I've hand sewn linen garments as part of a living history tableau and it's quite a zen thing to do if you have time on your hands (or want something to keep your hands occupied while sitting in front of the TV!). These sorts of garments are, however, almost invariably made out of various sizes of rectangle so they're not tricky.
Someone in our society did some research into the hand-sewing of historical jackets and found that the approach one would take if making it on the machine is different from that taken if hand-sewing. As an example, on a machine you might sew a cuff or collar right sides together, then trim, turn and press. By hand, the turning of the seams is done first and the facing piece and top piece laid wrong sides together. The facing allowances are turned in marginally further, making it slightly smaller than the top piece. They are then stitched together as one might stitch applique by hand, with tiny, barely visible stitches and the piece is ready to attach to the main garment. Worth rethinking one's approach, then, if planning to make a modern garment by hand, perhaps?