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Discussion on Making my own breeches
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Member:
cgby1
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Posted on Thursday, Jun 14, 2007 - 3:50 pm:
I'm short and all the breeches I've seen are too long for me. I got two patterns and material in light gray. One pattern has just breeches with two options, full seat or patches and both are front zip. Also two optional pockets, a zippered pocket or a hidden inside pocket. Do any of you make your own breeches? I went to the local fabric store hoping to find some faux suede to use for a pair of full seat breeches as well as knee patches on another pair. The ultra suede they had was very thin, not at all like real suede. It would be fine for regular clothes but I guess that I will have to order from one of the suppliers and wait. Should I get faux or real? These will be for lessons, I am also thinking about making white breeches for showing. I bought a second pattern with the frock-style dressage coat and breeches. The breeches have side zippers and optional waist bands and pockets. One option has a plain front with optional zippered pocket. The other view has a pleated front and side pockets. Both views have a notched rear waistband and are full seat style. I do not think the pleated would be a good look on me but I am wondering if the side zipper is best for wearing in a show and if they should be real leather full seat? I do not know what is the more popular style currently. Since it took so long to get the fabric (I had to send the first back as the material had a bad dye job) I would like to make them soon so that I will be prepared. Thanks, Cynthia
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Member:
stevens
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Posted on Thursday, Jun 14, 2007 - 6:51 pm:
Hi Cynthia,
I have made my own breeches since I'm tall and all breeches are too short for me both in leg length and in the rise.
I'm guessing you have the Suitability patterns which I really like, but have to admit require more than a little sewing expertise. I ordered deerskin online from Montana Leather Company for my breeches and was very happy with it. My experience has been that with the big upswing in the crafts market, all the neighborhood fabric stores are dominated by crafts and quilting material and little else. Consequently, I buy my breech material online, Seattlefabrics.com, the Equestrian Lycra is wonderful.
As I mentioned, I buy leather online from montanaleathercompany.com, but check Ebay too. Rumor has it that Tandy has garment leather, but I haven't checked it out.
IMO, nothing beats deerskin, but it is pricier than cow hide. My theory is that if I'm going to take the time, and it does take time to do the fitting and sew them up, to make breeches, I want them to be the best they can be. For your knee patches, you can always use fabric patches too. Also, IMO pleated fronts ONLY look good on people with absolutely flat stomachs and I certainly don't fall in that category  . I prefer real leather, but that's a personal preference. Since I haven't made any white breeches, all my show breeches are synthetic.
Good Luck
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Member:
cgby1
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Posted on Thursday, Jun 14, 2007 - 7:57 pm:
Hi Chris, Your right, I got the patterns from SuitAbility and the fabric is the Equestrian Lycra from Seattle Fabrics. I ordered the fabric around May 23rd but had to return it and finally got the new fabric on the 10th. You are also right about the fabric stores. I just talked to Field's fabrics and they are sending me 2 samples of a medium weight ultra suede that are supposed to be suitable for breeches. The material is about $39 a yard but they sell by the inch with a 1/8 yard minimum. How much should I expect to pay for deerskin and how does the sewing machine handle it? I have done special projects over the years, I made a reversible cloak for my son, a velvet cape for his girlfriend and a split riding skirt from SuitAbility a few years ago. In my 20's I made myself a square dance dress that earned me a lot of compliments. My thoughts exactly on the pleated fronts as well. Since they will be for lessons I thought the faux suede would be fine but maybe I should get the deerskin for the white breeches? Should they be the side zip style? I noticed that not all the dressage riders at the world wore black jackets, I am hoping that I could make one in navy. Black is not a good color on me, what do you think?
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Member:
erika
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Posted on Friday, Jun 15, 2007 - 8:39 am:
Hi ladies, in case you just want breeches that fit and don't necessarily want to make your own...here is a web site for a company that I discovered at Equine Affair.
