Simplicity Pattern?

[Gutterpunk13]

Hullo there All,

I Just picked up the simplicity patterns and i was wondering of what type of fabrics and buttons i should make me frock coat out of. i want it to be tough and durable . and i also want it to be salt water resistent and accurate for thew time period. it will be under heavy use.and i want it to be light enough to wear all year round. suggestions ?

Thank ye

John

[Rumba Rue]

Ahoy! I don't know where ye live, but if ye be in a colder climate I suggest a good wool. Otherwise if'n ye be in a warmer climate, stay with a good cotton material. Though there are some decent upholstery materials that will work well too.

If'n ye be a seaman ye don't want any fancy frills like eye-catchin' trims and such. They'll quickly get worn, and frayed.

Simple gold or silver metal buttons like ones with no design are good.

If'n ye be goin' the gentleman route, I can tell ye the coat won't hold up to heavy use.

If'n ye be usin' wools, or other fancy materials, be very careful, some dry-cleaners don't know anythin' about such stuff an' can ruin yer outfit!If ye gots any beadwork on yer costume DO NOT HAVE IT DRY CLEANED! The cleaning solution takes the color out o' the beads!

The only thing ye can do is literally hose off yer costume with yer garden hose in warm weather and let it hang dry. Some better stuff ye can hand wash in cold water and hang dry. DON'T be puttin' wool or other fancy stuff like brocades in the dryer! Stuff will shrink up and only fit a Barbie/Ken doll!

Hope I've been o' some help.

Rumba Rue

** **

[El Pirata]

I be wonderin lass, why ye be washin it?

[Rumba Rue]

I be wonderin lass, why ye be washin it?

Messes happen.

Rumba Rue

** **

[Hawkyns]

Hullo there All,

I Just picked up the simplicity patterns and i was wondering of what type of fabrics and buttons i should make me frock coat out of. i want it to be tough and durable . and i also want it to be salt water resistent and accurate for thew time period. it will be under heavy use.and i want it to be light enough to wear all year round. suggestions ?

Thank ye

John

I recommend heavy canvas sailcloth, hemp canvas if you can get it. Wears like iron, cuts the wind, and isn't too heavy for summer wear. I have a caped greatcoat made of it, dyed chocolate brown and coated with wax waterproofer. The canvas doesn't take the dye perfectly evenly, so you get a slight mottling which looks like age fade. Since a lot of sailor's clothing was made from old sails, this comes out perfect.

for buttons, I recommend these

http://jas-townsend.com/index.php?cPath=18...919a74ac427f05f

At the bottom of the page are cast pewter buttons with a cast on shank. Very period and they hold up well.

Hawkyns

[Gentleman of Fortune]

Some good suggestions so far... but I will add my two cents nonetheless.

With your long list of things that this coat needs to be, you are going to have to make some compromises somewhere.

Somebody may have already raised the question of what is this coat going to be used for? Gentleman Pirate Captain or Able Seamen going wenching?

For a Gentleman's Coat, I would recomend silk, high qualtiy wool, high quality linen, or fustian.

For Able seaman, Wool, linen, fustian, hemp, sailcloth (which for the royal navy at the time, was mostly Flax) Onasburg (a coarse linen).

Cotton, is a tricky subject. Cotton wasn't really commercially produce for clothing until after the flying shuttle was invented (@1733) and other machines to process the fibres.

Before then, it was a really crappy coarse cloth that came from India and was used for industrial purposes more than clothing. While it did exist, it was not in the quality available to us today.

It was mixed or woven with linen to make fustian for our period though so that might be a possibility.

But I would reccomend that you make 2 coats. Make the first out of linen, fustian, or Osnaburg. It will be easier to sew and will let you practice with the pattern. You can use that one as your summer weight regular sailors coat.

If you like what you made, do another for a "Gentleman" out of nicer material. A wool one would be nice and good for colder events.

You can check out my site http://www.gentlemenoffortune.com/

where you can find LOTS of resources for clothing.

Hope this helps

[Hawkyns]

.

If you like what you made, do another for a "Gentleman" out of nicer material.  A wool one would be nice and good for colder events.

A pretty conceit, Sir, and master John may do as he so pleases.

I, however, am not a gentleman, I am a gunner.

"Leave the Artillerymen alone, they are an obstinate lot. . ."

Napoleon Bonaparte

Hawkyns

( )

[Gentleman of Fortune]

Awright Hawkyns...

But even a ragged pyrate would TAKE the clothes of a gentleman....

[Gutterpunk13]

Just a few questions....

Where exactly would i get sailcloth?

How would I dye it?

How does pewter hold up in salt water?

What would i sew it with?

And im not makin a gentlmens coat.. what would i be usin that fer?

It would just fall apart within a day er two.. doesnt make much sense to me.

oh... and could someone sew it fer me... i thought these patterns were supose to be simple hence the word "simplicity"

one more thing i was lookin at the patterns and i dont see a lining pattern fer the coat ... i dunno i guess i need more help than i can get

John

[Duchess]

Well-

to anwser the lining question: The simplicity pattern is a costume pattern. It will probably omit such things as linings and facings and all those little details that really make a garment. Though I haven't seen the pattern all laid out so I cannot speak for certain.

