Pad stitching (hand tailoring technique)
Also known as: Pad stitching, Padding stitch, Lapel padding
Hand-worked stitches that permanently shape horsehair canvas and shell fabric into the lapel and collar of a jacket.
Description
Pad stitching is the core hand craft of a classically constructed suit jacket. Horsehair canvas and shell fabric are joined on the inside of the lapel and under-collar with thousands of small, offset hand stitches (the pad stitch). As the fabric is slightly rolled over the canvas during stitching, a permanent curve is created that gives the typical soft-rolling lapel later on.
Good pad stitching is recognised by the fact that even after years the lapel does not flatten and the collar wraps cleanly around the neck. From the 1900s to today it distinguishes hand-tailored jackets from fully fused mass-produced garments and is, together with the hand-rolled hem, the most important quality feature of menswear tailoring.
- Stitches run slightly diagonally to the roll edge, spaced about 3-5 mm apart
- Fully hand-stitched on the finest suits, often done with a pad-stitching machine in RTW
- Combined with the back stitch for the collar stand
- Foundation of the classic lapel construction in business suits and tailcoats
Properties
| Stitch type | Hand stitching with many small pad stitches |
|---|---|
| Use | Lapel, under-collar, front shaping in tailored jackets |
| Tools | Hand needle size 8-10, cotton or silk thread |
| Care | Dry-clean only or hand stitching relaxes faster |
Related product categories
Sources & references
2- Wikipedia: Pad stitch Wikipedia — Freie Enzyklopädie https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pad_stitch
- Deutscher Meisterverband Massschneider masschneider.de https://www.masschneider.de/
