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Post by luftwelle93 on Jun 8, 2014 17:07:52 GMT -5
I was wondering,I have a DAK tunic but it doesn't have collar litzen or breast eagle.Instead of buying another tunic I was wanting to instead get a shot at sewing them on instead.Should I do this or will it be a tough thing to do?
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Post by ssgjoe on Jun 9, 2014 17:46:07 GMT -5
I have hand sewn by litzen, breast eagle, EK2 ribbon, and obergefreiter chevrons. It's time consuming, but definitely doable.
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Post by LϟϟAH1944 on Jun 9, 2014 18:08:52 GMT -5
Well, is yours BeVo or embroidered?
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Post by luftwelle93 on Jun 9, 2014 18:17:15 GMT -5
Well, is yours BeVo or embroidered? It will be BeVo tropical breast eagle. |
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Post by LϟϟAH1944 on Jun 9, 2014 18:23:51 GMT -5
then you should have it folded over, glued, and machine sewn with zigzag
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Post by luftwelle93 on Jun 9, 2014 18:43:27 GMT -5
Sounds easy but I would need to fetch a sewing machine.Getting it tailored on would be a bit awkard  |
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Post by insterburger on Jun 9, 2014 21:01:45 GMT -5
Actually, if you fold it over there is no need for the zigzag sewing. There are plenty of originals with straight stitching, some of my repros have been done one way, some the other. The straight stitching is perfectly stable and absolutely historically accurate (actually the one original Hoheitszeichen I have was originally straight stitched). Zigzag stitching is much more common as that was the factory standard, but if you're machine sewing, you'll have to go through the liner, which wouldn't be the case (they were sewn on before the liners were installed). Bottom line, either way will work, zigzag will look more standard outside if you don't care about what the inside looks like. But if you want to do it yourself, go ahead and just sew it.
You should fold over the BeVo either way. There are plenty of instructions online for folding, it's really not hard to do if you take your time.
If you want to go to a tailor, in my experience I've found native Chinese ones tend to not be prejudiced at all. There's two great Chinese guys in my town who have sewn tons of insignia for me (WWII as well as East German), and neither has ever batted an eyelash... I guess this somehow relates back to that whole "asian girls in German uniforms" thread, huh?
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Post by luftwelle93 on Jun 9, 2014 23:25:26 GMT -5
Actually, if you fold it over there is no need for the zigzag sewing. There are plenty of originals with straight stitching, some of my repros have been done one way, some the other. The straight stitching is perfectly stable and absolutely historically accurate (actually the one original Hoheitszeichen I have was originally straight stitched). Zigzag stitching is much more common as that was the factory standard, but if you're machine sewing, you'll have to go through the liner, which wouldn't be the case (they were sewn on before the liners were installed). Bottom line, either way will work, zigzag will look more standard outside if you don't care about what the inside looks like. But if you want to do it yourself, go ahead and just sew it. You should fold over the BeVo either way. There are plenty of instructions online for folding, it's really not hard to do if you take your time. If you want to go to a tailor, in my experience I've found native Chinese ones tend to not be prejudiced at all. There's two great Chinese guys in my town who have sewn tons of insignia for me (WWII as well as East German), and neither has ever batted an eyelash... I guess this somehow relates back to that whole "asian girls in German uniforms" thread, huh? Not to sound stupid but what does folding mean?I will surely give it a try.Unfortunately I am not aware of any Chinese tailors in the area (I can look).Your last sentence reminded me of the photos in this article.Apparently Asian women and Third Reich regalia dates further back than we thought (scroll down to see some more craziness) link |
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Post by insterburger on Jun 10, 2014 5:43:18 GMT -5
There are better instructions out there, but you basically need to trim down the insignia to leave a border around the actualt eagle-- say about 1/8" all around (crners need to be cut to a point). Then what I do is I use a straightedge and an iron to create a clean fold at the actual edge of the insignia. If it needs any adjustment I do that, then put a TINY bit of contact cement inside that fold and press again, which holds it down. Now the edges are folded over and will not fray when you sew them on to the uniform.
