Readers, yesterday we turned our clocks back to standard time so I took advantage of the extra hour and got started on the pea coat. My English "sew-alonger" is well along on the muslin. In fact, she may be on muslin #2. Yikes! Time to get moving. This is the coat. A double breasted pea [...]
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Frock coat finale!
The Victorian Frock Coat with Shawl Collar Brocade Vest A single breasted frock coat in brown wool herringbone. Worn over a polyester brocade vest of black, bronze and gold. Both garments fastened with antique brass buttons. Pattern by Laughing Moon Mercantile #109. A day in the country or a day at the grocery store. It's [...]
The frock coat. Down the home stretch
What the hell is going on here, you may ask? This is the shoulder pad being pad stitched into the chest canvas. While these stitches look huge, only a small amount of the canvas is caught with each stitch. It's at this stage that the Cabrera book really starts to get confusing, so in a [...]
Interlining, uncharted territory
After cutting out the lining I held the larger pieces up against the wool to get a feel for the eventual weight / substance of the finished coat. My impression was that it was a bit flimsy, especially considering that I will primarily wear it as outerwear. I also hate being cold, so I decided [...]
Frock coat progress
I haven't posted any progress for awhile, but believe me I've been hard at work. I continue to use my Cabrera book as a guide, just using the techniques that make sense for this project. I decided to add flap pockets on the seam where the upper coat attaches to the skirt. The pattern as [...]
The frock coat — back to tailoring
Things are progressing on the frock coat front. I altered most of the pattern pieces. Here they are all spread out. I shortened and narrowed the sleeves, lowered the lapel and increased the back by 1.5 inches. Again, if you haven't tried the Swedish tracing paper I encourage you to try it. I'm a true [...]
Edwardian frock coat — The fitting fight
I've launched into the Edwardian frock coat, Laughing Moon Mercantile #109. As you can see below, there's a lot of work to do. Eeeeeek!The size 40 vest fit perfectly so I cut the 40 coat. Sadly, there's nothing "perfect" going on here. The jacket fits fine in the front but is way too tight across [...]
The steampunk brocade vest, oh yeah
I've wanted a steampunk wardrobe for almost a year now. On my very infrequent trips to NYC, I've been collecting the components to make it. The materials for this vest have been hanging around for months, and I needed a break from the Japanese pattern book. Deciphering all those diagrams can be exhausting. To say [...]
The completed trench coat
The coat has actually been finished for awhile. I was hoping to have a photographer and some gritty Asbury Park, NJ backgrounds. But my photographer was only available before his work day begins, and we both totally forgot that it's pitch black these days before 7 am. C'est la vie. So here I am in [...]
Please don’t call the couture police!
Sewing a lining in by hand may be tres couture, but it's difficult to do and do well. You probably all know how much I hate working with polyester lining material, so the quicker I can be done with it the better. Here is the completed lining (minus its hair canvas front interfacing which was [...]
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