Club Obi Wan

OK, forgive me if this has been discussed before, but...
On my Wested Authentic Lamb, beneath the D-Ring-side of the side-pulls, the leather underneath the D-Rings and at the edge of the flap of the action-pleat is stitched directly to the leather beneath it. At times it seems to pull on the leather beneath.

My question: has anyone ever taken these stitches out? They seem to serve no purpose since the side-pull would hold the sides together, and it seems that the jacket would drape more naturally without them.

Any comments, answers, theories, questions, insults?

Hemingway,

there is a discussion about this somewhere in the posts. Apparently, there was a purpose to the stitching, and there were those who have removed it, and it made a difference with the action pleats. My suggestion is to do a search (manual or otherwise) and you'll find it. Lots of great info and insight into your query.

Happy hunting!

Thanks Gater,
I did remember something about it a while back. I thought it was a comment embedded in another post. I did a search, but not very successfully.

You have to be very careful with our search feature. You have to ask it soemthing entirely unique to the thread you are searching for or else you'll get volumes...

http://www.indygear.com/forum/viewtopic ... highlight=

Here you go.

Thank you so much, Trevelyan. I don't know how I missed it!

No problem. The only reason I could find it quickly was because I had seen it while looking through my posts the other day. It's always frustrating trying to figure out which key words to put into the search engine.

So, Trevelyan, did you cut yours and has it made a difference either way?

Interestingly enough, I've come full circle with this one - I now prefer to leave the stitching in place! In fact, I cut it out of my goatskin and a couple of months later, had it put back locally.

My reasons? I don't have any specifically, other than it seems to make the jacket a bit snugger at the back which I've decided I prefer.

Fickle, huh?

My action pleast seem to be open often, almost like wings. But then, I think, it's only because you kind of have to twist your body to see the side of yourself in a mirror!
Other times, arms relaxed, jacket unzipped, they are closed.

Hate to kick this if it's dead...but what the heck are you talking about? Got a Wested here (okay, I posted JUST SO I COULD SAY THAT ), but I don't see the stitches mentioned.

Anybody got a closeup? Didn't see one in that other thread referenced either. (Thanks - J)

Jerry, check out behind the side-straps, there is usually a half-inch row of hidden stitching holding either side of the action pleats together.

Hmmm....I'm gonna feel really dumb when I figure it out, but right now, nope, not seeing any row of stitching only a half inch long. Really. Possibly forgotten on mine? (More likely a user confusion.)

If you open the side straps completely on one side, can you pull the action pleat open all the way down to the bottom hem?

I carefully took mine out because I could see no reason to have them and thought maybe the drape would be improved. Now I'm not certain it's made any notable difference! Regarding the old action pleat over-opening thing - I've spent hours standing sideways at the mirror looking at left and right action pleats - and conclude my right pleat opens a lttle too much at the top. I now believe this is cause by improper slouching in desk seat over many hours. Could also be that maybe I have one shoulder higher than the other. (Oh and one "lazy" left eye. And a small ALMOST invisible nobbly bit on on the top of my right ear, and...). Sigh..

Regards from wet Wales,

Striver

ob1al wrote:If you open the side straps completely on one side, can you pull the action pleat open all the way down to the bottom hem?

Yes.

The action pleat is only about two inches deep (from outer edge to inner seam), and runs unbroken all the way down to where it splits, about six/seven inches up from the bottom of the jacket.

I'd rather not undo the side straps, though, 'cause I've got D-rings and apparently mucking w/ them is what eventually leads to slippage. Right now they are holding rock steady so I'd rather leave them like that. But yes, if I undid them, I could get the jacket to lie flat at that point, the front and back panels are not stitched together there, as if holding the jacket together secretly behind the straps.

Sounds like I don't have these stitches, hunh? We'll have to do pics to verify this, won't we?

Yup - it sounds like you don't have them on your jacket.

From what I understand the stitches are there to solve an old problem with the pleats staying open. Now that the depth is changed and the elastics are added there for those who want them, the stitches don't do any real work. (Besides perhaps making it snugger if you like that, like Al said.) I was told that the original jackets didn't have these stitches, but I think I'm gonna let mine stay anyway. We'll see...

Regards,
Swindiana

Hunh. I wonder if they aren't standard on the LC pattern. I would assume Peter would try to reduce his own headaches and keep certain mods on ALL the patterns, but maybe that's the way it settled 'years ago' - maybe that's a Raiders standard, not an LC standard? Hmm...

Hey, that reminds me, Al - did you ever get to ask Peter your list of questions? I'm assuming btwn the MKVII incident, the last minute shennanigans much akin to herding cats, and the brew, it didn't really go off.

i received a raiders in 2003 with the stitches and a raiders in 2004 without. go figure!

The stitching is standard on all Westeds to help keep the action pleats closed, and as all action pleats are the same depth it makes no sense to decide to put stitching in some models and not others.

This then means that when a jacket doesn't have them, they have simply forgotten to put them in.

It's no big deal not to have the stitching - lots of folks actually cut the stitching out and it doesn't really help to hold the pleats closed anyway IMO - it does offer a snugger fit at the lower back however, which I personally prefer.

I cut my stitches after having a look at Indiana Ken's jacket. The result, IMO, is a flap that's free to move around - works well with the distressing...