Again, that's the basic version. Sounds more complicated than it is, but you basically need to have all the edges folded under or the eagle will fray away.
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Post by luftwelle93 on Jun 10, 2014 11:05:37 GMT -5
I'll give it a shot!The Afrika Korps cuff will be a pain though I think  |
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Post by ssgjoe on Jun 10, 2014 11:53:21 GMT -5
I sewed mind by hand, kinda like a "field stitching".
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Post by luftwelle93 on Jun 10, 2014 12:52:57 GMT -5
I will surely do it.I have a perfectly good DAK tunic that is naked and in need of some character.It will be cheaper than getting a fresh tunic with insignia added on from anywhere else.I will probably post a pic here of me in tunic how it looks so far.I will probably do the same for my field cap with tropical BeVo.
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Post by huxy on Jun 10, 2014 13:43:31 GMT -5
Looking forward for it!
I sewed on my Propagandakompanie-cuff title by hand myself. Isn't that hard, takes time aligning though!
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Post by luftwelle93 on Jun 10, 2014 13:55:40 GMT -5
Cool,that's what I wanted to hear.I will probably post pic of me in the Axis "I'm Working on it" thread.As time goes by I will show my progress in the DAK impression while at same time with the Heer.
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Post by gunslinginotaku on Jun 12, 2014 23:14:59 GMT -5
I was wondering,I have a DAK tunic but it doesn't have collar litzen or breast eagle.Instead of buying another tunic I was wanting to instead get a shot at sewing them on instead.Should I do this or will it be a tough thing to do? I'm a TOTALLY novice sewer (?) in fact, this was the FIRST thing I ever did (aside from a stuffed rabbit when I was six) and I thought mine came out very well, so I made a video. www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTBnRHgE0UA&list=UUTxYEcmkRl8XnADwqjk6jiQ |
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Post by luftwelle93 on Jun 12, 2014 23:39:06 GMT -5
Wonderful,it will give me a good idea on how to do it,thanks!Not bad for a first timer.The closest thing I did to a proper sewing job was home ec. in 9th grade (with me jamming the sewing machine every time I hit the pedal  ).I'm not sure what would be cheaper though,get the tunics on Hessen with BeVo and litzen already sewn ($20 extra) or buy them separately?Either way I will have fun collecting. |
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2nd Bat
Master sergeant 
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Post by 2nd Bat on Jun 23, 2014 16:38:19 GMT -5
Understand of course that your challenges are the same as actual soldiers and whatever your results (perfectly tight, properly aligned or some what off and less then perfect) will be authentic and represent a realistic tie between you and your uniform. Insignia on vehicles run the same way. Restorers and military vehicle owners want these perfectly aligned and beautifully painted on stars and unit markings when in fact this was a job usually assigned to the company screw up as extra duty. The result is most were somewhat slopped on and frequently misaligned and often not according to regulations.
Imperfections in your insignia installation will be authentic rather then distracting unless clearly done wrong or horribly applied in which case an NCO would probably order them redone.
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Post by luftwelle93 on Jun 23, 2014 19:12:16 GMT -5
Sounds interesting,I will try my hand on it very soon hopefully!
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Post by LϟϟAH1944 on Jun 23, 2014 21:30:40 GMT -5
Understand of course that your challenges are the same as actual soldiers and whatever your results (perfectly tight, properly aligned or some what off and less then perfect) will be authentic and represent a realistic tie between you and your uniform. Insignia on vehicles run the same way. Restorers and military vehicle owners want these perfectly aligned and beautifully painted on stars and unit markings when in fact this was a job usually assigned to the company screw up as extra duty. The result is most were somewhat slopped on and frequently misaligned and often not according to regulations. Imperfections in your insignia installation will be authentic rather then distracting unless clearly done wrong or horribly applied in which case an NCO would probably order them redone. Yes, but you need to remember that insignia was applied when the tunics were made. Poorly sewn insignia looks like crap quite honestly. |
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2nd Bat
Master sergeant
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Post by 2nd Bat on Jun 23, 2014 23:15:11 GMT -5
So how is it that some uniforms had them while others didn't (especially the HBT)? This is not a dig, its a genuine question because I know very little about German uniforms. i have seen lots of take home (removed insignia) that appeared to have been hand sewn rather then factory applied. Were they mostly issued with the insignia in place? If so it would make great sense to try and buy the tunics with them professional attached.
