Maverickson
Well-Known Member
Hi All,
Wanted to share with the Forum my latest vintage jacket restoration. It is a Large size (no size label) Willis & Geiger M-422A from the 290 contract. Although well worn and pretty much a basket case, this jacket still had plenty of potential.
To bring this jacket back to life it’s cuffs (the original waist band remains) , lining, mouton and zipper changed out. In addition, it's restoration also required some extensive stitch and dye work.
Here are some pix of those results.
This jacket was originally a very dark brown.
In doing this restoration work I paid special attention to detail. All work in which can be seen with leather on both sides was done with the double needle stitching technique. This next picture of the jacket's collar and zipper top sitching is a good example
All others areas with the machine.
In almost all cases and whether using hand or machine stitch, the original stitch line was followed. A good example of following that original stitch line can seen here.
These Willis and Geiger M-422A jackets are quite unusual. Being War time produced many anomalies can be found in their construction. But & in my mind, this fact only adds to their appeal. In most all cases, the color, type and placement of the hides used to construct these jackets vary greatly from one jacket to the other. As a result and unlike most later made USN jackets, no two of these M-422 style jackets really look exactly alike. In my opinion, this only adds to their appeal.
The only real drawback I can find with these jackets is with regards to the thread used to stitch these jackets together. Likewise, the thread on this particular jacket was quite thin or better suited for a lighter weight garment. Combine the marginal size of the thread with age, the fact that it is 100% cotton and that spells trouble. So I took it upon myself to change out most all this jackets structural stitches both inside and out.
Again and after many hours of painstaking labor, most all stitches were replaced in their original holes.
Enjoy!
Cheers, Dave
Wanted to share with the Forum my latest vintage jacket restoration. It is a Large size (no size label) Willis & Geiger M-422A from the 290 contract. Although well worn and pretty much a basket case, this jacket still had plenty of potential.
To bring this jacket back to life it’s cuffs (the original waist band remains) , lining, mouton and zipper changed out. In addition, it's restoration also required some extensive stitch and dye work.
Here are some pix of those results.
This jacket was originally a very dark brown.
In doing this restoration work I paid special attention to detail. All work in which can be seen with leather on both sides was done with the double needle stitching technique. This next picture of the jacket's collar and zipper top sitching is a good example
All others areas with the machine.
In almost all cases and whether using hand or machine stitch, the original stitch line was followed. A good example of following that original stitch line can seen here.
These Willis and Geiger M-422A jackets are quite unusual. Being War time produced many anomalies can be found in their construction. But & in my mind, this fact only adds to their appeal. In most all cases, the color, type and placement of the hides used to construct these jackets vary greatly from one jacket to the other. As a result and unlike most later made USN jackets, no two of these M-422 style jackets really look exactly alike. In my opinion, this only adds to their appeal.
The only real drawback I can find with these jackets is with regards to the thread used to stitch these jackets together. Likewise, the thread on this particular jacket was quite thin or better suited for a lighter weight garment. Combine the marginal size of the thread with age, the fact that it is 100% cotton and that spells trouble. So I took it upon myself to change out most all this jackets structural stitches both inside and out.
Again and after many hours of painstaking labor, most all stitches were replaced in their original holes.
Enjoy!
Cheers, Dave
