This waistcoat is the first part of a three-piece suit. It is nearly ready for a first fitting. When I am making a three-piece suit, I like to start with the waistcoat because it is easier to construct than the jacket and it gives me the first opportunity to work with the selected fabric and learn how workable and stretchable it is. In this case, I am using a medium weight gray wool fabric with white chalk stripes.
I am pleased with this particular cloth not only because of the appealing wide-stripe pattern, but also because the fabric is very workable which will come in handy when I am shaping the back of the jacket (to accommodate the protrusion of the shoulder blades) and the waistlines. Shaping of the cloth is a very important process where a tailor uses his iron to stretch the fabric in certain areas to fit the contours of the body. In essense, it helps create shape that cannot otherwise be molder or sculpted by darts, hems, and seams. Different fabrics feature different characteristics in this respect. For example, a cotton fabric is not very workable, while woolens and flannels prove much more amenable to shaping.
Here is how we have arrived at this current stage:
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