Tailored Double Breasted Blazer PART 1 - Muslin and Canvas Prep

I've been working on another hand sewn tailored blazer and this time I'm making my first double breasted blazer!

So much work goes into the making of these tailored blazers, and with most of my projects you only ever see the finished product!  As stunning as a hand tailored blazer is, what I find the most beautiful is all the engineering and creating of the jacket itself. It's the process that makes the finished product so successful. This time I thought I would share the details on my blog as I walk through this big project.

All the posts so far in this tailoring series:

1. Tailoring Resources for a hand sewn bespoke blazer - how I learnt what I know so far through books and blogs.
2. Part 1 - Muslin fit, collar and canvas prep
3. Part 2 - Welt and Flap Pockets + Sleeves with Mitred Vents

THE PATTERN

I'm using McCall's Patterns #2341 Version C with the double welted flap pockets in a size 12, and with quite a few changes.

Here's me in one of my first calico toiles in all its glory:

It doesn't get any sexier than this ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

You'll see in the above pic that the arm on the right has been altered, with the seam lines on the outside. This jacket was made in the 90's for big feature shoulders with stacked shoulder pads. I decided to calm it down a little. I also made the following fit changes:

Sleeves:

• Removed 2cm width out of the centre of the sleeve, starting from the centre of the shoulder cap all the way down to the hem.
• Extended the sleeve vent to 11.5cm from the hem
• Raised the height of the armscye by 2.5cm. Having an arsmcye that is too big or low, actually restricts your movement. Most patterns are drafted with large armscyes as a 'one size fits all' measure, and it means when you raise your arms, your whole jacket rises with it. The closer the armscye to your underarm, the more comfortable. When you think about it, it makes sense. Look at athletes, who need a full range of movement. Their clothing is fitted to their bodies, not hanging. You do however want to make sure that the armscye doesn't get closer than 2.5cm to the centre of the armpit.

I added a strip of fabric to the muslin at the armscye, rather than recutting a new toile.

When raising the armscye, you also need to raise the height of the sleeve pattern too. You can see the adjusments here in blue that grade out to nothing at the notches.

My altered sleeve patterns, which I redrew on brown paper.

Collar and Lapels:

I didn't like how there was a gap between the peak lapels and the collar (see original toile photo), so I redrafted the top of the peaked lapel, to line up with the collar, which you can see in the picture below.

Much better! The lapel and collar now butt up against each other

Changes to Bodice:

In addition to the sleeve alterations, I also:

• Narrowed the shoulder by 2.5cm grading down to the armscye notch on both the front and back pieces.
• I narrowed the waist by 1cm on the front, back and side seams, taking the waist in by a total of 8cm. I wanted a more shaped fit, rather than the boxier style that the pattern was drafted for.
• I graded out to a size 14 on the hips
• Did a sway back adjustment of 2cm, positioned 1cm below my waistline.

Tip: When making multiple changes, I like to redraw the pattern onto card or brown paper so it's easier to work with. I also write the changes I've made on each pattern piece, which makes it much easier for future me to immediately understand the alterations!

Preparing the Under Collar

I cut the under collar in a wool felt, and used french collar canvas for interfacing. Both pieces were cut on the bias.
French collar canvas is a little stiffer than regular body canvas and is often made out of a treated heavy weight linen.

I then stitched along the roll line, and using the roll line shape as a guide, I started pad stitching over the whole under collar.

Note: Traditionally tailors use melton wool for the under collar, but I enjoy wool felt for it's thickness and shape, which I feel makes a crisp and upright collar. Just make sure it's 100% wool!

roll line basted with silk thread, and then pad stitched.

Ta-Da! Smaller pad-stitches were made at the corners to encourage the collar to roll slightly towards the body.

I then folded the collar along the roll line, pinned it to a pressing ham, steamed it and let it dry over night. The photo above shows what it looks like once it has been set and dried.

