ALL SEAM ALLOWANCES ARE ⅝” UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED!
Cut out your pattern pieces in the manner of your preference.
(I prefer to trace mine onto the fabric with disappearing tailor’s chalk.)
I recommend marking the various dots, balance points, button/pocket placements, etc. with small tailor’s tacks using the cotton basting thread.
Although obviously not period-accurate, I suggest applying some fusible interfacing to several panels and areas throughout the frock coat before beginning construction.
First, apply a lightweight fusible interfacing to the underside of the fronts (piece A).
Also apply some lightweight fusible interfacing to the underside of the sleeve hems.
I suggest using strips about 3” wide and cut with pinking shears (to avoid making an impression on the right side of the finished sleeves), overlapping the hem line by about ½” and trimmed out of the seam allowances.
I recommend similarly applying lightweight fusible interfacing to the front and lower hems of the skirt (piece K).
Also serge the front edge of the skirt.
Also apply some of the lightweight fusible interfacing to the lower hem on the center back (piece F) and serge the back edge of the panel.
Because the (faux) lamb’s fur sheds a lot, I recommend serging every edge of the front facing (piece L) and upper collar (piece I).
Finally, apply some fusible interfacing to corner of the center backs (piece F) and stay-stitch the back corner area.
Stay-stitch the front (piece A) from the collar notch to the lower “skirt” dot.
(I like to actually pivot at the lower corner and stay-stitch along the lower centermost few inches as well.)
Sew the front dart closed.
Press the dart toward the front.
There are different schools of thought regarding the preparation of the canvas assembly and the resulting structure of the coat front.
For period projects like this, my preferred technique is essentially a hybrid of Cabrera’s from Classic Tailoring Techniques for Menswear, and Maclochlainn’s from The Victorian Tailor: An Introduction to Period Tailoring.
Begin by cutting your front interfacing (piece B).
I also like to mark the roll line, guides, notches, etc. on the canvas.
About a third of the way across the shoulder from the neckline, cut a slit into the canvas about 3” long and parallel to the roll line.
Cut a bias strip of canvas in a wedge shape, about 1 ½” wide at the top, ½” wide at the bottom, and about 4” long.
Spread the shoulder slit open slit open a bit. (Cabrera says ½”, but Nordheim says 1”, so just experiment and see what you prefer.)
Slide the insert underneath the split, and machine-stitch it into place.
Because we added a bit to the shoulder, it’s actually a little too wide now, so trim it back down to size along the upper/outer armscye area.
Cut another layer of hair canvas for the chest plastron (piece C).
Cut two slashes into the top of the chest plastron, about 1 ½” on each side of the shoulder insert, and 1 ½” deep.
Place your chest flannel (piece D) under the plastron, with the neckline and armhole edges flush, the upper edge of the flannel extending ⅝” past the canvas, and the front/lower edges of the flannel extending ¼” past the canvas.
Tailor-baste the flannel/plastron to the underside of the front canvas assembly.
The upper edge of the flannel should be about ½” from the edge of the canvas, the flannel neckline should not extend into the seam allowance, the front edge should be about ¼” away from the roll line, and the armscye edges should be flush.
From the outside of the canvas assembly (the side without the flannel), padstitch the layers together, parallel to the roll line.
These stitches can be larger than “normal” padstitches (e.g. those on a collar and lapel), and you can grab as much of the layers as you like, since the stitching won’t be seen on the finished coat.
Padstitch the entire lower area, except for the uppermost 2 ½” or so from the shoulder and 3” from the armhole. Taper the upper curve toward the armhole. (This helps contour the canvas assembly toward the wearer’s body.)
On the wrong side, secure the edges of the flannel to the canvas with a zig-zag stitch.
The front canvas assembly and the coat front must now be “married” so they can be handled as a single unit.
Using cotton basting thread, tailor-baste the layers together about 1” from the lower front edge, then pivot and baste them together along the roll line up to the neckline.
For the second stitch, start just in front of the dart (near the edge of the canvas assembly) and tailor-baste upward toward the shoulder area, ending your stitch about 3” beneath the shoulder.
And for the third stitch, tailor-baste about 3” below (and parallel to) the shoulder, rotate and baste downward about 1” inside (and parallel to) the armscye, then back toward the second stitch along the edge of the canvas assembly.
