installing armpit gussets in an old wested

[eaglecrow]

I do have the chance to get my very first wested jacket back. It is a brown lambskin made in 1998 or 1999. It's a real great jacket and it has aged well. The only thing that bothers me is bad arm movement (the whole jacket body lifts up along with raised arms. The jacket is, however, a baggy cut.
Now I'm thinking of getting arm gussetsfor better movement.

Did anybody of you had that done to an existing jacket before? Can you recommend it?

[Kevin Anderson]

Not much you can do about it I'm afraid.
If the armholes are too big there's no making them any smaller.
Gussets won't help, you'd just be adding more leather.
Only solution is to get a jacket with small armholes.

[eaglecrow]

hmm... doesn't sound great. Did you guys tried it out yourself?

[eaglecrow]

Gemma from wested told me it can be done for roughly 20 pounds.

I thought maybe there is someone who allready had it done there and can share the result?

[fenris]

I actually want to have this done with my custom cotton jacket. Being cotton, the material is relatively cheap... and... there are a lot of good tailors over here who can probably do it for a really cheap price (probably around $8.00 and that's the most expensive estimate, I think).

If I have time, I'll probably have it done.

[CM]

Gemma from wested told me it can be done for roughly 20 pounds.

I thought maybe there is someone who allready had it done there and can share the result?

Yes, I'm sure it can be done. I'm also sure it will only make a cosmetic difference and will not address the physics of the sleeve movement. I have never heard of anyone getting this done. WHy not try and get back to us. 20 punds is play money...

[Michaelson]

Looks like you're right back where you started, looking at the responses.

So, bottom line, the answer is 'yes', and 'no'. It's still your call.

It might work, and it might not, so if you do it, be prepared to be either extremely pleased, or totally bummed....but at least you've been warned.

Regards! Michaelson

[eaglecrow]

hmm

If it wasn't such a speccial jacket I would just get another new one. On the other hand it's a dark brown collour with a tan undertone I haven't seen in any Indy jackets in years (I probably have examined 20 different jackets or so). I also have this fable for wested jackets, too.

Tricky. I guess I will ask the local tailor of my trust first and see what she's thinking of that idea.

I'm pretty shure that an armgusset would give it a bit more of movement and wont lift the jacket when I raise my arms, but I am not shure if the flying squirel look wouldn't just morphe to an empty potatoe sack look

[donovan]

from my own personal experience owning wested jackets (custom LC/CS pattern) having the gussets made no difference to stopping the jacket rising when lifting ones arms .the 'flying squirrel' problem seems to be a 'design fault' of the cut/pattern of the jacket (-with wested jackets).

[kwad]

I'd bet a paycheck they are just going to remove the gusset area from the existing sleeve and replace it with a gusset-shaped patch. A gusset-shaped patch is not a gusset.

That pretty much describes the gussets on my last Wested (an LC).
It looks like a gusset, but doesn't do a thing.

It's a beautiful jacket (they got every one of my specs right) but, I can't lift my arms so it doesn't get worn very much.

[eaglecrow]

I think if I would tell the folks at wested that I need the gusset for better arm movement and not for screen accuracy, they would try to make the gusset for this purpose and wouldn't just cut a piece out of the exsisting arm (which would make it even shorter).

Since a tailer allways works best with a jacket and the actuall guy in it I might have it done here in Graz anyway.

@_: if I decide to send it back to wested, I'll don't mind taking your pay-check

[Kevin Anderson]

It would ruin the look of the jacket.
The only way you'll get better arm movement and less 'lifting' is by removing the entire sleeve, building up the too-large armhole with additional
leather, then re-attaching a smaller sleeve in the new 'smaller' armhole. It'd be a very big job and would just look awful.
Adding a gusset to any already large armhole would be useless. They simply don't work that way, especially Wested's.