They custom make the breeches to your measurements with no extra charge. Great choice of materials and leathers. I LOVE my long breeches that zip up the outside of the leg. They look like saddle-seat pants. Constant compliments on the trail.
At least take a look, they are a bit pricey but they guarantee that they fit and they will reuse your leather seat/patches on another pair when they wear out or you want another style.
His breeches are WONDERFUL!
www.equissentials.net/
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Member:
dres
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Posted on Friday, Jun 15, 2007 - 9:19 am:
I have been wearing Equissentials for years... LOVE THEM... and nice thing about em is.. you can return then for new pants they will use the old SOFT leather that is now just perfect for a small price... So your breeches get a '' reset'' .. 
My girlfriend is a seamtress, she makes my riding coats.. I get the best with the coolest fabric i can find.. It gets pretty darn hot here in the summer months.. show season..
On the first day God created horses, on the second day he painted them with spots.
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Member:
stevens
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Posted on Friday, Jun 15, 2007 - 9:44 am:
I've been thinking about trying the equissentials and appreciate the first "hand" or "derriere" reviews.
Front or side zip is a matter of preference, it's not like you can really see them under your coat.
The price of deerskin is going to vary, I paid around $40 (plus shipping) for a hide that was approximately 8 sq ft and got enough leather for one pair of full seat breeches and maybe enough left over for a pair of knee patches. YMMV, I've got a 34 inch inseam. Farm raised deer hides are bigger and don't have bullet holes that you have to work around but are closer to $100/hide.
Good luck.
Chris
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Member:
stevens
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Posted on Friday, Jun 15, 2007 - 9:49 am:
Whoops forgot to answer your question about sewing deerskin on a home machine; just make sure to use a leather needle and you shouldn't have a problem. It's garment grade leather so is basically similar to sewing very heavy denim.
Just be careful when stitching because it's not like fabric and holes from pinning or basting are there forever. I'm really impressed that Equissentials can "reset" the leather. I know when I've had to restitch I have to be very careful to make sure my stitch length has not changed and to restart in an existing hole.
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Member:
hwood
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Posted on Friday, Jun 15, 2007 - 10:24 am:
Gosh, Chris . . . I am so impressed by your precision . . . I used to sew quite a bit, and know how difficult it is to hit the mark while sewing over old needle holes. I expect you are very precise with your training, too, which bodes well for you and your horses.
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Member:
erika
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Posted on Friday, Jun 15, 2007 - 11:08 am:
Chris, my deerskin full-seat britches have a little star-shaped patch on them that I always wondered what it was there for (I quite like it though!). I guess it covers a bullet hole huh?
The zippers I was talking about are up the side of the leg so you can have them either inside your boots or over them like a boot-cut. Really cool.
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Member:
stevens
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Posted on Friday, Jun 15, 2007 - 4:36 pm:
Holly, you give me far too much credit. Unfortunately, I'm not as precise with my training as I should be so am in the process of recovering from my horse deciding to be in charge. Would have been far easier to prevent it in the first place.
On the up side, I had a fantastic ride this am; and there was much rejoicing.
Erika, I seem to remember reading something about the star patches covering "imperfections" in the hide. Cool idea about the zippers at the bottom of the leg, I haven't seen that before.
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Member:
cgby1
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Posted on Friday, Jun 15, 2007 - 5:20 pm:
Chris, What happened with your horse, I hope your okay? I also had a good lesson this a.m. Good point about the deerskin. Mmmm, I was thinking, I could make a patch out of cloth scrape and make sure it is in the right place and is the right size, then mark around it with pins. Then I could iron the leather in place with fusible webbing and then stitch it down. What do you think? And I found Montana leather, the site that sells the deerskin for the price you quoted. Thats not too bad price wise and if it wears well and you can reuse it, even better! I bought needles for sewing knits and leather, I will practice a bit with scrapes to see how it goes first. When I made the velvet and satin cape for my son's girlfriend, it was tricky because the material wanted to slide all over the place.