Now it’s time to breathe some life into the lapels and give them character!
Start by drawing the roll line and seam lines on the upper front canvas, if you haven’t already. (I prefer to do this before anchoring the canvas assembly to the coat front.)
I also like to mark guidelines for the rows of padstitching, about ¼” apart and parallel to the roll line.
Position the coat front on a table, with the lapel hanging over the table edge along the roll line.
Using a single strand of waxed thread, begin padstitching right next to the flannel, moving on to the roll line and the rest of the lapel area.
Begin and end your stitching about ⅛” from the seam lines, so you’re not padstitching into the seam allowances.
Once you’ve padstitched the first several rows beyond the roll line, flip the front over so it’s right-side-up and the lapel is in its finished position, to continue working.
Tighten the spacing between your rows of padstitching toward the outer (rounded) corner of the lapel.
Once you’ve padstitched the entire lapel, position a wash cloth underneath it so its edge is flush with the roll line, and give it some steam to set the shape.
Then let it cool for a while.
Once it’s cooled, we need to apply some stay tape just outside the roll line, at the edge of the flannel.
Cut a length of pre-shrunk ⅜” cotton twill stay tape about 2/3 of the length of the roll line and position it over the edge of the flannel, ¼” away from the roll line.
Pin the tape into place, or baste it into place by hand.
The top half or so should be normal, but pull the lower half so it’s a little bit tight. (This will cause some small ripples to appear on the right side, but don’t worry about it for now.)
Catch-stitch the stay tape through all layers, catching only a tiny little bit of the outer jacket fabric each time.
Slide the assembly over a tailor’s ham and give it a gentle pressing to eliminate any remaining ripples.
Trim away the canvas seam allowance along the neckline, front, and lower edges, from the collar notch all the way to the lower side corner.
Cut another length of pre-shrunk ⅜” cotton twill stay tape, long enough to extend from the collar notch, down the front to the “skirt” dot.
(I like to cut mine several inches longer than I think I’ll need, because any excess can easily be trimmed away later if you get to the end and have any left over.)
Pin the tape into place so it just barely covers the edge of the canvas, about 1/16” outside of the seam line.
And at the bottom of the roll line, place about ¼” of extra ease in the tape, to help the lapel roll over without the tape pulling it closed.
Fell-stitch the tape to the coat. (Along the outer edge, only stitch through the fusible interfacing, and along the inner edge, catch only the canvas.)
Along the upper lapel curve, turn the tape as gently as you can and ease in the excess on the shorter side.
Repeat for the other front assembly.
The front trim accents need to be hand-sewn to the front assemblies.
(This can be done at the very end of the coat construction, but I prefer to do it now because I find the smaller panel assemblies easier to work with than the full bulk of the otherwise-finished frock coat.)
In lieu of any visual references to the contrary, I estimate the trim accents to be approximately 5” wide (front to back), with the front loops 2 ¼” tall and the back loops 2” tall.
The front and lower edges of the bottom accent should be very close to their respective seam lines.
I suggest marking alignment guides with long running stitches of white basting thread – one 1 ½” above and parallel to the lower front seam line, and one vertical just over 5” outside the front seam line.
The trim design will be centered and mirrored over the horizontal stitch, and the vertical stitch marks the rear edge of the back loops.
Cut a 23” length of trim for the first accent. (This should be plenty for the entire accent, with about 1” to 1 ½” left over at the end.)
Apply some liquid fray preventer to the ends.
Begin with the upper back loop, with the raw end of the trim flush with the horizontal basting stitch.
Coax the trim around the curve and back down.
I suggest hand-sewing the outer edge of the trim as you go; the remaining edge can be tacked down once the overall shape of the trim accent is established.
Curve the trim toward the front so its rear edge is flush with the vertical basting stitch, and its lower edge is flush with the horizontal basting stitch. The raw end of the trim should be covered.
About an inch from the front seam line, curve the trim downward, then back up and around again toward the back to form the front loop.
The upper layer of trim should cross over the lower layer at the horizontal basting stitch.
Curve the trim downward, then back up and around again to form the lower front loop.
