:18:10.869-05:00The 70's fashions in it are hilarious but the ...The 70's fashions in it are hilarious but the tailoring techniques are valid.Peter Lappinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05109154527996679077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-45728722356103972302014-01-08T13:09:20.720-05:002014-01-08T13:09:20.720-05:00Thank you so much! It's being shipped to me no...Thank you so much! It's being shipped to me now!C4bl3Fl4m3https://www.blogger.com/profile/10407733748939470954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-34237867964851122932014-01-04T07:50:07.532-05:002014-01-04T07:50:07.532-05:00I didn't own it when I wrote this four years a...I didn't own it when I wrote this four years ago but I do now. It's definitely worth getting.Peter Lappinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05109154527996679077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-86631353749014070622014-01-04T00:15:24.354-05:002014-01-04T00:15:24.354-05:00Hi! Found your blog looking up sewing for men reso...Hi! Found your blog looking up sewing for men resources as my best friend is a guy who really wants to get started in sewing.<br /><br />You mentioned there's no book written for men & boys exclusively or inclusively who sew. I found the book Sewing For Men and Boys on Amazon. (http://www.amazon.com/Sewing-Boys-Simplicitys-How-To-Illustrated/dp/B000ASB2WM) It's by Simplicity and from 1973. Is there a reason you didn't include this book, or have you merely not heard of it before? If you intentionally excluded it, is there a reason why? I was considering picking it up for my friend's birthday, hoping it would be a good introduction for him.<br /><br />Thanks so much!C4bl3Fl4m3https://www.blogger.com/profile/10407733748939470954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-36951128820281914912013-11-29T11:54:04.174-05:002013-11-29T11:54:04.174-05:00I know this is an old post but I had to comment. T...I know this is an old post but I had to comment. The men I know that sew are cosplay or reenactment addicts. They aren't making day to day clothing, but it is a start.Dixie Amazonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02604005221666923533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-38476017734894889662013-09-21T23:46:17.705-04:002013-09-21T23:46:17.705-04:00Straight man raised in the Home Ec/Shop Class worl...Straight man raised in the Home Ec/Shop Class world. Never learned to sew - just now dipping a toe into it. <br />Looking back - or forward as the case may be - I think school age boys should have a Home Ec program (do they still teach that in schools?) geared toward basic skills. They should learn to make a shirt. If nothing else it would instill a certain respect for all the work that goes into something taken for granted.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-52722428899385823952013-05-11T00:36:14.960-04:002013-05-11T00:36:14.960-04:00Men making their own clothes is wrong on so many l...Men making their own clothes is wrong on so many levels that it just has to be the right thing to do. Franknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-74635030500621778462012-07-24T22:15:09.453-04:002012-07-24T22:15:09.453-04:00One area that I'm aware of that has straight m...One area that I'm aware of that has straight male home sewers is a portion of the long distance hiking community, especially those that favor the very light weight approach. However, these guys are usually focused on sewing things such as tarps (or tents), packs and maybe sleeping quilts. Ray Jardine wrote at least two books on his light weight hiking approach and talked of his strategy of sewing both clothing and gear so that he could get exactly what he wanted, for a lower cost, and in a lower weight. (Weight matters a LOT if you're carrying a pack every day for 8 or more hours of hiking.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-24135799112520610612012-06-11T08:59:14.360-04:002012-06-11T08:59:14.360-04:00You make some great points, Anon. Welcome to the ...You make some great points, Anon. Welcome to the wonderful world of sewing! :)Peter Lappinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05109154527996679077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-74632412854176047492012-06-11T00:10:50.674-04:002012-06-11T00:10:50.674-04:00Forgive me for adding to an old thread but I imagi...Forgive me for adding to an old thread but I imagine it's one of the most interesting to other men (like me) who are new to your blog. Two things interested me in sewing- frustration at paying to have trousers hemmed when I could do it myself, and a typically male interest in how my sister's sewing machine worked from a technical standpoint. A bit of survival sewing seemed like a reasonable eccentricity, an uncommon but understandable form of DIY self-sufficiency at first. But as I have started to become more proficient I've discovered I genuinely enjoy sewing above and beyond trying to screw my local dry cleaners out of ten bucks every time I buy a pair of pants. There is something challenging and therapeutic about sewing and I'm currently making my first shirt from a pattern. I don't really see sewing as being fundamentally different from welding or car repair (a couple other self-taught skills I have that just happen to conform to traditional male stereotypes). Still, I am pretty secure about my masculinity as a sewer because I am now a middle aged combat veteran with more man-points stored up than a lot of guys; when I was 17 I might have been too embarrassed to go into a shop and ask about sewing machines. And I've found most girls who work in sewing shops are really nice to men brave enough to come in and ask for advice, should any single men be reading this looking for motivation to take the plunge.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-13340437614646826562011-12-16T01:41:17.700-05:002011-12-16T01:41:17.700-05:00Thank you SEW much (couldn't resist the lame p...Thank you SEW much (couldn't resist the lame pun) for writing such a thoughtful and relevant article! I am in the process of researching men and sewing because my thirteen-year-old son loves to sew, and has taken an awful lot of heat from his peers at school! I posted a link to your article on his Facebook profile page, so that not only will he read it, but so, too, may some of his classmates. There's so little information out there on the topic of men and sewing. I absolutely love that you invoked some of the well-researched and documented psychosocial and cultural phenomenon (such as gender roles) influencing the stigma attached to male sewers. I have a masters degree in psychology, and am a practicing psychotherapist. And I couldn't have explained it any better myself. Even if I had tried, I am a woman and my son's mother. I think that by reading an article written by a man is critical in helping him to feel related to. I also think it's important that he read such words coming from a man because his passion for sewing arts will be further normalized, making it easier for him to accept this activity for himself, allow himself to engage in it, and appreciate the benefits it brings to his life! Though this is the first time I've visited your site, it will not be the last! I've also bookmarked the site for my son. Thanks again!