The seam allowance of the under collar has been removed, as is typical with a bespoke jacket where the collar is attached to the neckline seam allowance by hand.

This is the underside of the under collar. Can you see any of the pad-sttiches? When you pad stitch correctly, you are just picking up a tiny 'bite' of the fabric from the right side. In a thick wool felt it is not even detectable.

Preparing the Canvas Interfacing

For my double breasted blazer, I am using the full front canvas interfacing for the first time. I used canvas I already had in my stash that I purchased from Spotlight a while ago.

With my previous two tailored blazers, (here! and here!) they were partially interfaced to start under the arm, travel above the bust, and down through the centre front length of the jacket (check out my previous post here to see a comparison picture of a full canvas and partial canvas front).  I wanted the jacket front to have uniform draping, and so with the book 'Classic Tailoring Techniques for Menswear' as a guide, I drafted a canvas front.
I cut out the darts, and closed them with pocketing fabric and a zig zag stitch.

I then created a PLASTRON using canvas and french collar canvas, and then covered with wool fabric. I then loosely pad-stitched the plastron's to the canvas interfacing.
This part will be covered by both the fabric and lining, so the pad stitching can be visible on both sides.

The plastron's purpose is to keep the form of the jacket across the chest, where it may naturally cave in. The wool fabric covering is the side that is closest to the body, and covers the additional canvas so that it is not uncomfortable to the wearer.

You can see below the 'right' side of the canvas, with the pad stitching showing on top and the plastrons underneath.

The jacket front interfacing with darts zig zagged closed, and the plastron pad stitched to the underside.

Finished under collar and readied canvas interfacing pinned to the dress form.

And that's it for now folks! Thanks for reading :)

Next up: Part 2 - Sewing the Welt and Flap Pockets + Sleeves (with mitred corners!) 

All the posts in this tailoring series:

1. Tailoring Resources for a hand sewn bespoke blazer - how I learnt what I know so far through books and blogs.
2. Part 1 - Muslin fit, collar and canvas prep
3. Part 2 - Welt and Flap Pockets + Sleeves with Mitred Vents

TAILORING Resources for a BESPOKE HAND SEWN Blazer

My First Double Breasted Blazer in Progress

The Beginnings of an obsession
Any one who is a regular reader of my blog, will have witnessed by dalliance into the fine art of tailoring has quickly turned into an obsession. Hand sewn blazers are becoming a regular feature in my me made wardrobe and to be honest, I think it has changed the way that I sew.

The more I learn about tailoring (and boy do I have a lot to learn) the more I appreciate how it combines both art and engineering so perfectly. Everything is precise and measured and on purpose, and it celebrates the age old tradition of hand sewing which still is the application of choice by professional tailors despite the progression in technology today.

I'm a pretty passionate person, and when i get into something, I absorb myself in it. I have spent  countless hours reading, researching and watching anything tailoring related that I could get my hands on.
Knowing how much I love tailoring and how overwhelming it can seem at the start,  I thought I would share the resources that I found for those who want to take their sewing up a notch and try tailoring for themselves.
Even if you don't go full bespoke, there are many techniques that can be adapted from tailoring that will instantly improve the quality and longevity of your hand made creations.

It should be noted that I have not received any training or attended any courses in tailoring and everything I have learned has been through reading and researching.
I have however had ten years experience in sewing and that has definitely helped me to able to absorb the learnings and adapt them to how I feel works best for me. In any case, if you are a home sewist, you should take comfort in knowing that tailoring, like maths is not a guessing game, but an achievable task that once you break it down into steps is actually straightforward. And tailoring also, like art, allows you to be creative and explore with endless possibilities.

Books
There are two books that I own for tailoring that I have read cover to cover, over and over.
The first book I have used for every bespoke blazer I have made so far, and my newest book (the second one) I have been using for my current double breasted blazer that I am working on.