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Post by ssgjoe on Jun 24, 2014 1:10:13 GMT -5
Yes, but you need to remember that insignia was applied when the tunics were made. Poorly sewn insignia looks like crap quite honestly. There are many examples of field applied insignia. And in the instance of the breast eagle, you see them in many positions above the right breast pocket, including being sewn with the swatstika hanging over the pocket flap. So honestly, it's really hard to screw up with a breast eagle. It really only needs to be over the right breast pocket. But when it comes to litzen, that actually has a technique to hand applying them. And it isn't the most fun thing to do. You want it to be symmetrical and folded a certain way. I can get a link for luftwelle on how it should be done if he needs. Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk |
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Post by LϟϟAH1944 on Jun 24, 2014 11:28:21 GMT -5
The best option for the eagle would be to bring it to a tailor. However, for the litzen, you'd need to do that on your own, its pretty tricky.
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Post by LϟϟAH1944 on Jun 24, 2014 11:30:39 GMT -5
So how is it that some uniforms had them while others didn't (especially the HBT)? This is not a dig, its a genuine question because I know very little about German uniforms. i have seen lots of take home (removed insignia) that appeared to have been hand sewn rather then factory applied. Were they mostly issued with the insignia in place? If so it would make great sense to try and buy the tunics with them professional attached. HBT is a totally different case. Some did, some didn't. Mostly, they were made with it. But, you need to remember- machines broke down, and when youre trying to make uniforms in a ghetto or huge factory, youre not going to stop because you have a broken down machine. Also, for SS, it is common for hand sewn, since many times they used Heer tunics(as I do). SS soldaten also sometimes were required to hand sew the collar tabs. In Heer, however, this is the exception. |
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Post by ssgjoe on Jun 24, 2014 11:31:33 GMT -5
I agree. But doing the breast eagle by hand is not bad. And in some places, taking a piece of what the tailor thinks is "nazi insignia" to be sewn on may not end well. But other places its totally fine.
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Post by luftwelle93 on Jun 24, 2014 12:18:20 GMT -5
Yes, but you need to remember that insignia was applied when the tunics were made. Poorly sewn insignia looks like crap quite honestly. There are many examples of field applied insignia. And in the instance of the breast eagle, you see them in many positions above the right breast pocket, including being sewn with the swatstika hanging over the pocket flap. So honestly, it's really hard to screw up with a breast eagle. It really only needs to be over the right breast pocket. But when it comes to litzen, that actually has a technique to hand applying them. And it isn't the most fun thing to do. You want it to be symmetrical and folded a certain way. I can get a link for luftwelle on how it should be done if he needs.
Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk I would be more than happy to see a how-to for litzen |
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Post by LϟϟAH1944 on Jun 24, 2014 13:08:23 GMT -5
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Post by luftwelle93 on Jun 24, 2014 13:28:17 GMT -5
Danke,though I suck at sewing.I will probably get the M40 with insignia already on and a M36 with me applying on my own (cuts cost for me)
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Post by ssgjoe on Jun 24, 2014 23:14:20 GMT -5
Hey, I wanted to give him the link!  Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk |
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Post by LϟϟAH1944 on Jun 25, 2014 0:09:10 GMT -5
sorry lol |
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Post by luftwelle93 on Jun 25, 2014 0:59:58 GMT -5
Ha,no problems here I hope |
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).I'm not sure what would be cheaper though,get the tunics on Hessen with BeVo and litzen already sewn ($20 extra) or buy them separately?Either way I will have fun collecting. 