The layers should again cross at the horizontal basting stitch.
Curve the trim back downward toward the front, then around again toward the back to form the upper front loop.
The layers should again intersect at the horizontal basting stitch.
Straighten the trim toward the back along the horizontal basting stitch.
Curve the remaining trim downward, then around upward again to form the lower back loop.
Trim away any excess trim, and tuck the raw end underneath the loop. (Both raw ends should be flush underneath and protected by the outer layers.)
Remove the basting stitches.
Hand-sew the remaining edges of the trim to the front assembly.
Hand-sew one of the “floral” buttons to the outside of the trim, over the frontmost edges of the back loops (where you began and ended your trim).
Repeat for the other two trim accents.
I suggest spacing each 2 ½” higher than the one beneath it (measured from horizontal center to horizontal center), and 1” farther away from the front edge.
Repeat for the other front assembly.
(I do prefer to wait until the very end to attach the hussar toggles.)
Sew the front assembly to the side back (piece E), right sides together.
Press the seam allowances open.
Sew the two waist pocket flaps (piece O) together along the front, lower, and back edges, right sides together.
Trim the seam allowances down to about ⅛”.
Turn the pocket flap right-sides-out and press.
Baste or sew the upper edges of the pocket flap closed.
Turn the pocket flap upside-down and position it onto the lower edge of the front assembly where indicated on the printed pattern.
Baste or sew the pocket flap to the front.
Sew the dart closed on the skirt (piece K).
Press the dart toward the back.
If you don’t want a functional waist pocket, simply sew the skirt to the upper front assembly along the waist, beginning and ending (and reinforcing) your stitching at the dots, and with the side seam aligned with the skirt dart.
(Note that the front couple inches and back 1 ⅛” of the skirt will be left free, as well as the backmost ⅝” of the side back, and the back of the skirt will extend beyond the side back by ½”.)
However, if you want functional waist pockets (not just decorative pocket flaps), you’ll need to attach the skirt to the upper front with two separate stitches: one from the front dot to the front edge of the pocket flap, and the other from the back edge of the pocket flap to the back dot.
(Again note that the front couple inches and back 1 ⅛” of the skirt will be left free, as well as the backmost ⅝” of the side back, and the back of the skirt will extend beyond the side back by ½”.)
Press the waist seam allowances open, and press the pocket flap allowances upward.
Turn the waist pocket bag (piece O) upside-down and center it underneath the pocket flap.
Fold the skirt out of the way and sew the waist pocket bag to the lower waist/skirt allowance, beginning and ending your stitching ⅝” from the side edges. (I suggest stitching ½” from the edge so the seam is rolled slightly under.)
Press the pocket bag downward and understitch its upper edge about ⅛” from the fold.
Fold the pocket bag upward in half so its upper edge is flush with the upper waist (front assembly) seam allowance.
Trim the upper edge of the pocket bag as-needed so the edges are flush.
Sew the sides of the pocket bag closed, reinforcing at the top and bottom. (I like to curve my stitching slightly toward the bottom, rather than producing sharp lower corners.)
Stitch again ⅛” outside the first stitch.
Trim the side edges with pinking shears.
Press the lower, folded edge of the pocket bag flat.
Sew the upper edge of the pocket bag to the upper waist (front assembly) seam allowance.
This half of your frock coat assembly should now look like this:
Press the center back (piece F) vent allowance under.
Sewing the front/skirt assembly to the center back is done in three stitches.
For the first stitch, fold the upper waist seam allowance downward at the back.
Sew the panels together along the side back princess seam from the armscye down to the waist seam, right sides together, matching balance points and reinforcing your stitching at the waist.
(The bottom of the princess seam should end exactly at the dot and meet the back of the waist seam.)
For the second stitch, fold the lower waist seam allowance upward at the back.
Sew the back edge of the skirt to the center back, beginning and reinforcing your stitching several times at the dot.
And finally, with the waist allowances both folded upward out of the way, sew horizontally from one stitch to the other to connect them and close the assembly, reinforcing your stitching several times.
Clip the center back allowances along the curve of the princess seam as-needed to release the tension, and notch the side back allowances along the curve as well.
Press the upper back (princess) seam allowances open.