As others have mentioned, you have a long list of things for this coat to accomplish, and it might indeed be better to have more than one, that way you can do all you need to your very best satisfaction.

As for materials, I am always a big fan of the upholstery department. Extra wide, exceptionally durable material in a wide range of styles. Carefull inspection of the labels will get you natural fiber material. And a thorough washing and drying before you do any cutting or sewing will usually shrink it up enough that you can launder it normally after the piece is made. I have several long coats I've done this with and it has "suited" me fine.

The Duchess

[Red-Handed Jill]

Most costume patterns have no linings, but the Simplicity 5958 pattern has linings for both the coat and vest. It's a very high-quality pattern, particularly for a costume. I've made three vests and two breeches from it and am working on the coat right now - they have held up to a lot of use. (The "Jack Sparrow" breeches are better, though.)

The "Jack Sparrow" pattern looks fine without a lining. It wouldn't be too difficult to put one in if you wanted to. Other than the copious amounts of decoration, it was a pretty easy coat to put together. You will need to make judicious use of buttons and trim so that the facing doesn't flap open. Rather than doing the five sets of two buttons higher up on the coat, I spread them out a bit more and that worked better.

Duchess - I completely agree with you on using upholstery fabric. My coat is made of lovely but extremely durable charcoal grey fabric that I got on sale in Joann Fabrics' bargain upholstery section. Another benefit is that you don't have to bother with interfacing, particularly for the cuffs.

[Gentleman of Fortune]

The coat/justaucorps should be lined. If you look at it, its almost like two coats sewn together as the concept of a lined coat was different in the 18thC than it is now.

Sailcloth is a tricky one... and the answer, i guess is that you can't get it. Traditional (or at least the sails made and used by the Royal Navy in the 18th Century), were made out of Flax. My search for reproduction Flax sailcloth has come up empty.

I have seen where some sails were hemp/flax but even that might be difficult to find. Even in the extrememly heavyweight hemp, (17oz+) that would be considered lightweight sail by Admiralty Standards....

On the other hand, most ships a pirate would sail on would be smaller 4-12 gun sloops which would have lighter sails (than a 1-5th rate English Ship).

Don't forget to check e-bay out for material too. I recently bought 100% silk VELVET for $20 a meter (it usually sells for over $200).

Good luck, and post pics of your end result!

[Duchess]

Jill-

JoAnn Fabrics is like my little guilty pleasure. I go in there and brouse the remenants section and take home loads of fabric with no plans for use. I tell myself "Someday I will have the perfect use for this..." Fortunately, I'm often right!

I was just thinking back and I find most of all my sewing is done with upholstery/decorating fabric. The remenants in this section can be enormous by clothing standards. Often around five yards. Most of my harem pants for belly dancing are shantung silk, I once got seven yards for thirty dollars in a gorgeous purple!

The Duchess

[Reddrake]

Ahoy all. I just wanted ta add me 2 dubloons worth.

I just started on a vest of pieced leather. If it works out, I plan ta attempt a Capt'n coat. Me navigator suggested leaving tha arms where ye can remove them in tha warm summers and put them on in tha cold. I have put together a few other leather items. If ye use tha "rough out" side, it tends ta give it tha rugged look.

Me biggest challenge was getting a machine that would go thru several layers of leather and not snap needles. I got an old 1950's era machine that works as long as ya take yur time.

There were many good suggestions. Thanks to ye all, I have a couple more ideas ta get worked out.

[Red-Handed Jill]

Jill-

JoAnn Fabrics is like my little guilty pleasure. I go in there and brouse the remenants section and take home loads of fabric with no plans for use. I tell myself "Someday I will have the perfect use for this..." Fortunately, I'm often right!

I was just thinking back and I find most of all my sewing is done with upholstery/decorating fabric. The remenants in this section can be enormous by clothing standards. Often around five yards. Most of my harem pants for belly dancing are shantung silk, I once got seven yards for thirty dollars in a gorgeous purple!

The Duchess

Hey - me too! I have this huge square basket that is overflowing with Joann Fabric specials, much of it from the upholstery section. I recently picked up some black fabric with a nap that looks something like woodgrain. Haven't figured out what to do with it yet, though. And all three of the pirate vests I sewed from Simplicity 5958 were done with upholstery fabric, along with my latest bodice and my breeches.

[Hawkyns]

Flax sailcoth is very close to hemp canvas, in some sources they are used interchangeably. do a google on hemp canvas. There are several places you can order on line, I'd reccoment the 14-17 oz weight for a coat.

here's one

http://www.burnleyandtrowbridge.com/

Hawkyns

[Gutterpunk13]

I found a good site i think, its called hempsupply.com and what would i use ta sew and line it with?

Thanx for ye help

John