LACMA 1790 tailcoat - disaster

A productive and busy week. Completed a commissioned drawing which was pretty concentrated work, made an appalling fabric choice and set out to try the Los Angeles Museum of Art's (LACMA) pattern for a French 1790 tailcoat. This I thought would be a counterpoint to the ladies jacket completed a couple of weeks ago and a way of consolidating some of those new techniques. Oops. In fact, OOPS.

    Click on the picture for the LACMA collections page or on the link for the patterns page. Of course this  is the last one listed-

http://www.lacma.org/patterns  

 

The LACMA download includes gridded outlines to scale up, very brief notes, and one drawing of the centre back detail. It looked enough – having worked from Janet Arnold Fashion and from the NSCT pattern sheets- this was familiar territory and usually what I don't know someone else will tell me about. The usual sites offered general information  - http://www.marquise.de/ has a useful over view and some tips but the example she makes is from earlier in the century.   It was still useful to get me started - the general garment did not seem to alter much over time, just the styling and details. My general research led me in to allsorts of odd corners, how to get curled not flat revers, how to do the rolled collar, welted pockets,  more Garsault- L'Art du Tailleur (1769), but I have survived.

 

 

a close match?- David. Louvre

The fabric was lovely, at least to look at, a purpley maroon with a top layer of fine soft gold and a woven pattern of trailing flowers. What I didn't appreciate was the low ironing temperature, its indestructible belief that creases are bad and the world should not have corners, and as for its ability to fray, to split at seams, to distort – utterly world class. The lining was the vile berry stuff used for the pink and dotty pelisse, so at least it was a known pain to deal with. Enough moan.

I think the pictures tell the story of its construction quite well - step one was making the pocket - and yes it is a proper opening one! From then on it was flat lined through out the major construction, back first then side and shoulder seams. Padding, interlining etc were tried one mad afternoon on the fronts but discarded - they were impossible to manage at this scale and attempted to bully me - never goes down well. At this point all was rosy. It seems so long ago....

It was collar time. The lapels form part of the front; there is a seam down each side roughly under the buttons and the points are curved back to make the lapel. This where it all goes wrong - the angles are not right, the roll back is too large and in getting that seam to sit in the right place the fit of the back is lost. This became apparent later; it was initially disguised by the Battle of Pad Stitch. This was pointed out as the traditional way of getting layers of fabric to fold or bend - as in a shawl collar or rolled lapel. Good little me tested it  and then applied. On one side the pad stitch is through an interlining and the underneath fashion fabric - not ideal but it seemed to work until the fabric started to separate and break up. On the other there is a pad stitched interlining sandwiched between the fashion fabric. This was fine with the bottom layer but was not strong enough to resist the top layer's desire to bounce back. The back of the collar was done in one rather than 2 pieces, for reasons of sanity, and pad stitched to death or at least until it stopped arguing.  It is not pretty from the inside but the stitching is hidden by the collar fall from the outside.

Sleeves were added - standard 2 parters, but at least I remembered to add the cuffs first. This is another part I am not happy with -  the proportions are wrong and I wasn't really sure of the construction details. They are best guess solutions but I do like the buttons.


 You can see how differently the coat sits now- the whole front has distorted - never mind, it can only get worse. Some of the seams are fraying as the gold thread gives up, and the top fabric is giving more than the lining so there are bumps and rolls forming. Can't win every time. Pah.

The final offering -  Don't look too closely.

 Some of the details still do please. Why I thought the pockets have to be for real I do not know- they are finger sized! and not big enough. They should fill the space from elbow to back button, but the urge to open them  and play is irresistible.
  What has been surprising is the button eating potential of this design. To date it has 12 on it, but there should be nearer 20. And as for the collar and lapels -  after an evening of quiet, calming meditations the collars are curving. It was 10 minutes first thing this morning with death threats and a steam iron that persuaded them.
Ok, I hate the fit - the distortion is so annoying but the gist of the coat is there, even though it is far more Sir Percy Blakeney dandy in it's exaggerations than respectable Frenchman. This is something I will have to come back to, hopefully with a fabric than doesn't think it's Tigger ( The wonderful thing about Tiggers
Is Tiggers are wonderful things.
Their tops are made of rubbers
The bottoms are made of springs.
They're
Bouncy,
Flouncy,
Trouncy,
Pouncy,
Fun, fun, fun, fun, FUN!!!