Both of these books offer tailored, hand sewn methods and share a lot of commonalities, but also there are a lot of big differences too.

Tailoring: The Classic Guide to Sewing The Perfect Jacket

This book also comes with a different picture on the front for some countries, so don't be alarmed if it's not the same cover picture.

If you are wanted to get into tailoring, this is an excellent place to start. 

Pros

• This book is picture heavy and well explained and is dedicated to sewing jackets for women.
• Gives good instructions on how to pad-stitch
• Shows pad-stitching techniques for both under collar and lapels
• Explains how to draft a backstay, sew-in canvas interfacing, and a shoulder reinforcement using your sewing pattern.
• Colour photos with great instructions on sewing double welt, single welt and flap pockets
• Gives two sets of instructions through out the book on how to sew the jacket a) with sew-in canvas interfacing or b) with iron on interfacing
• Gives great detail on how to pre-treat your fabrics, and how to iron correctly.

Cons

• Only shows how to attache the under-collar, lapel and upper collar by machine and not by hand. Sewing these sections by hand is the traditional tailored way of sewing a jacket and is how I put together my tailored blazers. I really feel this makes a massive difference in the quality of the finished project.
• The photos are a little dated, but still very informative.
• Doesn't give details on how to draft an under collar with a roll line and an upper collar. A lot of patterns these days don't include a roll line on the collar and it can be hard for a beginner to work out where it should go.

Classic Tailoring Techniques for Menswear

This is the second edition of this book, and from reviews it appears to be much of an upgrade on the original, with more up to date photos.

If you are a beginner sewer with minimal hand sewing or tailoring experience, you may want to start with the other book as there is a fair bit of assumed knowledge here, but for those learning about tailoring this book is an absolute wealth of information.

Pros

• Lots of pictures
• Gives great instruction on how to fit and make fit adjustments to an established pattern
• Gives instruction on ironworking your pieces, which is important in tailoring (where to shrink and where to stretch)
• Gives instructions on how to draft an inside breast pocket in the lining
• Includes instructions on pad stitching
• Shows how to cut fabric for plaid and striped pieces
• Traditional tailoring techniques
• Gives details on how to attach the facings, under collar and collar by hand
• An excellent section on how to draft an under collar and upper collar and the positioning of the roll line
• Also gives instruction on constructing a waistcoat and pants.
• Much more hand sewing focused.

Cons

• The pictures are in black and white and can sometimes be tricky to decipher
• The book is expensive, and geared towards more the intermediate to experienced sewist
• Is specifically written for mens tailoring. However I find the differences between men and womens tailoring to be very minimal. Once you have the fit right, the rules really are the same.

The canvas differences in the books:

While both of these books show how to draft the canvas interfacing to go with your pattern, it's worth noting that the first book only uses a half canvas interfacing (it starts from the side seam at the underarm, scoops above the bust point, and then goes down to them just 1 inch wider than the jacket front facing.

partial canvas, above and to the right of the red line markings

full front canvas

The second book gives instructions for a full front canvas, meaning it covers the whole jacket front  pattern piece.  The first is a softer, look and the second a more traditional structured look. Both have their pros and cons and I've made three blazers using the partial canvas front, and I'm currently making my first double breasted blazer using the full canvas (which so far I am absolutely loving).

Double wool crepe - Click on the photo to see the blog post

Silk wool - click on the photo to see the blog post

Online Resources

For my first two blazers, I only had the first book 'Tailoring: The Classic Guide to Sewing The Perfect Jacket' and while I used a lot of techniques from the book, I also did a lot of things differently, such as attaching the under collar and upper collar to the jacket by hand.

I referenced the following blog Male Devon Sewing who has a wonderful series on constructing a Tailored Suit. This was really helpful in working out how to attach the collars by hand.