Diagonally clip the center back seam allowance at the corner (where the back and waist seams intersect).
Press the skirt/back seam allowances toward the front.
This will form a ½” pleat along the skirt/back seam.
Pull the front canvas assembly away from the shoulder area.
Sew the front to the back at the shoulders. (The back shoulders are slightly wider than the fronts, so they need to be gently eased in.)
Press the shoulder seam allowances open.
Then fold the canvas assembly back into place and loosely hand-sew it to the back shoulder seam allowance.
Before attaching the sleeves, the armscyes should be stabilized.
In Classic Tailoring Techniques for Menswear Cabrera recommends using a strip of pocketing to accomplish this, while in Vintage Couture Tailoring Thomas von Nordheim recommends simply hand-sewing a chain stitch, but I like to just use the ⅜” cotton twill stay tape again.
Pin the tape to the coat around the armscye, from the front dot to the back princess seam, with the outer edge of the tape flush with the fabric. (The underarm isn’t reinforced, as to leave the wearer’s movement unrestricted.)
Sew the stay tape to the armscye.
Sew the upper sleeve (piece G) to the under sleeve (piece H) along the front edges, right sides together.
Press the seam allowances open.
On the right side of the sleeve, lightly chalk mark a horizontal line 3” above the hem line. (This is 4 ½” above the lower edge on the printed pattern.)
Cut two lengths of trim that will extend across the entire sleeve at the chalk line, plus a little extra at the ends.
Center the two lengths of trim over the chalk line, and hand-sew them to the sleeve.
Sew the sleeve closed along the back edges, matching trims.
Press the seam allowances open.
Cut off the excess trim on the ends and carefully apply some liquid fray preventer.
Because the moleskin is fairly heavy, I suggest notching the allowances at the hem line, and grading them inside the hem allowance.
At this point I like to go ahead and hem the sleeve, simply because I find this easier to do before the sleeve is attached to the coat.
If you wish to do so now, press the sleeve’s 1 ½” hem allowance upward.
Hand-sew the top edge of the hem allowance to the fusible interfacing, take care to only stitch through the interfacing (and not onto the outside of the sleeve).
Also hand-sew three of the “floral” buttons to the back edge of the front sleeve, beneath the trim.
(There is no sleeve vent; these buttons are purely decorative.)
To set in the sleeve, the ease in the sleeve cap first needs to be gathered down fit the armscye.
Sew two rows of gathering stitches around the sleeve cap, inside the seam allowance.
Gather the cap ease along the stitches and steam it away over a tailor’s ham.
With the armscye stabilized and the sleeve cap gathered, it’s time to set the sleeve!
Pin the sleeve into place along the armscye, matching dots and balance points. (The back sleeve seam should align with the back princess seam on the coat.)
Baste the sleeve to the body and inspect the cap to ensure there are no folds, pleats, puckers, etc.
Once satisfied with the quality of the sleeve cap, sew the sleeve to the body, then stitch again ⅛” inside of the previous stitch line.
Trim the seam allowances to ½” around the cap, and to about ¼” around the lower armhole.
Position the sleeve head over the armscye to determine how long it should be. (It should extend over approximately the same distance as the cap ease, or perhaps a little bit farther.)
Trim it down to size, and trim the ends into gentle curves.
Insert the sleeve head into the sleeve cap, edges flush, and pin it into place.
Using a quilting/walking foot, sew the sleeve head to the armscye about ⅛” from the seam line (⅜” from the edge).
Pull the sleeve through the armhole, then press the sleeve head and armscye seam allowances toward the sleeve.
Gently pull the sleeve back through the armhole and turn the assembly right-sides-out.
Repeat for the other side. (Do not attach the two halves together along the center back yet.)
Cut a small rectangle of lightweight fusible interfacing about 1” tall and a 6” long with pinking shears, and apply it to the pocket area on the underside of the front lining (piece M).
Topstitch around the pocket opening, shortening your stitch length around the corners.
I also like to bolster up my interior pocket welt (piece Q) with a lightweight fusible.
Press the pocket welt in half, wrong sides together and long edges flush.
Sew or baste the long ends of the pocket welt together close to the edge.
Hand-baste the welt into place over the pocket opening, with its raw edges flush with the upper stitch line.
