Merry Christmas, all. Here is the marking stitch for a pocket flap. On period coats, the pocket flap is even with the lowest button on the coat front and the hip buttons over the side pleats. The curve matches the top of the flap. Small problem: sewing is going to be with right sides together, […]
Read more "Pockets and &c."This mess is the inside of my center back pleat. Cheap lining material covers all the interfacings. The center back opening and side pleat edges are finished. Long, black basting stitches hold everything in place. Across the top, rough stitches join the pleat to the lining. Also visible are the tiny stitches that close the […]
Read more "Trainwreck"Time to study the beast in the wild. This fantastic English suit coat at the Met dates to between 1750 and 1775. You can see more pictures of it here: http://www.metmuseum.org/collections/search-the-collections/80014551?img=0 One thing has always bothered me about men’s coats in this period. Where do those big pleats (on either side of the center back vent) […]
Read more "Mysterious Folds"Okay, I lied. A small side-trip before the back pleat returns. The pocket flaps need four decorative buttonholes. I did some experiments to see how the coat material handles tight stitches. It seems to hold together, but care is required. This is the essence of drunk tailoring: meticulous sewing on sleazy material. I find worked […]
Read more "Close Worked Buttonholes"Here is the left side of the diagram (a coat front with canvas pinned in.) The interfacing on mid-century coats is substantial. The skirts are fully-lined and the button and buttonhole backing pieces are wide. There is even some padding in the collarbone hollow. The pleat re-enforcing piece is clearly visible at top. The waist […]
Read more "Fronts and Buttons"So here is one back piece. Compare it to the right side of the diagram in the last post. M. de Garsault says the tops of the pleats need to be re-enforced first. I made mine out of scraps of brown hemp canvas. The coat back has two: the rectangle on the left keeps the […]
Read more "Step One"I find this diagram intriguing. All of these different types of interfacing were common in mid-18th century coats. According to M. de Garsault, the tail padding was out of fashion by the 1770’s. Equally interesting is the center back pleat–a big gash in the coat that somehow needs to be hidden after it is all […]
Read more "L’Art du Tailleur"