captain's coat

[Rahne]

Thanks for the tip Sealion.  I think I have to keep with the ones I ordered for his jacket, already paid for them, but I did put a bid in on some rose buttons and bought 36 dragonfly buttons for my jacket and shirt for $42 and shipping is only $3.  That will save me a bit on mine.  Will also give me a few spare buttons in case of loss.
I'll post pics of the jackets when they are done.  It will probably be a while though I have a few other projects to Finnish before I can start them.

[Kate XXXXXX]

Here are a few more wild ideas to set you thinking...

Jack Sparrow's coat is made of silk.  Silk tweed is light weight, breathable, and hangs beautifully.  It's also quite strong, so will stand quite a bit of wear.  It does fray, so exposed cut edged need to be clean finished.

Wool/silk mixes, and cashmere mixed with silk make very fine suitings: look for 'tropical weight'.

Linings need to be smooth to allow ease of putting on and taking off.  Cheaper linings of the past included cotton sateen (like curtain lining), and glazed cotton.  Better linings were twill woven silks.  If you opt for silk, it's well worth putting a silk lining in.  Whatever you line with, make sure it is COAT WEIGHT lining.  Dress lining is too light weight and will fail quickly.  A good lining for a lighter weight coat is bemberg (or Bremsilk), a breathable cupro lining.

If you opt for curtain fabric with a polyester content, you could always leave the coat unlined, but do clean finish all seam allowances!



Wool Barathea from http://www.abimelech.co.uk/, lined with heavy twill coat lining from Sid Trim, Leeds, UK.  Rank Tape from http://www.wyedean.com/index.htm, buttons from Jo Cooper (cast pewter).

    

Poly mix jacquard curtain fabrics from http://www.abakhan.co.uk/, gold braid from BL Joshi UK Ltd, Wembley, blazer buttons from http://www.daintysupplies.co.uk/1/intro.cfm.  These were unlined.  The waistcoats were lined and backed with polycotton sheeting!

The red one for Gez was done using this pattern from JP Ryan:


The kids ones were made using this pattern from Simplicity:


More on each project, which might be helpful:
http://www.diceyhome.free-online.co.uk/KatePages/Costuming/Three%20Dancing%20Pinces/three_dancing_princes.htm
http://www.diceyhome.free-online.co.uk/KatePages/Costuming/Town-Crier/town_crier_project.htm

[sealion]

Thanks for the tips Kate! I'm planning some pirate garb for this winter's projects.

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

KAte and I use the same JP Ryan pattern for Pirate Coats. It's a very good one. I also use the JP Ryan pattern for the long waistcoat(vest) as well.

[Kate XXXXXX]

I didn't bother with a waistcoat pattern...  Just adapted the coat pattern!     Saved a bit of cash that way.

The JP Ryan coat is excellent, but does use proper 18th C construction methods.  You need to watch for that, as at the back, at the top of the vent, you end up with a raw edge on the outside!  As I said in my coat diary, "the instructions for dealing with it were missing.  I emailed the pattern producers, and they were VERY helpful: this bit was usually finished with either a buttonhole type stitch, or covered by braid.  I think my 'mock buttonhole stitch' works just fine, and it went through all the layers, fixing them together, and is much stronger than a hand worked stitch.  To tidy up the inside, I sewed a patch of barathea over it by hand and pressed it flat."  Susan North at the V&A was equally helpful and nice.  Originally a heavy coat like this may well have been made from Melton cloth, a wool cloth woven about 120" wide (yes, even in the 18th C!), and fulled and felted down until you couldn't see the weaving, and it looked like dense felt.  Cloth like that doesn't fray, and is way to thick to make turnings in, so it was left with raw edges.  It really doesn't fray!  Take a look at my Redcoats project for more: http://www.diceyhome.free-online.co.uk/KatePages/Costuming/Phil%27sjackets/redcoats_are_coming.htm

On Gez's coat you can just about see the stitches here...



The kids pattern is different at the back, not being cut quite so authentically...



Lady K, I'll just say it again:  I LOVE that prirate coat!  I've just finished a black velvet project, and am writing it up.  I'll get it on the web site some time soon...

[Rahne]

Those jackets look great.  I hope mine turn out so well.   I can't wait to start working on them.  We'll be wearing them for pirate weekend at GLMF next year.  Thanks for the extra material tips.  I did find an absolutely beautiful fabric at Joanne's in the home decor section it is an embroidered silk, black on black.   Even on sale it is expensive, but I am seriously considering it.

[Kate XXXXXX]

Go on, spoil yourselves!  You're worth it...  And I always think it's not worth doing £300 worth of time, effort, and sheer hard work and bling on cheap fabric...  BARGAIN fabric, yes (those kid's coat fabrics cost me £2.50 a meter, but were excellent quality and vastly reduced), but not cheap fabrics.

[sealion]

Those jackets look great.  I hope mine turn out so well.   I can't wait to start working on them.  We'll be wearing them for pirate weekend at GLMF next year.  Thanks for the extra material tips.  I did find an absolutely beautiful fabric at Joanne's in the home decor section it is an embroidered silk, black on black.   Even on sale it is expensive, but I am seriously considering it.

FYI- There is a magazine you can buy at Joann's that I can't recall the name of (usually NOT with the magazines but displayed on top of the patterns cabinets at my local store) that you can buy for $2.99 that has coupons on the back cover good through the end of december. (2) 30% off, (2) 40%, & (2) 50%.