Tailoring Tools

I cannot live without the following things:

• tailors clay chalk - for marking your fabric
• cotton basting thread - for tacking darts, notches, seemliness and basting your fabric together
• silk thread ( I use Guterman) - for hand sewing such as pad stitching and finishing
• silk buttonhole buttonhole twist thread - for sewing hand worked buttonholes and for sewing on buttons
• John James 'betweens' 3/9 - hand sewing needles
• Merchant and Mills tailors thimble - do NOT hand sew without a thimble. Just don't. Take the time to get a thimble that fits and works for you.
• Sleeve board - for pressing lapels, sleeves and small fiddly bits.
• Tailors pressing ham - for curved areas that need to be pressed
• My brand new gravity feed industrial iron which has changed my LIFE! It's the Silver Star ES-94A and it's specifically designed for tailoring.

Tailoring Supplies

Kenton Trimmings in the UK is an absolute dream for tailoring supplies and is where I've gotten most of my tools. Their website is a bit clunky, but they are really well priced and have an absolute dreamy amount of canvas, trims and tools to choose from. 

In fact you can order a swatch book of their canvas' for £10, and they then give you a £10 gift voucher to use on your next purchase which is just fantastic.

They have absolutely everything, including melton wool for under collars and pocketing fabric, and their customer service is superb. I once ordered a whole bunch of stuff which they accidentally sent through the slow mail, so they resent the whole thing again and told me to keep both of the packages!

Suit History

When you're learning about tailoring, I think it's really advantageous to learn about the history of suits, the function, and the difference between a tailored vs store bought suit.
There are heaps of videos on youtube, and I recommend also looking up 'Savile Row' as well and watching some of the tours of the world's most recognised street for tailoring. It's absolutely fascinating stuff and just gets you more inspired and excited to get stuck in to tailoring!

Tailoring Instagram Accounts To Follow

Here are a few instagram accounts that I love for helpful tailoring tips and tricks, or just for inspiration. I will probably add to this list as time goes on.

Jihae An - A english tailor working on Savile Row, she posts progress photos daily of her amazing work
Lee Marsh Bespoke - Another English tailor who posts amazing instructional videos, like how to set in a sleeve.
Ray The Master Tailor - With 40 years of experience, this man knows how to make a suit!
Julio D.F. Mompó - His sartorial work is just incredible
Johnny Nguyen - The man makes the most exquisite womens clothing that looks like architectural art pieces.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jihae An 안지혜 (@be_spokenbyjihae) on Apr 20, 2020 at 6:44am PDT

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A post shared by Lee Marsh Bespoke (@leemarshbespoke) on Mar 29, 2020 at 9:45am PDT

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A post shared by Ray (@raythemastertailor) on Nov 26, 2019 at 11:41am PST

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A post shared by Julio D. F. Mompó (@juliomompo) on Apr 23, 2020 at 5:15am PDT

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A post shared by Johnny Nguyen (@johnny_nguyen1707) on Jun 14, 2019 at 1:55am PDT

I'll be starting a tailoring series soon on my blog for those who are interested! If you have any questions, feel free to comment here, or send me a DM over on instgram.

Happy sewing everyone!

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A post shared by Julia Bobbin (@juliabobbin) on Apr 7, 2020 at 1:13pm PDT

You can see all the posts so far in this series below:

1. Tailoring Resources for a hand sewn bespoke blazer - how I learnt what I know so far through books and blogs.
2. Part 1 - Muslin fit, collar and canvas prep
3. Part 2 - Welt and Flap Pockets + Sleeves with Mitred Vents

INSIDE the Tailored Jacket - Taking a look at the Couture Construction of Burda 6875

I recently finished my first ever tailored blazer and I decided to do a second post for those of you who wanted a bit more detail on the construction of this blazer.

If you just want to see the FINISHED LOOK, feel free to click on the image below to go to the original post! :)

Now's the time to go to the bathroom and grab those snacks because this post is a LONG one...

The Pattern: This is Burda 6875

Pattern Sizing: Euro 34-44.
I cut a size 38 (with modifications) in View A (shorter length).

