George Weed had a problem. In Woodbury, Connecticut in 1746 he handed off some bogus examples of the colony’s script to a known counterfeiter. George informed this fellow that his brother Samuel signed the notes and could imitate any man’s handwriting. The counterfeiter got arrested in Fairfield County in October. Weed passed some fake 20’s […]
Read more "Problems"When it comes to pleats, it’s good to keep that sh*t tight. Anchor the tops to the reinforcing panel and each other. Two long stitches through each pleat keep the folds from opening too much. Tacking the pleats to each other and the coat is the final step. The coat is flipped on the form […]
Read more "Finishing Touches"If you don’t have The Cut of Men’s Clothes 1600-1900 by Norah Waugh, get it. There are lots of patterns and tons of great quotes: “The art of the tailor consists above all in cutting and pressing–the latter process giving the garment the elegant durable shape it should have. This operation, which is very delicate, […]
Read more "Pressing"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"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"