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-82660972586598561932011-11-02T07:29:53.339-04:002011-11-02T07:29:53.339-04:00I found this article via Gertie's blog (blogfo...I found this article via Gertie's blog (blogforbettersewing.com).<br /><br />You really hit the nail on the head! There's near to nothing for men who sew for themselves.<br /><br />I even gave up on searching for books and patterns. Just copy my patterns off of RTW and chase the internet for (instructional) material to learn about new details of sewing.<br /><br />Nice angle on the 'threat to masculinity' angle as a reason for 'those other men' not to sew.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-51735797373475637182011-08-31T11:17:19.230-04:002011-08-31T11:17:19.230-04:00You make some excellent points, SeamsterEast!You make some excellent points, SeamsterEast!Peter Lappinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05109154527996679077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-43140474157442641132011-08-30T22:29:03.166-04:002011-08-30T22:29:03.166-04:00I've using tools since I was 5 years old. Not...I've using tools since I was 5 years old. Not well at age 5, but ... <br /><br />In grade school I built a number of things, including a "telegraph" system using the necks of broken bottle as insulators. In junior high school I built a boat, in high school a hot rod, in my 20'ss an airplane, in my 40's/50's I rebuilt three boats.<br /><br />The first of those boats, beat up from a hurricane and in dire need of new cushions (and me not excessively long on cash), I called my sister who used to do a lot of sewing to ask if I maybe might possibly perhaps get by sewing new vinyl cushion covers. Sis interupted me inside of four seconds to say, "Of course you can."<br /><br />Since then, I've done many, many canvas and sail projects for boats. For kicks one snowy winter day me couped up inside, I made some canvas tote bags. Then I lowered the waist on a couple pair of jeans (when I buy a suit, the waist needs to be lowered to fit properly), then took in the waist of some (cheap) K-Mart knit shirts for a (much) better fit, then made a Polartec (the Windbloc version) fleece jacket for myself (fitting closer to my body than the standard "curtain drape" of RTW fleece), etc. I now buy jeans without regard to inseam size as it is easy to hem them properly.<br /><br />I made a halter top for a busty friend of recycled blue jeans, and recut a $3 thrift store "top" (read, ugly) into something that fit her well enough to cause men to introduce themselves even while I was standing there.<br /><br />I have made shirts for myself because I like the fit better (FAR better, RTW mens shirts hang well off the shoulder, to fit more men with fewer sizes). Three yards of fine material and some buttons gets me a shirt that candidly I couldn't begin to afford without crimping the budget somewhere else.<br /><br />That last statement -- budgets -- is I believe young women are so inclinded to take up sewing (with practice, they can get fine, fine clothing at a fraction of the price of same quality fashion clothing).<br /><br />Young men spend their money on (and often lots of time to fix) cars for the same effect.<br /><br />Also, young people are told (again and again and again and again) that "men are visual" (which means women in nice looking clothing are a more valuable commodity) while "women are more interested in a man's personality" (which means a fancy car, or maybe his ability to make a bookcase on a Saturday afternoon).<br /><br />Nice clothing on a man can be had for the price of working a lot more and harder hours. The perception is, for young men, that working more/longer/harder is a valuable career move, while learning to sew a well-fitted linen shirt with two-needle top-stitching is less so. Reality is, working out lifting heavy weights in a gym for six months is probably more effective in the dating game.<br /><br />Besides, sewing clothing has the stigma of doing so because money is in short supply. What man -- young or old -- wants to say he ain'ta makin' e'nuf jing?<br /><br />Me, I started using tools when I was 5 years old in the same way some people start writing novels or painting portraits when they were 5 years old. A sewing machine is just another tool, like a set of Snap-On six-point sockets, or a Fluke VOM, or a set of numbered tip cleaners.SeamsterEast@aol.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-2448341645627248112011-08-16T17:50:26.342-04:002011-08-16T17:50:26.342-04:00Thanks for the comment, Andy. If you check the ar...Thanks for the comment, Andy. If you check the archives here (look under "men" or "men's" you'll find there's a lot of info about sewing menswear. Also check "sewing basics."Peter Lappinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05109154527996679077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-8961743582174398862011-08-16T15:47:01.363-04:002011-08-16T15:47:01.363-04:00I'm late to the party, but generally agree tha...I'm late to the party, but generally agree that it's a combination of stigma, the complete lack of instructional material aimed at men, and patterns for men once they've learned how to sew. I started sewing bow ties to feed my own habit; freestyle bow ties are both hard to come by and expensive, but they're also pretty easy to make! I've even started selling them on Etsy... but I am having a hard time making the leap to something a little more involved because there are simply no "how-to" skill-building books with anything I'm remotely interested in making... and when you look at the mens' patterns in the catalog books everything just looks either cheesy, or strange.<br /><br />I hope someday to be able to sew historical garments, but the gap is dauntingly huge. I would pay real money for the male sewing equivalent of Debbie Stoller's 'Stitch & Bitch', but I know of know such book.Andy Chasehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05400575923457947922noreply@blogger.com