The instructions: As is consistent with Burda patterns, the drafting and details of the pattern are excellent.
The instructions are detailed in some areas and lacking in others, but mostly I disregarded them and constructed the jacket in my own order.

As always when sewing something that is detail heavy like a jacket, a TOILE IS A MUST Not just for the fit but to practise the techniques and to fill in the missing gaps in the instructions.

TIP: When trying on your toile, pin in your shoulder pads. This pattern has been drafted to include them, so you don't want to mistake a caving above the chest as a fit issue, when it actually just needs to be lifted with a shoulder pad.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I love the NARROW LAPEL of this blazer which is flattering and modern.

Burda patterns always include the little extras like ease at the shoulders, pleats in the centre back lining for extra movement, and sleeve vents.

Double welt pockets and two piece sleeves that are beautifully shaped are some other features of this great jacket.

Fabric Used: A double wool crepe (Mood Fabrics)
Soft hair canvas for interfacing (Spotlight)
Silk organza for back stay (My stash)
Liberty of London cotton lawn for pocket lining (GJ's Fabrics)
Wool felt for under collar (GJ's Fabrics)
Silk Satin (19momme) for lining (HomeCraft Textiles)
Organic cotton wadding for the sleeve heads (Spotlight)

Construction Changes and Tailoring:
I have been wanting for a long time to make a tailored jacket using traditional bespoke methods, and I finally worked up the courage to try it for the first time!

I chose this pattern and made a toile, and with the aid of the book 'Tailoring:The Classic Guide To Sewing The Perfect Jacket', and bits and pieces that I found on the internet I decided to give it a go. Below are the details of how I've constructed my jacket.

Note: I deviate from the book in quite a few areas where I've found other techniques work better for me personally.

FIT CHANGES:
I cut a size 38 and tapered out one extra cm from the waist to the hem at the side seams, and side back princess seams, effectively doing a full butt adjustment.

I also did a sway back adjustment with the widest reduction being 2cm at the centre back.

DOUBLE WELT POCKETS
I've always loved how double welts look and I was excited to play with these. I made a practise one before I cut into my fabric and I'm so glad I did.
The placement of these pockets is on an open seam, so it's not constructed the typical way.

I added a 1" strip of silk organza, centring it over one end of the pocket (the side back end) going straight up to the underarm. This reinforces the pocket and stops the bodice from sagging because of the opening.

I steamed and stretched out the strips of fabric that would become the lips of the welts before attaching them to the pocket.

WATCH OUT for the side of the welt pocket that begins on the 'side back' piece.
According to the pattern the pocket starts at the notch, which is where you cut away the seam allowance to place the welt lips. DON'T cut all the way from the notch, give yourself an extra cm after the notch before you start cutting. Otherwise there is no seam allowance for the side of the welt lips, so you'll see the raw edge.
You want to cut a 'Y' shape (clip into the corners) before turning the lips through, and then sew the little 'V' to the lips. 
This sounds very confusing, so just trust me and do a toile and practise the pockets so you can see what you're working with.

I ignored the pattern's pocket lining and made my own so they'd be big enough. 
I cut a 2" strip of garment fabric and top stitched onto the upper edge of the pocket underlay, so that you saw the fabric poking through the welts and not the pocket lining.
The pattern has you cut a whole pocket piece in the garment fabric for the back of the pocket and that adds unnecessary bulk and is also not as strong as what a pocket lining should be.

I used gorgeous liberty of london fabric for the pocket lining as a nice little surprise for my hands.

THE LAPELS

Using the facing pieces as a guide, I cut out hair canvas. I made them 1 inch wider than the facing pieces, scooping above the bust point and out to the side seam, a few inches below underarm.

I cut out extra canvas to reinforce the shoulder, upper chest where it naturally wants to cave in. This I secured to the canvas with rows of machine basting stitches, spaced about 2cm apart from each other.