The wonderful thing about Tiggers
Is I'm the only one )

As long as the last line is true....and it didn't mention fraying..
 It has been abandoned outside all day - just went to fetch it in and there was a big happy bumble bee sat on one of the back buttons - somebody likes it!    Well, stap me! (is that right?)

KCI French Revolution Jacket 1790

7.30 Sunday morning -  am sat having breakfast on the back doorstep. Bees are up and busy, birds have been yelling at each other for hours and all is right in my little space, for a while. The jacket is done, finished, complete. Mistimed the start today, it was an hour earlier than I thought when I got up - 6.20! On a Sunday!  So that extra time has been very useful - found some old cover buttons to dismantle and re-use on the tail pleats and then bullied the seam allowance of the bottom of the armholes into some kind of credible finish. It is now washed and dripping gently into the sink. Coffee does taste better with a clear conscience.

It began with the book - big, heavy, lots of lovely photos, BIG  photos and shiny paper.  It says "Fashion" in very big letters on the front and is a tour of the Kyoto Costume Institute collection. There is a double page dedicated to this jacket. While I didn't exactly like it,  I always stopped here.  The notes from the book and KCI website credit it as a French  jacket, red striped silk brocade, dated 1790, so during the French Revolution. The style is quite simple, masculine even, double breasted with the over large metal buttons and collar.  The ideas of the cleaner lines, of a simpler aesthetic and nature over the artificial, had been emerging since the middle of the century, think of the chemise de la Reine or the practicality of the redingote from England,  a sign of the social and cultural  upheavals.   Fashion choices became very important as the politics got dangerous; this idea of the short jacket and skirt  was seen as an egalitarian costume - ostentation was not wise  during the Terror, and clothing was a very direct way of stating allegiances and outlook. We still use clothing in the same way, groups tend to dress in similar ways, we differentiate instinctively between those who are like us and those who are  different. 
Note the red, white and blue schemes and touches in the fashion plates - wearing the tricolor was considered a good thing and stripes too were  more classless and  patriotic.

  My usual goddess was not smiling – there was no Janet Arnold  dissection of a similar jacket in the Patterns of History. I was on my own. 

The choice of fabric for the original would have been an essential part of the garment, stripes were patriotic, worn by all, and showed support for the Revolution. I had 1/2 metre of delicate girly stripe cotton fabric, in green with roses (more 1950s really) – shall we  claim it symbolises the green revolution? (unfortunately not recycled).  The lining is quite heavy off white cotton, a scrounged off- cut of unknown parentage. So, my  expectations for this jacket, a fairly close copy – but want to be more determined about stitching processes and finishing. MUST not dodge doing the 18thC sleeves. Will do the odd banana shape sleeves.

 The bodice -I  borrowed from the French Revolution escape dress  for back shapes  but  reduced the flirtiness of the peplum to make it more masculine in cut. The fronts are extended wide to allow for the overlap  and shoulders pieces will be added later. 

 All began well – did the 4 layered ladderstitch for the main seams so the whole garment was being constructed in one go.  Tried not to make them quite so tight  but it still gave a stiff finish, felt a little like scar tissue!


Then the sleeves - First the strap which completes the armhole.  The lining was cut and attached first over the shoulder, raw edges folded in, ready to go. The sleeves themselves are in 2 parts, with seams at the front and back. I made these with the  linings separate and  assembled them and the cuff detail before sewing to the bottom curve of the armhole. This part was meant to be finished like a French seam for strength and  with the raw edges encased, but in the expectation of having to undo and reposition  I left them to neaten later. Oops. 

   Then the upper part of the sleeve was tacked in place to the shoulder strap.  I still had the collar to add into the neck edge of the  sandwich. so the  top fabric  was stitched on later. A lot of stitching in a small area but very effective, and it  is neat and robust. ( Photo is of the shoulder turned inside out, spot the raw underarm section!)
 

The collar - painful. I haven't found any back views of the jacket so I borrowed from this, also at the KCI dated 1780/90.  It is very masculine, like a caped driving coat. The original jacket's collar looked to be a single thickness and rolled down to drape. It flared over the shoulders so I imagined it not sitting flat but continuing to flare at the back like the grey one's capes.