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Member:
ilona
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Posted on Friday, Jun 15, 2007 - 6:19 pm:
Ditto Holly,
I used to sew all my own clothes at one point, including suites etc. I no longer have the time and found myself becoming too obsessed with perfection for my own well being. Mind you, having met you Chris, I would expect no less of you 
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Member:
stevens
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Posted on Saturday, Jun 16, 2007 - 9:15 am:
No injuries, just some "who's in charge" discussions after ruling out possible pain causes for undesired behaviors. Everyone's back on track. Yikes! Maybe I am obsessive compulsive there too Holly and Ilona are onto me!!
I used masking tape to "baste" the leather in place. I don't think you'd want to fuse it as the heat may damage the leather.
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Member:
hwood
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Posted on Saturday, Jun 16, 2007 - 9:45 am:
I wonder if the fusible webbing is ironed from the inside, with a towel between the material and the iron (since most breeches are synthetic) if the fusing would work without hurting the leather? Maybe try a scrap piece leather on a scrap piece of material to see.
Obsessive compulsive isn't bad. Wish we had more obsessive compulsive employees at workplaces today. Some of that "Good ole New England work ethic" can go a long way. And when it is married to a California "if it feels good, do it . . . Farrrrr Out, Man" mentality, it can be good for both parties.
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Member:
ilona
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Posted on Saturday, Jun 16, 2007 - 1:45 pm:
You can buy webbing material specially for ironing sensitive fabrics, so the heat and steam disperse evenly without damaging the fabrics. Brown paper is another good way to iron. I would google 'sewing with suede' and check out what comes up. There are a lot of sewing sites and posts to draw from.
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Member:
stevens
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Posted on Saturday, Jun 16, 2007 - 3:35 pm:
I still would recommend against fusing the leather, especially if you think you may want to reuse it in the future.
Maybe tack it in place with some small pieces of fusing, then stitch.
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Member:
cgby1
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Posted on Sunday, Jun 17, 2007 - 7:41 pm:
Hi Ilona, Are you home for awhile? Thanks for the tip, I never think to use google for things like that. Chris, that's a good point about reusing the leather. I would not want to ruin it. Have you seen Seattle fabrics Spandura material? It's really nice and I am thinking of ordering some of the navy and the nude (beige). The price is the same per yard, it is soft and supposed to be durable for breeches. I checked out that equissentials web site, nice but a bit too pricey for me. Especially when you add a waistband and pockets.
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Member:
stevens
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Posted on Monday, Jun 18, 2007 - 8:35 am:
Cynthia,
I think I have a piece of the spandura sitting around waiting for me to make it up. It's pretty rust color that should match my horse pretty well.
good luck,
Chris
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Member:
cgby1
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Posted on Saturday, Jun 23, 2007 - 12:50 am:
Chris, I went to a tack sale at Big Horse in Temecula today. I was looking at the breeches there and at the tack West, down the street and saw some different fabrics. Some of them were ribbed, including the white ones. Since I am not around anyone (women) who shows I don't know if there are some fabrics that are better or more preferred than others. I like the looks of the Spandura but I wonder if they might be warmer than the cotton-lyrca that I have.
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Member:
stevens
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Posted on Saturday, Jun 23, 2007 - 3:16 pm:
Cynthia,
I don't think very many people actually have an eye for fabric like we sewers do. Someone might notice white flannel or polar fleece, but I doubt anyone will see the difference between spandura and cotton-lycra.
Personally, I like the extra stretch of the spandura. I find it actually lighter than cotton-lycra and cooler. I suggest you go with whatever feels best to you.
Trust me; it's not like it's going to be the only pair you ever have ; I know breeches seem to multiply in my closet.
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Member:
cgby1
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Posted on Saturday, Jun 23, 2007 - 7:35 pm:
Chris,
Your right, I always check out the fabrics.