I then cut out the dart in the canvas and used iron on interfacing to close it. Once closed I secured the edges with a zig zag stitch.

Next I marked the roll line and pat stitching lines for the lapel, which all run parallel to the roll line.
The line next to the roll line and in the corners of the lapel were spaced 3mm apart, and 6mm for the rest of the lines. (narrow on and next to the roll line and in the corner of the lapel).

The canvas was then basted to the garment with long tailors tacks in silk thread. I positioned the garment right side up when basting to make sure it was smooth and there were no puckers. 

I then removed the canvas seam allowance of the shoulder and side seams and catch stitched them to the garment. 
The seam allowance of the arm hole is kept on to give the underarm area, a high stress area,  extra support.

Next I hand fell stitched cotton twill tape just shy of the roll line. I cut the tape 1cm shorter and eased it over the length of the roll line. This helps curve the lapel slightly, to accommodate the natural curved shape of the chest.

Pad stitching time!

Pad stitching is the art of sewing together the two layers of fabric, the garment and the canvas interfacing, to act as one. 

It is done using small hand stitches that run along and parallel to the roll lines of the collar and lapel. When done correctly these stitches are almost invisible on the right side of the garment.

When stitching, the fabric and canvas is rolled over the index finger to encourage a curve in the fabric. Smaller stitches are made at lapel corners and at the roll line to set the roll line and to make corners of lapels and collars turn slightly to the body, rather than sticking out.

I pad stitched the canvas to the garment, with shorter narrower stitches on and next to the roll line, and at the lapel corners. 

Generally, if your lines are 3mm apart, then the stitches on those lines are 3mm long. If it's 6mm apart the stitches will be 6mm long etc.

I then removed the seam allowance of the canvas only (not the garment fabric) from the collar notch down to the hem.

Once the seam allowance of the canvas was removed I hand stitched the tape along the seam allowance of the lapel, starting from the collar notch down to the hem with permanent uneven basting stitches. These stitches are not visible from the right side, and are made uneven to prevent a pattern showing on the garment front. 

Setting the Roll line
Once all the pad stitching was complete, it was time to set the roll line in place.

I placed a damp folded towel (about 1cm thick) between the jacket front and the lapel along the roll line. I then steamed it thoroughly without letting the iron actually touch the lapel and left to dry over night.

Once it had dried the pad stitches were set and there was no way that lapel was going to fold anywhere but the roll line. Success!

Adding the Facings to the Lapel
Now it was time to attach the facings to the lapel and see all the magic come together!

I cut the lapels 1cm wider than the pattern along the roll front edge all the way down to the them.

This creates a graded seam to help minimise bulk and the extra width gets folded over the twill tape and catch stitched down.
The longer seam allowance meant a flatter edge, and makes stitching the seam allowance down easier. Stitching the lapel seam allowance down, keeps the joined seam edge rolled slightly under and flat to the body.

The corner of the lapel is also cut on the diagonal to remove bulk.

Once the seam allowance has been folded over and stitched down, the lapel facing gets turned to the right side and that's where all your hard work starts to pay off. Look at that lapel!!

THE BACK and SHOULDERS
I drafted a back stay to stabilise the shoulders and give extra support in the areas such as the shoulder blades which is another high stress area.

I cut the back stay on the fold in silk organza and pinked the bottom edge. It was then hand basted to the garment back at the shoulders and underarms and catch stitched to the side seams.

Front and backs were then pinned together at the shoulders.
A 1cm wide cotton twill tape was pinned along the front bodice shoulder, centred over the seam line.  I cut the tape half a cm shorter than the seam line and eased it over the entire seam.
Once attached I then used the clapper to flatten and set the seams.

The cotton tape along the shoulders reinforces a seamline that gets a lot of wear and pull, and stops it from losing its shape.

