Linen waistcoat

I use linen holland in the waistcoat series. I have tried the waistcoat linen B&B offers but don't like it as it is too heavy and ridged. When I have been short linen I have used regular body canvas in both medium and tropical weight. If its a lightweight finish you want to your garment I would suggest using the linen holland. If its a soft finish use tropical body canvas from B&B (theliningcompany.co.uk)

Hi Jeroen,

What you're writing makes a lot of sense, thank you.

Please keep me posted with your waistcoat progress! (Sewing horror stories are always welcome!).

Hiya,

I've been doing some searching an reading about this.

Two interfacing fabrics often advised for linen:

- silk organza

- cotton broadcloth

My personal take on this:

- Get something that's lighter than the linen cloth you're using and offers the amount of rigidity and springiness you want.

That's it, really. We're not using fusibles (which can be tricky with linen) or throwing our waistcoat in the washing machine - both things where problems can pop up. (Preshrinking!)

So, why not use linen holland, cotton holland or lightweight body canvas?

The Lining Company offers a "waistcoat body canvas".

I have ordered some really lightweight canvas here in Germany a for my next waistcoat, which has a similiar weight to linen canvas, but is less sensitive to water.*

Let's see, if somebody else has experiences or info to share :)

Cheers

JK

* Horror story about waistcoats, "dry cleaners", linings and linen holland might follow later - after the waistcoat competition is finished.