Cutting it was easier than expected I didn't manage a pinked scalloped edge but a feeble cry on facebook resulted in the loan of Janette's pinking rotary cutter - excellent new toy, zoomed round those shapes no problem! Attaching took  longer. I really needed to think ahead, the plan was to slot the collar between lining and top fabric, but the seam stitching had secured them together. Un picking, muttering and repairing, but the collar was on. I guess a canny person would have left the top inch unsewn on the back seams.

After this it was all finishing,- the top shoulder straps, buttonholes, buttons, hemming., but....
Buttonholes - been avoiding them for years.

 

It began with the Purple Caterpillar of Horror, proper thread, proper stitch, proper mess. I did try welts but the inside was a sight, Then the yellow attempt and finally the unbleached millipede. Practice did improve matters and the end results are not too shaming.

Buttons - Bought these an age ago, liked the quirkiness, but never found just the right place for them. This probably isn't it, but they were the right size and number, tonally they matched and it was 10pm. When next in town I may trawl for a more 'period' choice - but you can be sure that they will have to fit those same buttonholes.
As for the mini cover buttons - used no gadgets so went together easily and made a nice finishing touch to the back.

Being me, of course, there are areas to be improved on, solutions to be pondered and developed further but this is actually something I feel quite proud of at the moment. It does what it sets out to do;  a copy of  the KCI jacket. It was never going to be the bees knees, the back is a best guess compromise and so are the inside details. But it has gone together remarkably well - I must have learnt something over the winter!

Hit List -Sleeves-  practice the sleeve setting technique - it went together fine but the sleeve linings behave like teenagers, excessive enthusiasm followed by strops and that 'so make me' attitude. I will advise myself to be more vigilant and baste lining and outer together more firmly and retrim if necessary before putting in. I must also be more careful about keeping the seam allowances even.
Seam stitching technique - the tightly stitched seam looks lovely from the inside but the looser stitched ones work better from the outside. Need to get the stitch size and tension right and then stick to it. (I may need to find a film with no exciting bits in to watch as I sew.)

Button Stash - needs organising so that hours are not wasted looking for that elusive last match. It might help if buttons are returned to the tin but they are adventurous little things and keep turning up in little colonies in odd drawers and boxes.

 BUT (big but) at last I have made something that is as smart inside as it is outside!


Coffee has gone cold, moment of oneness is past - blackbirds are squabbling - might even have to do some housework. Later....










KCI- jacket page -http://www.kci.or.jp/archives/digital_archives/detail_34_e.html 
FASHION - A History from the 18th to the 20th Century. Vol 1 p102/3      Taschen

interesting reading - http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlearts/2013/10/15/fashion-the-french-revolution-and-a-masculinity-in-continual-crisis/

http://locutus.ucr.edu/~cathy/mg.html  - Journal de la Mode et du Gout
Caroline Weber - Queen of Fashion, what Marie Antoinette wore to the Revolution

costume/sculpture II

This has been fun. Messy. Hysterical. More messy. But fun.  It is only possible to do a little and then wait for it to dry and stiffen, so even little things take a lot of time,  not making and doing time but standing-back-and-not-fiddling time - the very worst kind.

 The back story-
 Aim - to make a free standing C18th costume, inspired by Boucher and Gainsborough - using calico and PVA glue. This is a trial piece to assess the creative and practical potential of this method of working.

it's more like this from LACMA

It was meant to be elegant  like this, but....

Process so far -Bundled up a mini papier mache  body on a stick to be the armature.
Added a skirt. Dunked it  in glue, dried then redunked and dried again to make rigid.  Then added a stomacher and  the body of a sack backed jacket based on the pet en l'air made before Christmas. This was without sleeves or collar, to be added later. Dunked, draped and dried.

This was all in the last post - just didn't have the heart to update,  adding that the weight and wetness of the jacket caused a skirt crisis and it started to collapse over night.
 After expressing myself quite fluently, the skirt was resoaked and reset and redried.  The jacket was in decent state so only needed a gentle re-wetting and then resetting onto what is left of the now mutant body form and re-rigid skirt.
 For some reason the glue is struggling to hold the jacket closed onto the stomacher, it keeps gaping, I may have to resort to pins or tacks to close it while trying again. This sounds simple  but the fabric is now rising nobly to the challenge of going rigid - the last stay stitch had to be done using pliers to pull the needle through and the cotton thread wasn't as strong as the cloth!

