Pc sewing thread for capote?

[FrontierTrapper92]

So, whenever I see my capotes I usually use simulated sinew and split it down to a smaller size and it works out perfectly but, does anyone know what thread would have been pc hc for a capote. Waxed linen thread,regular linen thread, cotton thread, hemp???etc… What would have been best to use back in the day to sew by hand???

 

[SBJ]

Wool or hemp thread. Wool is ideal, as it won't cut through wool fiber like artificial sinew will. Hope that helps

 

[blackhorse]

Wool yarn

 

[Johnny Tremain]

/Concur

Wool Thread, we used yarn.

 

[tenngun]

When I got my first pattern for a reservation style it said to tease yarn from the waste and use that.
Real thread, hemp linen or cotton, all work better then artificial or real sinew. Embroidery yarn works real well, thicker then regular thread and softer then waxed linen for leather work. It also can be matched to your colors.

 

[Gunny5821]

You can drag the wool yarn through beeswax, just like linen thread, to reduce the diameter and tighten the fibers. It also reduces drag while sewing.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

You can drag the wool yarn through beeswax, just like linen thread, to reduce the diameter and tighten the fibers. It also reduces drag while sewing.

Ding, ding ... for the win!

 

[Red Owl]

Question- I don't see wool yard as a fur trade item- that is, on the lists of supplies. I would think linen thread BUT I HAVE no idea if that is correct.

 

[Tallswife]

Question- I don't see wool yard as a fur trade item- that is, on the lists of supplies. I would think linen thread BUT I HAVE no idea if that is correct.

Wool thread/yarn, Linen, and silk would all be period correct. Silk thread would prob be harder to come by out in the mountains and/or frontier.

 

[FrontierTrapper92]

When I got my first pattern for a reservation style it said to tease yarn from the waste and use that.
Real thread, hemp linen or cotton, all work better then artificial or real sinew. Embroidery yarn works real well, thicker then regular thread and softer then waxed linen for leather work. It also can be matched to your colors.

Thanks tenngun. Btw, what have you found personally to be the best stitch for sewing these? would you use a running stitch, whip stitch, back stitch?

 

[tenngun]

Most capotes back in the day were fitted. On my overcoat I hem the edge with a backstitch then bring the sides together with a ladder stitch. Then on the inside reenforced under the ladder with a whip

 

[FrontierTrapper92]

Most capotes back in the day were fitted. On my overcoat I hem the edge with a backstitch then bring the sides together with a ladder stitch. Then on the inside reenforced under the ladder with a whip

Thanks for the sewing suggestions. I know they were more tailored and fitted, I just wanted a reservation style one to wear to pow wows and a voo. Definitely in the future I’ll be making a tailored one out of wool blanketing if I decide to go to a juried event.

 

[waksupi]

That fake sinew sucks. Hunt up some linen thread. It comes in different weights. Shoemaker suppliers, or saddlery suppliers are the common sources. Let Dr. Google be your guide.
My last spool of 1500 yards was under $25, but that's been a few years back. Works for all your leather work, too. It comes in left or right twist, if you know which lay you need to keep it from coming unwound while sewing. If you get the wrong one, you just need to spin the needle the opposite direction to tighten it up again, no big deal. I prefer a hard ski wax over beeswax for waxing it.

 

[tenngun]

Thanks for the sewing suggestions. I know they were more tailored and fitted, I just wanted a reservation style one to wear to pow wows and a voo. Definitely in the future I’ll be making a tailored one out of wool blanketing if I decide to go to a juried event.

Your seams will still be stonger if you hem and then ladder stitch.
Looking real good on reservation style is a bright colored welt at your shoulder seam. You can do this with a felt, or a flannel bought at Wally World.
Your other edges can be raw,but even worn robe like the underside of the sleeves gets a lot of stress and unravels at the arm pit easy if not hemmed,and as you sleaves are folded at the top for arm fringe they make a self welt. But you want that hem and welt in the bottom
You can edge with a contrasting yarn color or the same color on a blanket or x stitch. A blanket stitch is easier to add by hand and get even

 

[Jay Templin]

In the 18th century, “thread” was linen by definition. Anything else was “sewing silk,” “sewing cotton,” “twist,” etc.
Linen, run through beeswax, is the most authentic thing to use, but wool yarn would work very well, and is probably less likely to damage the wool of the capote under stress.
Jay

 

[Red Owl]

I used a blanket stitch but to be honest- just did it without thinking. Has anyone seen an original and what kind of stitch was used? I am mostly interested in the mountain man era and there were diaries that the outfit stopped and made some so capotes could be homemade or a manufactured trade item.

 

[FrontierTrapper92]

I used a blanket stitch but to be honest- just did it without thinking. Has anyone seen an original and what kind of stitch was used? I am mostly interested in the mountain man era and there were diaries that the outfit stopped and made some so capotes could be homemade or a manufactured trade item.

If anyone else knows, I’m curious to know too…

 

[Red Owl]

I'll do a "mea culpa" I've made a lot of stuff and thought- at the time- I was right on spot. Later there is some detail I overlooked so I re-make the thing, then THAT I find out I still got something wrong. A few things I re made about 5 or 6 times. Part of the deal I guess. It is a learning experience.
Which is actually half the fun.

 

[Mad L]

Wm Booth Drapper carry a conistant line of linen and other threads. I have a couple of their skeins of the heavy weight, good stuff. Also check their 'Yarn' page for other options.

I had thought they were where I found heavy hemp yard, great strong stuff, but I dont see it there now - might have found it on Etsy??

Also, if you make anything like a hunting frock or shirt where you 'pull' the fringe - KEEP your pullings, makes great heavy thread for other projects! I have a pair of fall front trousers sew wholly with fringe pullings and still a lot left over.

**Don't forget to Welt your seams when sewing wool, just as in leather!

Wm. Booth, Draper - everything for American Revolutionary War reenactors

business that provides fabrics, thread, patterns, sewing gear and notions for reenactors

www.wmboothdraper.com

 

[LongWalker]

Capotes--and a lot of other clothes--were sewn at the posts. This was done piecework, with fabric (not blankets), thread, and notions provided by the company. I'm not sure if patterns were provided, or if the seamstress (many posts had tailors, but most records seem to indicate clothes made for stock were sewn by wives of the workers) was expected to draft the patterns. The literature and old records seem to suggest patterns were provided (as in "made to pattern"), but they may have been provided finished pieces to work to, or have been working to common standards that "everyone knew" but no one recorded.

I've had the chance to closely examine 2 commercial capotes, both pre-1850 by the collection dates. Both were lined (one in the body and sleeves, one in just the body). Both were of a fitted pattern rather than the square- or box-cut pattern so common today. (From what I've seen in collections, while the patterns changed over the years, they seemed to consistently use a fitted pattern rather than a box-cut.)

There were no raw edges on either. The coats were put together with running stitches, bar tacked at some of the stress points. Some of the edges were backstitched (probably tacked first). Button holes were bound, not button-hole stitched. Both were primarily sewn with linen thread, but silk was used at some points. The threads seemed to be "generally"dyed to match the fabric (qualifiers being that dyes fade/change over time, and that I'm sufficiently color-blind that I may have missed something).