I'm very happy to hear that the Spandura is cooler, I like the texture better than the cotton-lycra. I didn't really care much for the ribbed material of the breeches at the tack store. The beige and the navy Spandura sample is brushed on the inside. They don't have white Spandura at Seattle Fabrics, when I order the beige I will ask them about that. I really am looking forward to having more than one pair.
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Member:
cgby1
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Posted on Monday, Jul 16, 2007 - 11:15 pm:
Hi Chris, I am almost finished with my second pair of breeches. I bought some light gray fabric and I made a pair of regular breeches with ultra suede leg patches. Now I am making full seat breeches, same fabric and ultra suede. I ordered enough of the beige Spandura to make two more pairs and since they did not have the Spandura in white, I ordered the white equestrian lycra. Unfortunately all they had was the herringbone material. I am going to start making a pair to show in as soon as I get the suede I ordered last Monday. I thought that I would use the ultra suede for now while I am learning. It's more forgiving and the pin holes don't show. When I start showing in the higher levels I may try the deerskin. Well I have to get back to work, hope your summer is going well!
Cynthia
P.S. I saw a magnetic spatula in notions for picking up needles and remembered a refrigerator calender magnet I had (last years). It's now next to my sewing machine and keeps all the pins from ending up on the floor.
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Member:
stevens
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Posted on Tuesday, Jul 17, 2007 - 8:32 am:
Hi Cynthia,
That's great. I too have the herringbone fabric and love it.
Chris
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Member:
cgby1
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Posted on Tuesday, Jul 17, 2007 - 12:37 pm:
Hi Chris,
The suede showed up while I was on the computer! I was planning on making full seat breeches to show in, what do you think? How does the herringbone material compare to the schoeller fabric? I wasn't sure that I wanted a textured fabric on my breeches. I found some material for a shirt that is cotton & lycra at the JoAnne's. It has a vertical texture pattern also and I was planning on making a short sleeve shirt out of it. Should I make the tie out of the same material?
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Member:
stevens
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Posted on Wednesday, Jul 18, 2007 - 10:35 am:
Cynthia,
Keep in mind that for the most part, you're going to be moving and far enough away from the judge and audience that it's unlikely anyone will notice the texture of your breech fabric. I personally love the herringbone look.
Regarding the shirt and tie, remember that with your coat on, people will only see the tie. If you ride without the coat due to heat, you should take off the tie and then people will only see the shirt. You're "covered" either way.
Have fun with it and use the fabric you like!!
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Member:
cgby1
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Posted on Thursday, Jul 19, 2007 - 3:25 am:
Chris,
I finished my gray full seat breeches and have started the white full seat breeches that I will show in. The fabric is heavier but I won't have to worry about it being see through! Since I am going to the schooling show on the 28th, I will have enough time to finish it and the shirt as well. But I don't have a jacket yet, so I hope that they will have summer rules. I have everything else except a pair of gloves but I should be able to get them.
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Member:
stevens
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Posted on Thursday, Jul 19, 2007 - 8:58 pm:
Boy, am I jealous!! I hardly have any time to sew.
You've inspired me to get going on the fabric stash I have this weekend.
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Member:
cgby1
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Posted on Friday, Jul 20, 2007 - 9:32 pm:
Good! With the heat it's a good time to do indoor projects! I needed the gray breeches for lessons and practice, but I also want to do a good job. I figured that if I make them one right after the other that I will not forget how they went together and I will get more efficient. I was planning to make the beige spandura breeches before the white ones but I don't have time before the show. I am happy with the way the gray full seat breeches came out, so I think I will do as well on this pair.
