Wearing History's 1934 Long Coat- Spring Version

I liked my 1934 Wearing History winter coat so much, I decided to make another version of it.

I had a piece of raincoat fabric in the stash that was just waiting for the right project.

I shrunk the collar as with the first one, and added another button hole, two decorative buttons, a belt, and sleeve belts. The coat is fully lined. I have no process photos, as I didn't originally plan to blog the project. If you are interested in the process, it was almost the same as with the first coat, just two blog posts behind this one.

These additions to the pattern give it a trench coat feel. 

It's perfect for a cool Spring or Fall day. 

If you are interested in this pattern, you can buy it here: http://wearinghistory.clothing/circa-1934-coat-pattern-bust-36/
And no, she doesn't pay me! I am just a fan of this company.

The Baby Crazy Quilt

I used to do a lot of quilting. It kept me sane when my kids were young and I was constantly changing diapers, doing laundry, cooking, etc. At a time when almost all the work I did was temporal, I loved quilting because I was creating something that lasted. As the kids grew up, I started doing alterations and custom wedding gowns. I also worked as a Costumer for nearly 15 years. I sewed all the time, and the quilt fabrics got pushed to the back of the stash. 

Things have finally slowed down a little. Close friends were expecting a child in December. The urge to make a baby quilt was strong- and I had time! I have always loved crazy quilts and their rich variety of colors, textures, and design elements. Our friends have a life that is a lot like a crazy quilt- highly variable, and full of the unexpected. I decided to make them an all cotton crazy quilt of predominantly antique colors.

I started by going through my embroidery designs, choosing those that fit them or us or both. 

Once I had stitched out a dozen or so, I cut four 20" square blocks out of tightly woven cotton sheeting. Each piece would eventually be a large crazy quilt block. I dug out fabrics and lace from the back of the stash and purchased a couple special pieces. The first block was the hardest to make. It is more difficult to create scraps out of whole cloth than you might think. Once I got into the swing of it the process became easier.

I quickly learned that I needed a lot more embroidered pieces. I made them all on my embroidery machine.

After arranging the pieces and pinning them in place, I used the buttonhole and feather stitches on my Bernina to hold everything together decoratively.

After sewing the four blocks together, I added a few three dimensional elements.

The quilt is filled with cotton batting and tied. The backing fabric was folded over to the front for simple self binding. 

I enjoyed making it, looking at it, and gifting it.

Cersei Lannister's Red Dress

Game of Thrones has fabulous costumes. They are beautifully designed and lavishly embroidered. I fell in love with Cersei Lannister's red dress, generously embroidered with gold, and decided to make an attempt at recreating it. 

I used Simplicity pattern #1487 and tweaked it a bit. 

I made the dress using three colors of  linen- red, flax, and gold. I used my embroidery machine to create most of the embroidery, since I have arthritis in my hands. The designs are a little different than the ones on the original dress for that reason. To make the designs curve around the neckline properly, I embroidered them on gold silk organza, cutting the extra organza away and clipping where necessary to make them curve. This technique also gave the designs more loft. I sewed them in place with large, widely spaced machine zigzag stitches of the same thread. I was able to embroider the lions directly onto the dress. These amazing designs come from Urban Threads. You should check them out.

I finished the basic dress and gold embroidery nearly a year ago. We took some photos, and then I set it aside until I had time to finish it.

I started working on the dress again in August 2015 and completed it later that month. I made the birds and flower buds using free motion embroidery on my regular sewing machine. The beading was done by hand. The tail feathers are real.

I also added a belt that I made. I think it turned out pretty well. 

Many thanks to my friend Katie Bernier for once again being my model.

If you are interested in owning this dress, it is available at: Cersei Lannister's Red Dress

Make a Man's Tailcoat the Easy Way

Do you need a man's tailcoat for a play, historical, or steampunk event? Do you have basic sewing skills? If so, creating a man's tailcoat is easily within your grasp.

I start with a thrift store suit coat. The coat should fit it's intended wearer well in the shoulders. Fully lined coats are best. Avoid coats with patch pockets, as you will have to remove them and sometimes the fabric underneath the pocket is darker, or otherwise leaves a mark. A jacket without a vent in the back will make your job even easier.

Have someone put the coat on for you, and mark the desired front length. This is usually 1"- 2" above the welt pocket. You can complete the marking while the jacket is on the person, or place it neatly on a table, front side up. Using a piece of tailor's chalk, draw a line straight back from the center front to the side front seam. From this point, curve the line down around the welt pocket, and just before you get to the side seam, drop it down a couple inches. Repeat on the other side and join your lines in the back. Align the coat layers so that they are perfectly smooth. Pin generously above and below the lines. 

Cut through all the layers about 1/2" below your chalk line. The only section you discard is the area around the welt pocket.

Save what you cut off for the tails. If your jacket, like this one, did not have a back vent, cut it in half to create two tails. If it had a back vent you will either have two pieces or one piece that is partially attached which will need to be detached and trimmed. 

Press all layers to the inside of the jacket on the chalk line and pin in place.
Insert the tails between the lining and outer layers of the jacket back, with the curved corner facing out. Pin in place. Top stitch all the way around with matching thread.

The jacket pictured below only had a front lining, but was otherwise perfect so I opted to use it. The brown binding was used to finish the seams and the hems, so you can see that the bottom edge of the original jacket faces outward on the tails.

Instead of inserting the tails between the layers, I hemmed the back of the jacket and attached the tails with two layers of stitching about an inch apart to make them hang better. I overlapped these a little. It looks nicer, I think, unless there is too much bulk.

And here it is on the hanger. Many thanks to my friend Katie for taking this series of pictures for me.

I usually remove all the sleeve buttons (as that is a modern thing) and put buttons over the buttonholes. It is also possible, with a good steam iron and a little patience, to reshape the collar and change the size of the lapels.

You can add stripes, extra buttons, cuffs, and epaluettes for different character and military looks. 

There are usually more colors available in ladies clothing, so don't restrict your hunt for the right color jacket to the men's department. If the coat is the right size in the shoulders you are probably good. Occasionally the sleeves of ladies jackets are a little short on men. You can either let them down, or wear them with a shirt featuring longer cuffs or ruffles. All of the red jackets I made the guys for Les Miserables came from the ladies department of the Thrift Store.

Once I got a system in place, I could transform a suit jacket into a tail coat in half an hour or less. 

I made a dark green steampunk version for the Wizard in the Wizard of Oz, too.

  To see more photos of these jackets in action, go to my Les Miserables Pinterest Board.

When she's not blogging, Nancy does alterations, makes custom wedding gowns, clothing, and costumes. She also operates three etsy stores- Embroidery as Art, Retro Sewing Patterns, and Great East Emporium. Follow her on Pinterest to see what inspires her.