From the underside, sew the pocket welt into place by stitching again over the lower stitch line, beginning and ending your stitching exactly at the corners of the pocket opening. (I like to use a quilting/walking foot for this.)
Slide the interior pocket bag (piece R) underneath the upper edge of the pocket welt, as close to the stitch line as you can manage.
Pin the pocket bag into place over the pocket opening.
Again from the underside, sew the pocket bag into place by stitching again over the upper stitch line, beginning and ending your stitching exactly at the corners of the pocket opening.
Slash the pocket opening halfway between the two longer stitch lines, stopping about ⅜” from the ends and snipping a “Y” shape to the corners on each side, catching only the lining fabric (not the welt or pocket bag).
Turn the pocket bag under and press. (Be sure to press these seam allowances upward.)
Turn the pocket welt upward and press. (Be sure to press these seam allowances downward.)
Turn the triangular “prongs” under and press.
On the underside, fold the pocket bag upward, and then back down again so its free end is flush with the pocket opening’s lower/welt seam allowance.
Sew the end of the pocket bag to the lower allowance, close to the previous stitch line.
Fold the pocket bag back downward.
Sew the sides of the pocket bag closed, catching the triangular “prongs” in the stitching.
(Again, I like to curve my stitching slightly toward the bottom, rather than producing sharp lower corners.)
Stitch again ⅛” from the previous stitching and trim the allowances with pinking shears.
Press the pocket opening area flat.
Finish the pocket by making a small bar tack on each side through all layers.
Instead of sewing the dart into the front lining, I suggest instead making a small pleat along the bottom inch or so, the same width as the dart.
Sew the front facing (piece L) to the front lining (piece M).
Press the seam allowances toward the side.
Be careful to only press the allowances! Do not press the lamb fur fabric, because this will ruin the texture.
Sew the front interior assembly to the side back lining and press the seam allowances open, as done previously for the coat shell.
Like the front lining, instead of sewing the dart into the skirt lining, I suggest instead making a small pleat along the top inch or so, the same width as the dart.
As you may recall from my costume analysis, on the original frock coat, the lower front skirt/lining seam was rolled slightly to the underside.
I wasn’t able to determine exactly how much, but in lieu of any evidence to the contrary, my guess would be ¼”.
When sewing the skirt lining to the interior front/side assembly, stop and reinforce your stitching however away from the front dot that you want the seam rolled under.
In other words, if you want the lower front skirt/lining seam rolled under ¼”, stop stitching ¼” from the dot.
Sew the interior front/side/skirt assembly to the center back lining (piece N) as done previously with the coat shell (in three separate stitches, forming the ½” pleat, etc.).
Sew the interior assembly together at the shoulders. Press the shoulder seam allowances open.
Sew the sleeve lining closed, and press the seam allowances open.
Sew the sleeve lining to the interior assembly armscye, easing to fit.
Stitch again ⅛” inside the previous stitch line, then trim the upper armscye allowances down to ½” and the lower armscye allowances down to ¼”.
Repeat for the other side.
Now we need to begin joining the four assemblies together.
I prefer to do this in halves, then join the right and left sides together.
Beginning at the collar notch, sew the layers together along the outer edge of the stay tape – across the upper lapel curve and down the front edge to the dot (pulling the skirt allowances out of the way).
Note that the front facing is ¼” longer than the coat front; ease in this excess at the roll line.
Clip the neckline allowances to the stitching at the collar notch.
Ordinarily we’d grade the front/facing seam allowances by trimming them down to about ¼” and ⅜”, but since the lamb fur sheds so badly, I suggest instead serging the allowances down to ⅜”. (This will also trim away the previous overlock stitch.)
Press the seam allowances back toward the underside.
Tack the seam allowance to the stay tape by hand along the lower front curve.
Turn the assembly right-sides-out and proll the seam line slightly to the underside.
Do not press this seam, because doing so would ruin the texture of the lamb fur fabric!
With the coat front lying as flat as possible, tailor-baste the front and facing layers together close to the facing/lining seam line.
Carefully pull the lining away so the facing/lining seam allowance is visible.
Hand-sew the facing/lining seam allowances to the front canvas as far up as possible (ideally, all the way up to the shoulder seam).
