Hi guys,
Thank you for all the great comments and encouragement! To be honest, I'm completely bowled over by the response. I didn't really know what the outcome would be when I started this project. For me it was about making a reproduction Irvin which looked and felt as much like an original as possible, because that's what I had been looking for, but hadn't found.
The only thing I'm not happy with on the test jacket is some of the stitching. I think a bit of wonky stitching is fine, and to aim to make a 'stitch perfect' repro would not be in keeping with original Irvins - I don't think any of them had perfect stitching. What I am keen to achieve though is stitching which is competent enough to be professional. I improved a lot just on this test jacket, so over the next month or so I will be doing lots of practising!
Now that I've successfully put a jacket together I've come to realise how important this project is to me. I'd love more than anything to be able to do this full time. Even though it was hard, I enjoyed every minute of it. Some of the materials and hardware I bought and had made are in sufficient quantity to kit out a squadron or two, but I will need to order more sheepskin after the next two or three jackets. These will be test jackets, but hopefully to a saleable standard. One concern I have is the potential price I would have to charge if I go into full production. There's no way that I can compete with the likes of Eastman or Aero on price, as they are larger-scale makers with machinists, more buying power, etc. Taking into consideration the high cost of the materials and the time it takes me to make them, I would have to charge more than Eastman and Aero to make an income. What I'd like to know, in order to see if I can actually make this work, is how much would people be willing to part with? Your input on this would be really appreciated, because I don't want to get off on the wrong foot with something so important.
Anyway, I don't want to get ahead of myself, so in the meantime here are a few more photos of some of the details. I still have the elastic collar strap to sew together, so will post a photo of that when it's done.
Cheers guys, and thanks again for all your support.