Constructing clothes from patterns

[SgtErv]

Hello all,

I am contemplating making a 1770s frock coat. It's one of those things I am not sure I can tackle or not. It seems complicated as all heck.

I figure a few of you have made clothing from patterns before. Are there any words of wisdom?

(I also realize that a frock coat may be ambitious. Ive done a hunting shirt, knapsack, etc, and have learned some stitches so this isn't my first ever sewing project at least)

Thanks

 

[Black Hand]

A frockcoat from 1770 shouldn't be too bad. The toughest part will likely be the pockets and the junction between the sleeves and body - getting this area to fit well can be tricky. Pin the sleeves to the body and try on the coat - readjust the sleeves until it feels comfortable. Keep an eye of the grain of the material when marking and cutting pieces. The sleeves are cut so they can stretch rather than with the grain. While a shirt is cut from squares and rectangles, the coat is tailored and has irregular/curving seams than can be challenging.

The best suggestion I can make is look at extant frockcoats online - It will help you get a feel for the construction as well as the placing of seams and pleats.

Measure/check 5 times, cut, adjust the fit then sew once - ripping out seams on a tailored piece can lead to damage in places that can't be hidden/repaired.

 

[SgtErv]

I figured there would be problem areas. Pockets weren't one I thought would be.

I found binder clips to be helpful in doing fitting or rough "shaping" - for lack of a better word. The iron helps too.

Beyond chalk, thread, needles, scissors, thimble, yardstick, and cloth measuring tape, any essential haberdashery I'm missing?

 

[Grenadier1758]

The best hint is to get the cheapest fabric you can find to make a trial coat. The trial coat will tell you what adjustments you need to make to sleeve lengths, chest measurements and length of body.

Talk to the seamstress at the fort as you fit the pattern to your body.

Good luck. It's not really that difficult.

 

[SgtErv]

The seamstress at the fort made a regimental a while back. (It's the lottery pattern Continental, brown faced with red). I'll be able to sit down and examine it pretty closely and pick her brain about it. The fort has a good library with some examples too.

A trial coat crossed my mind, too. It might come in handy at a really cold event. I'm in no huge rush, so practice might be best.

 

[Black Hand]

I have the blue wraps that are used for surgical instrument packs that I use instead of fabric for pattern-making. I tend to use staples when fitting the pattern instead of pins. Washable fabric-marking pencils are handy too.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

The best hint is to get the cheapest fabric you can find to make a trial coat. The trial coat will tell you what adjustments you need to make to sleeve lengths, chest measurements and length of body.

Talk to the seamstress at the fort as you fit the pattern to your body.

Mike is quite correct. You're likely to be using wool for the finished product that isn't exactly cheap..., if you are doing an actual uniform coat the wool can be downright expensive...., so much better to screw up poly-cotton, and adjust the pattern to properly fit you, rather than screw up the wool. :shocked2:

SgtErv you also mentioned...,

The seamstress at the fort made a regimental a while back. (It's the lottery pattern Continental, brown faced with red). I'll be able to sit down and examine it pretty closely and pick her brain about it.

having a finished coat is also a very good idea to get the right locations for things. I had a devil of a time until I checked a finished coat, and found the sleeve seams don't match the shoulder seem..., they are offset..., and once I did that the coat finished up pretty quick. The same was true for a pair of knee breeches. The first attempt I ended up with an expensive gun-rag...., when I tried again but with a finished pair to compare..., no worries.

I found myself doing a lot of this


LD

 

[SgtErv]

Ive priced broadcloth at about $25 a yard. Not exactly scrap material with which to experiment.

The surgical stuff sounds like a great idea, is it similar to the material used for the dentist bibs or the pants they give you for an MRI? It's sort of like landscaping fabric. (Which would probably also be good)

So the idea is to tailor the pattern with the scrap material, put it together to take in seams and such. A dry run that you then deconstruct and use that material for the pattern? Sorry if that's a dumb question

It'll definitely take tailoring given my strange size. Well, strange for tailoring purposes - big neck, shoulders, small waist

 

[Rifleman1776]

So the idea is to tailor the pattern with the scrap material, put it together to take in seams and such. A dry run that you then deconstruct and use that material for the pattern? Sorry if that's a dumb question

Good questions, actually.
Resale shops often have blankets at very low prices. Good stuff to practice with. A finished coat of non-hc material might even be saleable and you can recover some of your costs.

 

[ZUG]

My mom was a seamstress back in the day and she still sews. She has made my brother and I full outfits along with two fringed rifleman's frocks for us. She ALWAYS makes the outfits out of cotton muslin first to see how it fits and if it needs any adjustment. The sewing patterns being sold for the outfits of the 1700's - 1800's are not like the patterns of modern clothing and need to be tailored & sewn differently from modern clothing. Buy yourself some cheap cotton muslin and make your outfit do any adjustments THEN make it out of the fabric you want. Jo-Ann's has cotton muslin for $1.49/yard on line.

 

[Black Hand]

The surgical stuff sounds like a great idea, is it similar to the material used for the dentist bibs or the pants they give you for an MRI? It's sort of like landscaping fabric. (Which would probably also be good)

https://www.medline.com/product/He...ization-Wraps/Sterilization-Wraps/Z05-PF09206