Cashinturnlocks

Add the Elegance of Bonnie Cashin to Your Garments, Part Two

by Jennifer Orsini

In “Add the Elegance of Bonnie Cashin,” Jennifer Orsini got us started on a coat with some of Bonnie Cashin’s signature details. In Part Two, she provides instructions for adding a signature Cashin closure, twist locks, and then takes us through the steps for a leather-bound collar.

Few things say “Bonnie Cashin” like twist lock fasteners. They were originally used on boats to hold cloth to wood, but Cashin adopted them for use in center front closures, pocket and purse flaps, and other lapped closures. These sporty closures, also called common sense fasteners, are rarely found in fabric and trims stores, so you may have to order these fasteners on-line or buy them from a sailmaker’s supply shop. I found them at Sailrite.com, where they had some great videos that showed installation. (ed. note: we've also found them in the purse making section of Joann's super stores. The ones Jennifer reccomends are much sturdier though.) When making a selection, be sure that you are buying a full set of cloth-to cloth closures. There are some nifty versions for wood to cloth, but save those for your camping projects. If you have applied snaps or eyelets in the past, you will recognize the technology of the twist lock. There is a ‘hole’ eyelet for the top lap, and a ‘twist’ unit for the bottom lap of the closure.

The pros call these an ‘eyelet’and a ‘stud.

Like many eyelets or snaps, each unit has two parts: the upper unit (the stud) and the backing piece (the eyelet)(see below).

Preparing for Twist Locks

On both loopy wool and suede garments, the same leather that binds the hem and sleeves is used to face the front edges. This binding is cut 2 ¼” to 2 ½” wide. The leather trim is applied as usual to the fabric face, down the front fabric edge.

Next, the width of leather is rolled around to the fabric back, forming a wide facing about 1 ½” wide on the inside of the front edge. This is stitched on the good side of the fabric, at the edge of the rolled leather, using the same technique as with a narrow leather binding. A second row of stitching is sewn from the inside at the edge of the 1 ½” wide leather facing. This stitching line is visible on the coat front, creating a center front band about 1” wide, from neck to hem. The twist locks are centered between this line of stitching and the leather-bound edge.

Placing the Closures

When placing twist locks, try on the coat and decide where you need your fasteners. On a Cashin coat, there are three fasteners centered 7/8” to 1” from the front edge (they are placed in the center of the front band). Listed below are some average twist lock spacings down the center front. All are measured from the center of the eyelet. Spacing starts at the top of center front, at the neckline. Leather shrinkage has affected the exact measurement.

• Jacket center front length: 27”, centered at ¾”, 8 ¼”, 15 ¾”

• Coat center front length: 39 ½”, centered at 7/8”, 8”, 15 3/8”

After the exact location has been determined, it is important to create a perfect sized opening for the ‘hole’ eyelet. I recommend investing in a small manual punch for this purpose. The bottom unit simply requires slits for the tabs to slide through. You can make a cardboard template for the tab holes before you start. The Sailrite website has four easy-to-understand tutorial videos on application techniques. The directions below use only a sharp knife blade and a cardboard template for the tab holes.

• Top lap - the eyelet: Mark a dot on the fabric where the four prongs should go. Using an Exacto knife or sharp blade, cut a tiny nick in the fabric for each tab. Push the eyelet tabs through these holes, and fix the backing in place. Bend the tabs over with pliers. Use the knife to cut out the inner oval of fabric. If you get good at this, you can pre-cut the inner oval before applying the eyelet.

• Bottom lap - the twist lock: Mark where the twp prongs should go. Using the same knife, cut nicks in the fabric for the tabs of the twist lock to pass through. Fasten the backing as you did above and you are done.

Bonnie Cashin’s Collars

Mandarin style collars were common on Cashin’s classic styles. This collar stands between 1 ¾“ and 2” high. Here are some simple directions. • Stabilize the bottom edge of the collar and lining with stay stitching at the seam line. • Lay the collar and lining together, good sides facing out. Baste the two pieces together around the sides and top of the collar at the seam line.

• Bind the face and lining collars with leather around the three outer edges, leaving the bottom edge open.

• Sew the face collar to the jacket body, good sides together.

• Turn up the seam allowance of the collar lining, and hand sew in place around the neckline of the jacke

• A suede collar may be lined in leather. This leather lining is cut 1” larger than the suede. The leather corners are mitred first, then the lining is sewn as a binding to the suede. Finally it is turned and stitched. This creates a bound edge. On the inside neck seam, the leather is machine sewn (stitch in the ditch). And that is it, classic and simple.

For more information on using twist locks and heavy-duty sewing, I highly recommend Sailrite’s Instructions and Tips. This site has loads of tips and techniques for doing the job right. I’m so inspired, my next project might be canvas awnings.

Jennifer Orsini is co-chair of the Fashion Department at Pasadena City College and has been teaching fashion and costuming for 20 years. She is the owner of Pintucks, a vintage fashion and fabric boutique with sewing workshops and studio classes. She can be reached at pintuckstyle@gmail.com.