Patience is not a virtue I possess, there are teeth marks on the furniture. The waiting has led to several ideas/ associations. At present the height of the back neck and the general headless quality remind me 'Sleepy Hollow' - could this be Mrs Headless Horseman, or perhaps he was a cross dresser before Tim Burton came along to do the film?


 Sleeve making has now happened, although not quite as originally planned.  The raw sleeve units were made up with flounces and elbow tucks but not then set.  To lessen the weight and the awkwardness of joining rigid to rigid,  just the top section of the sleeve was glued and then attached to the body, pinned (pliers again), and dried. They have moved as they dried but the glue is determined not to let go so it will have to stay. The rest of the sleeve is being painted with glue  and allowed to dry in sections. I'm just about at the flounces now, without major mishaps so far!

The neck edge has yet to be sorted out- the back lowered and then cased. I am thinking of cutting out  as much of the original body as possible leaving the costume to support itself.  I doubt if this will be easy or neat so extra finishing - maybe a lace edging will have to be done.    Another week of happy glueyness!
She(he?) is in the hall drying - I keep sneaking a peek round the door to check but she is being well mannered at the moment. I hope to have it finished by next week, I'm sure I said that last time.....
Also should have an en ferreau polonaise gown done by then -  I'm part way through fitting it - but key question - can  I be said to ferreauing?

Completed C18th costume - Gwen does Poldark?

Ta da te da te Dum! (larger fanfare than usual)

Not only are the pet and caraco complete (old news) but I have now made the skirt and a neckerchief to complete the costume. There is no point in making stays – the only way to reduce or alter Gwen's waist is with wood working tools, no point in shoes, etc – there are no legs or feet, and a cap or bonnet looks incomplete without a head to go underneath it.



front showing the inside of the open pet

The skirt is simple, blocks of fabric pleated at the waist, raised slightly in front to compensate for the bum rolls. The hem is taped rather than folded, extra work but a smart, clean finish. The construction is straightforward – the knife pleats face to the back leaving a small flat section at centre front. A length of tape runs along the waist edge, neatening and holding the pleat edges as well as extending to become ties to fasten the skirt. The knife pleats sit really well, opening over the roll and folding shut when not needed.

 This extra layer does not benefit the mission in search of Gwen's corset waist, but with the pet's skirts flaring outward over the hips it is contriving to give an illusion of narrowness ( you have to get the angle just right and squinting might help).

The neckerchief is again very basic. Janet Arnold shows a triangle, Nancy Bradbury, a square to be folded. For this one I used a triangle of muslin – need practice with the flimsy fabrics, though now I never wish to see it again! To finish the edge I turned a hem and then caught across it in the first row of a crocheted edging to keep it secure. The originals seem to have been made in a wide range of sizes, fabric and colours – coarse and dark for workers, finer and more ornate for the ladies, so it seemed quite safe to improvise a little. Having the longest side of the triangle on the cross grain of the fabric did make life a little exciting – the muslin is quite loosely woven so pulled and rolled out of shape. The crochet edging seems to have stabilised this and inspite of the excessive moaning was not difficult nor take long. It is a single crochet into the scarf, chain 4, and repeat every half centimetre. Row 2 is merely single into the chain loop of the row below, chain 5,and repeat. I did try all sorts of designs of various complexity but this gave a neat edge with minimum fuss.

 

Overall - an enjoyable foray into the 18th Century, frustrating, time consuming, deeply annoying. But enjoyable. There are many errors still to address but I would look forward to tackling them rather than sob into my soup and consider emigration. A full sack back gown perhaps?  It will join the growing list Of Things I want To Make... Seeing the ensemble together is strangely satisfying - something to be learnt there I think - but next task......  is already underway.

 

It is experimental, uses builders' grade and a hair drier - at the same time.

 Should have it done for next week's post, if I manage to recapture the scissors by then.

 

18th Century jacket - pet en l'air.