THE COLLAR
The UNDER COLLAR I cut as two seperate pieces instead of one on the fold. I also cut it on the bias to help it shape along the curve of the neck.
I used wool felt for the under collar instead of the garment fabric, which allegedly is one of the marks of a true bespoke jacket.

The seam allowance at the centre back was lapped to make it as flat as possible, and the canvas hand basted to the wool felt within the seam allowance.

I created a roll line as the pattern piece didn't have it marked on it. This I just sort of 'winged'.
I marked where the roll line ended on the lapel and tried to match that up on the under collar. I then curved it up to the middle of the centre back neck seam, where the collar folds over.

First I invisibly basted the canvas and the felt along the roll line.
I then pad stitched the under collar following the curve of the roll line, with narrow stitches and lines on and below the roll line (and in corners of collar) and wider lines and stitches above roll line. 

I removed the seam allowances of the under collar, and cut the canvas just slightly shorter so that it wouldn't poke out and be visible. 

I then pinned it to a sewing ham and gave it a really good steam, without letting the iron touch the actual fabric or canvas. The steam helps set the roll line, but you don't want a sharp crease.
I then left it overnight to dry.

Once the under collar had dried I pinned it along the seam-line of the neck, lapping the neck seam allowance. I hand basted it into place, lining up the roll line on the collar with the roll line on the lapels and when I was happy that everthing was in the right place, I fell stitched it along theneck by hand.

UPPER COLLAR
I pressed under the top and bottom seam allowances of the upper collar piece, and then basted it by hand to the under collar. I started along the collar edge (the top edge) beginning in the middle and hanging over the under collar ever so slightly so that the seam line is not visible when the collar is turned down.
Once positioned correctly I attached to the under collar using small fell stitches.

Next I basted the neck edge of the upper collar to the neck and gorge line (where collar meets lapel) and then used a slip stitch to attach.

Finally the seam allowance at the sides of the upper collar are folded over to the under collar and hand stitched down with a fell stitch.

This is allegedly a sign of a true bespoke tailored jacket, where there is no seam at the side collar, but a neat clean fold and the edge visible underneath.

Next I pressed the seam allowance under for the NECK FACING and slip stitched it to the seam line. 

Sewing the collar and facings by hand means that the facings and collar are anchored to the neckline right where they need to be, and results in a cleaner attachment to such a bulky area that can easily get twisted or bunched when completing this area on the machine.

This is by FAR the neatest collar I have ever made. The control you have by doing it by hand is LEVELS above what I have been able to previously achieve on the sewing machine.
Yes it adds a bit more time, though not as much as you think.

Machine Vs Handstitching LAPELS
I always find the pattern instructions for lapels/collars/facings super confusing and inevitably mess something up.
Pieces end up fighting each other and fabric gets slightly pulled or puckered and doesn't sit quite right. I know I've often sat in front of my machine with the garment inside out thinking 'well I sure hope this works!'

Doing it by hand is much more intuitive because you can see where things need to go, and you can place them precisely. There is no estimating or hoping it works out when everything is inside out and half attached.

You can also control the slight roll of the upper collar so that seam lines along collar edge aren't visible. Even for future jackets where I don't do the full tailored methods, I think I will still sew the collar on by hand because it's relatively quick and the difference is so noticeable!

SLEEVES
I used hair canvas for the sleeve hems, which I hand stitched on with silk thread. 
The sleeve pattern comes with vents, which I extended to make them 11.5cm from the hem to the top of the vent.
I then did a mitred hem for that extra touch and to minimise bulk.

I hand basted two rows of thread along the sleeve head for gathering. I alternated the stitch placement to ensure they would gather as evenly as possible.

I placed the sleeve cap on my sewing ham and steamed it to shrink the fabric and even out the gathers. I then pinned it to the armhole using lots of pins to make sure it was evenly positioned.

I hand basted along the seam-line, and when I was sure there was no puckering i stitched down the seam on the machine.

