Hi Reza,
This might sound like a stupid question, when we talk about bespoke suit, do you mean that the suit is completely sewn by hand? I've read somewhere that italians do it.
Is it really feasible to do something like that? And what kind of hand stitch would replace the machine stitches?
PS: i'm a complete novice in that matter, so forgive my dumb question.
Br,
Robin
Hello Robin,
You're asking an excellent question.
Bespoke does not mean that the suit is hand or machine made. It simply means it is made for the individual, after discussing the individuals needs and prefrences.
Before the invention of sewing machines, every single garment created was sewn 100% by hand. Nowadays, the sewing machine is used on many components of a high quality suit.
Many often confuse the term "hand made" with something that is fully made by hand. This is not correct. A more correct term would be "hand controlled" or "hand guided". A carver using a chisel is not truly making a sculpture by hand. Neither is a tailor using a pair of shears. Both use tools that act as an extention of the human hand. The same goes for a sewing machine. Using one does not neccesarily mean "machine made" as long as it's guided by the hands and eyes of an individual.
To answer your other question:
The stitch that would replace a machine stitch for general straight seams would be the full or half back stitch.
See our playlist on basic stitches here:
Basic Tailoring Stitches
Reza
International School of Tailoring