And this week's challenge – a pet en l'air (pet en l'eir?). I think the direct translation is somewhat rude but to me it is a sack back jacket from the 1700s, a kind of short version of an open robe, or robe a la Francaise.  Think Watteau, think Thos. Gainsborough. This was an informal garment, worn at home, so when finding portraits I've looked for full gowns showing the volume of fabric at the back and the fitting at the front.

Watteau studies - just how much fabric! Shall we play guess the weight?

Gainsborough - Viscountess Tracey



Gainsborough, Miss Theodosia Magill

 The one I am making is based on one from the Snowshill Manor collection dated 1745-55,  described and drawn by both Janet Arnold and Nancy Bradbury. It is made in silk with a linen lining and probably worn with a kerchief to fill in the neckline.


Drawing from Janet Arnold, Patterns of Fashion. The painting above is the one cited by Bradbury - Upton House NT.

  Again it is made to fit Gwendoline, the little model, so every inch on the pattern becomes a centimetre- there will have to be other tweaks and adjustments but the Arnold diagrams will provide the basic shapes.

 I am using a printed cotton - quite fine in texture, too much of a coward for silk or satin at this stage of the learning curve.

 There are several extant examples documented and similar jackets seem to have many different names - on some the front closes, others the stomacher is pinned in as a temporary closure, the back pleats can be sewn in or sewn in part rather than hanging from the neck line. This caraco is from the Met. and although the detail may be different it does give an idea of the garment and the size of padding needed to get Gwen up to speed! I do get everso confused by all these names - I think I understand what a caraco is, a casaquin, a pierrot , and then..... Never mind - the embroidery is exquisite and that row of buttons!

 

– Even with 2 sources to glean information from I had no idea how this garment worked. Unpicking happened often. And again Gwen's shape has caused some major headaches- she has a wide flat torso, little hips and a long smooth waist, nothing like the kind of corseted shape shown in the contemporary paintings. I have tried to be as faithful as I can to the original – give and take a bit (quite a big bit in places).  The pattern had to be extended  to fit around

her and the upper front elongated.  The fabric is in two halves – joined at the centre back , with a major amount of pleating on the hip and back and the front bodice extends over the shoulder to meet the back.. What did become obvious as I tried to put this together is the importance of the lining in creating the base for the top fabric to hang from. There is a lot of fabric there - Gwen is 16cm across the shoulders - one half of the top fabric is over 50cm.  Janet Arnold described the parts being made up as one as far as the centre back, so that is what I did, but the lining back has to fit snugly to give shape to the bodice front and shoulder as well as to support the pleats. So undo the flat lining and fit the back bodice together – re-attach top fabric so there was something to hang the pleats onto. Working without a centre front was also difficult - trying the garment on Gwen seemed to give a different fit each time, and with the top and lining together of course they behaved differently again. To stabilise it the false front was made up and fitted as shown. Chickened out of doing the tab fronts from the original jacket and treated it as a solid piece with hooks and eyes to fasten at centre front just to make fitting easier. Considering how the parts were made and all that had to be done was to sew it together neatly the length of time taken seems huge- 2 hours! The side seams were extended an inch to fit Gwen more snugly but then there should be hoops or at least a large bum pad to hold the skirts out from the body which will alter the shape completely - can't win!

Next steps – sleeves, ruffles, hem, decoration.

The arm holes seem to have migrated backward  but I left a lot of spare fabric when cutting out so should not be too difficult to re- establish. I am looking forward to the sleeve - it is such a different shape. The pleats at the head should give a little leeway but....

A the real reason for putting myself through this torture ? Want to make the ruffles, I want to flounce. Already thinking through and planning...... are they lined - self or linen? or hemmed ? Do-able at this scale? Hours of fun to moan about next post.

 

 I've put in some of the useful sources/blogs etc. To be honest there is a lot of very good stuff out there- these are only a tiny tip of the proverbial iceberg.

 http://brocadegoddess.wordpress.com/pet-en-lair/   does a much better job of making than I have!

 http://www.marquise.de/en/index.html
http://americanduchess.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/costume-analytics-1770-80-chintz-caraco.html

and of course - Janet Arnold -Patterns of Fashion 1 p28-30, Nancy Bradbury - Costume in Detail p19 National Trust - Snowshill collection.
BBC paintings, Met Museum, and Museum of London.