Yards of Fabric Needed for an Overcoat?

[Fishball]

I agreed with Manton."An expert cutter could cut an SB suit out of 3 yards of solid cloth." Mine do. I'm 5'8". So 3m is more than enough.
My POW SB suit is cut from 3m, check matched.
So, sometime tailors want more fabrics to make their work easier, but not your wallet.

 

[Despos]

Originally Posted by Eustace Tilley

Despos says 3.5 yards could possibly be enough for a three-piece:

http://www.styleforum.net/showpost.p...45&postcount=8

For a 40 short, it is still a big maybe.

To answer your question, knowing the topcoat length and your chest size are the key bits of info needed. That you are 6ft tall is not relevant to how much cloth you need.
For a normal size chest, double the topcoat length, plus outlet for hem, plus a couple of inches. The coat would be layed out with the front and facing side by side. The back would be next with the sleeves ( top & under sleeve) laying parallel to the back and the top collar at the end. If the front is too wide and the facing does not fit next to the front then you move the facing along side the back and you need to add enough cloth to cut the sleeves. One extra yard would be safe. 3 yards would be enough cloth for a 40 chest with up to 48" length. This works most of the time but does not allow for variables.
If there is a nap, a horizontal match, raglan sleeves, patch pockets, a belt, you need extra cloth.

It is best to ask the person cutting the coat.

 

[yfyf]

Are you a fan of Thom Browne?

 

[Despos]

Originally Posted by Fishball

I agreed with Manton."An expert cutter could cut an SB suit out of 3 yards of solid cloth." Mine do. I'm 5'8". So 3m is more than enough.
My POW SB suit is cut from 3m, check matched.
So, sometime tailors want more fabrics to make their work easier, but not your wallet.

or a tailor wants extra cloth to make sure all the pattern pieces are layed in one direction or to avoid piecing the crotch or the waistband on the trouser.

Reversing pattern pieces will distort the shading of the cloth. More expensive the cloth, the more evident the distortion will be.

You are interchanging meters and yards. There is a difference.

 

[babygreenspots]

Originally Posted by Fishball

I agreed with Manton."An expert cutter could cut an SB suit out of 3 yards of solid cloth." Mine do. I'm 5'8". So 3m is more than enough.
My POW SB suit is cut from 3m, check matched.
So, sometime tailors want more fabrics to make their work easier, but not your wallet.

I agree in general here, though 3m for a POW seems pushing it. I have had several 2 piece SB suits cut from 3 meters. I have also had 3.8 meters made into a 2 piece SB suit with one pair of extra trousers. I even had a knee-length DB solid overcoat cut from 2.4 meters. Whether or not three is enough would depend on the pattern, but it should not be a problem. Of course, all of this was with 1.45-1.5 width fabric.

Oh, I am 6'1 and 40L - with 27.5 inch sleeves.

 

[kolecho]

Originally Posted by Fishball

I agreed with Manton."An expert cutter could cut an SB suit out of 3 yards of solid cloth." Mine do. I'm 5'8". So 3m is more than enough.
My POW SB suit is cut from 3m, check matched.
So, sometime tailors want more fabrics to make their work easier, but not your wallet.

3m is approx. 3.3 yards. Trying too hard to save on cloth is not wise IMO, especially since it is usually small in relation to the cost of a completed garment.

 

[Fishball]

Originally Posted by Despos

You are interchanging meters and yards. There is a difference.

Despos,
I am not interchanging the units. When 3yds is enough, 3m will be more than enough, right? 3m=3.3yds. Hong Kong uses many difference measurement units. The traditional chinese tailor (making Cheong Shum) still using traditional chinese length unit, that is not yard and metre.

Kolecho,
Not me pusing to hard to save cloth, instead the tailors told me to save cloth.
I always buy 3m for the plain, 3.2m for the check, and the tailors keep saying no need to buy that much, it is just wasting money. Since most of the time I do CMT, I always ask them how many metre/yds they want. A-Man just used 1.8m for my London Lounge Best of Both tweed jacket. I gave them 5m to cut, they gave me back 3.2m.

 

[Eustace Tilley]

Thanks Chris

 

[mimile]

If you are ordering from england, please be aware of teh fact that you might be offered single or double width fabric. this is usually sold per metre.
If the piece is simple width, this means you are getting 1 metre x 0.75 metres.
If the piece is double width, this means you are getting 1 metre x 1.5 metres.
So please ask your tailor how much he really needs, calculate the amount needed and be aware of difference simple-double wheen you order. I had the same problem a few weeks ago, and I had to order more tweed (I got simple width, not enough...)