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Member:
cgby1
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Posted on Friday, Aug 17, 2007 - 9:29 pm:
Hi Chris, I finished the white breeches in time for the show, they came out pretty well. Did you have a chance to make those rust spandura breeches? This week I made a sleeveless white shirt to wear in the next show. It was the fabric I found at JoAnne's. I had planned to make short sleeves but when I laid it out there wasn't enough material. My husband thought it looked "professional". It was a lot easier than the breeches were.LOL I am thinking about making a jacket soon, should I look at JoAnne's or do you think I should get some samples from one of the companies recommended by SuitAbility? Have you made a jacket for dressage? Do you have any tips? I looked at Tack West, they carry some dressage stuff but they did not have much of a selection. Plus I will probably have to alter anything that I buy off the rack.
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Member:
stevens
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Posted on Sunday, Aug 19, 2007 - 2:14 pm:
Hi Cynthia,
No, I've been so busy with other stuff I still haven't made up the rust breeches or anything else. Well, that's not quite true, I did mend my horse's day sheet and made a couple of demin drawstring bags for dirty horse laundry.
I'm hoping to get sewing again in the next week when my husband is out of town. Keep your fingers crossed for me!!
I haven't made a dressage coat. I was able to get a nice coat on sale at Broken Horn. You may want to bite the bullet and drive to Mary's in Del Mar to find something. I'm closer to Broken Horn but remember Mary's having a good selection. Also, Dressage Extensions is great about returns if something doesn't fit (took me two rounds to get my own boots right!)
As far as fabric, well, you already know my opinion of JoAnne's.... Unless you want to use quilting quarters, I doubt you'd be able to find a nice suiting or wool.
If I were going to make a coat, I'd probably do mail order or take a walk on the wild side and go to the garment district in LA to find fabric.
What did you use for the "leather" of your white breeches?
I'm really impressed with your sewing tenacity!!
Chris
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Member:
cgby1
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Posted on Tuesday, Aug 21, 2007 - 1:47 am:
Hi Chris,
That's a good start, I know how it is. I go for a long time without doing any sewing until something comes along to get me motivated. JoAnne's has a good home decorating section, I found fabric for my guest beDrOom. I made window treatments and a pillow for the bed, plus I bought a set of lamps that were exactly what I had in mind for the room. I have looked at suiting fabric, not bad just not right for a dressage jacket. In June I made a blue summer dress that I wore to my husbands family reunion in West Virginia. That was while I was waiting for the gray ultra suede fabric to arrive.
I have used ultra suede for all my breeches so far, I'm a little unsure about how deerskin will do in a washer and dryer, the ultra suede does real well. I will probably look at Mary's but I am short waisted and I am afraid that after paying a couple hundred I will still have to take it apart to make it fit right. Before I made my breeches I bought a pair of riding tights with a drawstring waist because it was easier to shorten both ends.
One of the reasons I sew is because I can't find the clothes I like in petite sizes. Often they are frumpy or childish and there is very little selection. Or I do home decorating projects in the colors I like and to save money.
Cynthia
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Member:
cgby1
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Posted on Monday, Oct 1, 2007 - 9:03 pm:
Hi Chris,
I ordered fabric for a dressage jacket a week ago, hopefully it will arrive soon. It's called Midnight Stretch from Sawyer Brook, recommended in SuitAbility's material source. It's a light weight wool in dark navy blue. I am looking at buttons and lining for it and wonder what you think?
Cynthia
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Member:
stevens
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Posted on Tuesday, Oct 2, 2007 - 10:02 am:
Hi Cynthia,
Lining should be pretty straight forward, just match the color as best you can.
Buttons, buttons, buttons. How I love buttons. I have gold buttons on my Pikeur jacket, but have a hunt coat that has the cutest buttons that are dark blue (as is the coat) with little fox heads on them.
You'll have to post a picture when you get it done.
Chris
P.S. I FINALLY got the rust breeches done. They're my new favorites.
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Member:
dres
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Posted on Tuesday, Oct 2, 2007 - 11:25 am:
My lining on my coats are in a silky material, red in one and green in another one.. My girlfriend makes them.. my buttons are off my fathers uniforms.. he was a Colonel in the Army..