I stitched a second row of stitches at the underarm ONLY, about 3mm parallel to the original and then trimmed close to the stitches.

SLEEVE HEADS
I cut 2 pieces of quilters wadding/batting (mine was organic cotton) at 5 x 23cm and then folded one long end down 1.5cm. I lined up the folded edge with the sleeve cap seam-line and slip stitched the fold to the seam line. The sleeve head buffers the gathered fabric from the cap and gives a smooth rounded shape to the sleeve cap.

I then hand stitched in shoulder pads.

I am so excited by the difference a sleeve head makes! It gives that beautiful, soft and rounded head that makes a sleeve look so much more polished and 'professional'. I'll never do another suit jacket without it!

HEM
I ended up making my hem 3cm, because that's where it naturally seemed to lie with the facings but normally I would do (and recommend) a 4cm hem.

I cut out a strip of canvas 3.5cm wider than the hem (3cm hem + 3 = 6.5cm) and positioned it just below the hem fold line (around 1cm). Having the canvas extend into the hem softens the edge a little and gives support.

I then blind stitched the upper edge of the canvas, and permanently and invisibly basted the bottom of the canvas along the hem line crease.

I then folded up the hem along the pressed edge and permanently basted it to the canvas with uneven stitches so as to not detect a pattern on the right side.

I catch stitched the edge of the canvas to the facing canvas, and then fell stitched the facing hem to the jacket hem.

FINALLY I hand stitched the edge of the facings to the garment in preparation for attaching the lining.

LINING
I added an extra 1.5cm at the side seams of the lining body, grading it down to nothing about 10cm down from the arm hole. I also added 1.5cm at the underarm sections of the sleeve lining pieces, grading it down to nothing at the notch. 
This adds a little wearing ease, and provides extra room for the sleeve heads and shoulder pads which take up volume.

I stitched all the vertical sections and darts in the jacket left front and jacket right front  linings and hand stitched them individually to the jacket shell.

I used slip stitches around the facing edge and then secured them along the side seam of the garment, the shoulders and the armhole with permanent basting stitches.

I then sewed the vertical sections and darts/pleats in the lining back, basting the pleats and darts down so that they didn't distort when attaching them to the garment.
I then lapped the seams at the shoulders, and slip stitched the side seams of the lining back to the lining fronts.

I added the sleeve lining at the armholes using a double thread fell stitch, which anchors the lining to the sleeve heads. Finally I stitched the lining of the sleeve hem to the hem vents.

The pattern gets you to cut out the sleeve lining without vents and sew both seams down to the hem line, meaning that the sleeve vents are purely decorative and not functional. 
I sewed and attached the lining like you would for a back vent so that I had the option of making the vents functional.

In the past, the only hand sewing I've done for linings is attaching the hem to the garment.

I really loved how the lining was in harmony with the garment when sewn in by hand.
There is no pulling or twisting of the garment due to a misshapen lining, and the lining moves as one with the jacket, rather than billowing out loose from the shell of the garment.

The lining is anchored at the arm holes, shoulders, side seams and facings, and you're able to assess the drape of each piece as you attach them, rather than at the end when it's usually too late.

OTHER CHANGES
I made a bound buttonhole for the button closure on the centre front.

I changed the jacket to one button instead of two, and slightly lowered the top buttonhole.

FINAL THOUGHTS

My goodness, this was a lot of fun and I'm so glad I finally pushed myself to try tailoring!

This jacket took a lot longer to make then previous jackets that weren't made without these techniques; most of this jacket was sewn by hand!

But I can tell you that I absolutely enjoyed the engineering and the discipline of making a bespoke jacket, and though it's my first and there are some things that need improving, I'm an absolute evangelist for tailoring now!

Yes it took longer, but the joy that it gives me and the difference in the outcome makes it absolutely worth it!

For all the FINISHED PHOTOS of the blazer, you can check out my blog post here!