[Rahne]

 If you opt for silk, it's well worth putting a silk lining in.  Whatever you line with, make sure it is COAT WEIGHT lining.  Dress lining is too light weight and will fail quickly.  A good lining for a lighter weight coat is Bemberg (or Bremsilk), a breathable cupro lining.

Most of what is actually listed as lining fabric is polyester or rayon or some man made fabric.  I looked under the silks on line at fabric.com and at Joanne's have not seen any Bemberg or Bremsilk
All that I could find was  Bemberg that was rayon which would be hot if I'm not mistaken.  I did find Taffeta and Duponi silk, but both say light weight.  would either of these work for a lining fabric?  Or can you point me in the right direction to find some?

[Mythrin]

I too have used the same JP Ryan pattern as Kate and Kathleen.  I have also made 6 French Military coats from a Canadian company for French and Indian War renactors that is easier to make then the Ryan one and has a really nice swish factor to the skirting - the pattern name eludes me right now but I know that JAS Townsend sells that brand.  The instructions on both are making huge assumptions about your sewing skills and just instruction you to for example "finish front closure edge" vs telling you the steps to accomplish this.  Kate- I like the satin stitch solution for the back of the Ryan Pattern skirt pleats.  I used the trim solution.  I was particularly pleased with this Ryan coat's back


I have done some modification to the Simplicity on to make it look more period correct.  I make the coat's skirts larger at the side seams and open up the back to be a vent rather than a solid skirt.  I also fit it closer to the body and sometimes play with the turn back on the cuffs and add functional pockets.  This photo of the modified Simplicity pattern is of a suit weight worsted wool coat with velvet trim and velvet lined turn back over-sized cuffs.  It is lined in cotton.

[Kate XXXXXX]

If you opt for silk, it's well worth putting a silk lining in.  Whatever you line with, make sure it is COAT WEIGHT lining.  Dress lining is too light weight and will fail quickly.  A good lining for a lighter weight coat is Bemberg (or Bremsilk), a breathable cupro lining.

Most of what is actually listed as lining fabric is polyester or rayon or some man made fabric.  I looked under the silks on line at fabric.com and at Joanne's have not seen any Bemberg or Bremsilk
All that I could find was  Bemberg that was rayon which would be hot if I'm not mistaken.  I did find Taffeta and Duponi silk, but both say light weight.  would either of these work for a lining fabric?  Or can you point me in the right direction to find some?

I don't know where you'll find them in the USA, but these are the TYPES of fabric I'm talking about:

Bemberg/Bremsilk: Dresses, light jackets:
http://www.macculloch-wallis.co.uk/Product.aspx/Linings!2130

Some more info on Bemberg/Bremsilk:
http://www.bembergitalia.com/gbcupro00.html

Cotton sateen: Now often used for pockets:
http://www.macculloch-wallis.co.uk/Product.aspx/Linings!2117

Satin twill lining: jackets and coats:
http://www.macculloch-wallis.co.uk/Product.aspx/Linings!23114

Silk habotai: dresses, lingerie:
http://www.macculloch-wallis.co.uk/Product.aspx/Linings!5116

Satin with flannel back - USA source!  Sometimes called Kasha satin...  Heavy winter coats:
http://store.sawyerbrook.com/Templates/frmTemplateP.asp?CatalogID=141&SubFolderID=20

I used it for the inside of my winter coat a couple of years back:

[gem]

I too have used the same JP Ryan pattern as Kate and Kathleen.  Kate- I like the satin stitch solution for the back of the Ryan Pattern skirt pleats.  I used the trim solution.  I was particularly pleased with this Ryan coat's back

I'm really surprised by that--I used the JP Ryan caraco (lady's jacket) pattern, which has similar pleats in the back/skirting, and they're not finished like that *at all.*  (Picture in which you can't really see anything).  There's some bar tacking that is visible on the outside, but it's nothing like a raw edge!  I wonder why the difference....

I actually found that JP Ryan pattern to be the single easiest pattern I've ever used.  It went together utterly without confusion--which, for me, is like a miracle! LOL

[Kate XXXXXX]

Mythrin, the stitching is more like buttonhole stitch than satin stitch.  It's one of the applique stitches on my machine, modified for size and direction...

Gem, I think the Caraco jacket is quite different at the back.. It would appear that it isn't split, and has no pleats, whereas the gentleman's coat is split and has pleats both in the side back seam and at the ends of the back section that is stitched down on the outside.  It's a military officers coat, developed for riding astride, which is why it has the split.  While view D of the Caraco does have a split, it doesn't appear from the drawings to have any pleating, relying on the fullness of the skirts to cover the hip area of the skirt worn with it.

One of these days I'll get that pattern and make it, just to satisfy mt curiosity.   

[gem]

Gem, I think the Caraco jacket is quite different at the back.. It would appear that it isn't split, and has no pleats...

It's not split, but it has three deep pleats, at the side back and center back seams (I loved making the pleats, b/c they turned out so beautifully, almost all on their own; I was a little sad there were only the six, counting the lining.).  The pleats look exactly like the one in Mythrin's photo. 

[Kate XXXXXX]

Right, Gem, I really WILL have to get that pattern!  Another for the 'Someday' pile...