On the first day God created horses, on the second day he painted them with spots.
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Member:
cgby1
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Posted on Tuesday, Oct 2, 2007 - 4:54 pm:
Hi Chris,
Good for you, just in time for fall! I have been holding off making the beige spandura breeches, I would like to lose a few lbs. The buttons on your Pikeur jacket, are they plain or do they have an emblem on them? The Sawyer Brook fabric company has "equestrian buttons" but the large ones are $3 each and the smaller ones are $2.50 each. They would cost almost as much as the material. I saw some nice ones at Jo Ann's but I am going to look at a bead and button store before I decide. The material didn't come yesterday, I hope it comes today.
Cynthia
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Member:
cgby1
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Posted on Tuesday, Oct 2, 2007 - 5:07 pm:
Hi Ann,
Great idea on your buttons, he still had all his old uniforms? My father passed away over 25 years ago and any uniforms he had are long gone. I could ask my husband about the buttons from his dress blues but I'm not sure he would want to let me use them. Would your friend have any advice on making my jacket? Why did you choose the red and green for your lining, are they your favorite colors?
Cynthia
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Member:
dres
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Posted on Tuesday, Oct 2, 2007 - 5:26 pm:
Cynthia, when my dad past on I went thru his clothes etc.. I pulled the buttons off his coats and donated the coats afterwards.. Haven't a clue why at the time.. but am glad i did..
I bought a Pikeur Jacket so that my girlfriend could copy it, i then took it back..
The lining colors was my idea.. I just like the look when my coat flaps open.. Just adds a little 'color' to my black and white uniform..
On the first day God created horses, on the second day he painted them with spots.
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Member:
dres
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Posted on Tuesday, Oct 2, 2007 - 5:27 pm:
oh just an idea.. go to the second hand stores.. bet you could find some interesting buttons there..
On the first day God created horses, on the second day he painted them with spots..
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Member:
canter
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Posted on Tuesday, Oct 2, 2007 - 7:10 pm:
Ann, I love the idea of using the buttons of your Dad's old uniforms! What a lovely way to "bring" him in to the ring with you. I think I'll ask my Mom if she's willing to part with my Dad's uniform buttons & replace the original buttons on my show coat with them.
My Dad passed away shortly after I bought my first horse and he always loved horse sports (altho I wish he had let me take lessons when I was a kid!) and was thrilled with me learning to ride well into adulthood. I love the idea of showing respect for him with those buttons.
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Member:
hwood
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Posted on Tuesday, Oct 2, 2007 - 9:39 pm:
Corinne won't be the only one riding in uniform!
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Member:
stevens
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Posted on Wednesday, Oct 3, 2007 - 10:00 am:
I have some buttons off some of my mom's favorite items that I've been saving for years now.
Military buttons can sometimes be pretty heavy, so you may want to reinforce the placket pretty well if you want to use them. Also, on some dress uniforms the buttons aren't sewn on but are attached with a clip through a small button hole, I suspect due to the weight. My coat has just plain gold buttons.
Keep in mind that it's unlikely anyone else is going to notice the buttons while you're riding. I doubt the judge will notice the difference between a $3 button and a 5 cent button. They're pretty much there for your own personal enjoyment so go with what you like. I had a Western Showmanship coat that I made with gold buttons that had hieroglyphics on them. Nobody else ever mentioned them but I smiled everytime I put it on.
I love the idea of colored lining in jackets. I have a suit that is black with very thin red pinstripes that has great red lining. I'm not quite bold enough to do it in a dressage coat just yet but more power to you Ann.
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Member:
dres
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Posted on Wednesday, Oct 3, 2007 - 10:39 am:
Chris remember i LOVE color.. nothing bold about it.. just looks good when cantering or on a breezy day !
On the first day God created horses, on the second day he painted them with spots..
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