I also suggest hand-sewing the lining and shell allowances together a few places along the armscye (where there seams and balance points match), as well as the upper waist allowances along the side of the coat.
Repeat for the other side.
Pull the back lining out of the way.
Sew the two coat assemblies together along the center back, right sides together, from the neckline down to the dot. Reinforce your stitching several times at the bottom.
Clip the seam allowances diagonally to the stitching at the corner.
Press the seam allowances open.
Pull the lower right back allowances to the underside to form the vent underlap.
Gently pull the back shell out of the way so the center back lining panels are accessible.
Sew the center back lining panels together in the same manner.
Press the seam allowances open.
Then press them flat again at the top and sew the upper back lining pleat, reinforcing the stitching several times on the ends.
Press the pleat toward the right.
Turn the entire coat right-sides-out.
Sew the shell and interior assemblies together along the neckline, matching back and shoulder seams.
At the center back waist, press the left overlap allowances under (between the shell and the lining, so they’re tucked away and not exposed anywhere).
Hand-sew the center back shell and lining together along the edges, and along the upper edge of the overlap.
Then hand-sew the overlap into place along the upper edge.
Now we need to make and attach the collar, which is comprised of two pieces: the upper collar (piece I) and the under collar (piece J).
The collar’s structure is provided by the undercollar, using bias-cut French canvas.
Although the undercollar felt/melton is cut as a single piece, the two pieces of French canvas are cut with the center back on the bias.
Overlap the two pieces of undercollar canvas at the center back, and sew them together across the seam line with a zig-zag stitch.
Trim the seam allowances close to the stitching.
There are different opinions about how to best padstitch the collar.
Personally, I like to padstitch the actual roll line, and then continue padstitching on each side in parallel rows.
Mark the seam lines on the canvas, and the rows for padstitching.
Place the French canvas on the wrong side of the undercollar felt, matching edges, and baste the layers together along the roll line.
Trim the edges of the canvas so it’s slightly smaller than the undercollar felt.
Padstitch the undercollar, beginning and ending your stitching ⅛” from the seam lines.
Fold the undercollar along the roll line, pin it to a tailor’s ham, and steam it into shape.
Trim away the canvas seam allowances along every edge of the undercollar.
Trim away the undercollar/felt allowances along the neckline.
Then trim away another ⅛” or so of the canvas along the neckline.
Sew the undercollar assembly to the upper collar along the front and outer edges, right sides together.
Trim the seam allowances to ¼” (closer along the curve).
Turn the collar assembly right-sides-out, but do not press the seam because this will ruin the texture of the lamb fur fabric!
At this point, the coat should be ready for the collar to be attached.
Sew the upper collar to the coat around the neckline, right sides together, matching collar notches and balance points. (Roll the upper/under collar seams open at the collar notches.)
Gently finger-press (do not iron!) the seam allowances upward into the collar.
Fold the undercollar back down so its lower/neckline edge is flush with the stitching and the roll lines meet.
Catch-stitch the undercollar assembly into place along the neckline.
Remove the basting stitches.
Your collar is now attached!
(The aforementioned is just one method of attaching a collar to a jacket or coat, and the one I believe works best for this particular project. I actually teach six methods for this in my tailoring course!)
Press the skirt’s 1 ½” hem allowance upward and hand-sew its upper edge to the fusible interfacing, taking care to only stitch through the interfacing (and not onto the right side of the garment).
Notch the waist seam allowance on the upper front of the skirt so it will fold under more easily.
Press the skirt’s front 2” allowance under and hand-sew it to the fusible interfacing, taking care to only stitch through the interfacing (and not onto the right side of the garment).
Press the skirt lining’s front allowance under, and press its lower hem allowance upward as well. (I suggest pressing an extra ½” or so under along the hem.)
Fold the skirt lining back down and hand-sew it to the skirt’s front allowance.
Hand-sew the skirt lining to the skirt allowance along the hem, about ½” to ¾” above the lining’s crease to form a small jump pleat for wearing ease.
Hand-sew the lower sleeve lining to the sleeve hem in the same manner.
Finally, hand-sew the hussar toggles to the front trim accents where the loops overlap.
You’re all set to go deal with some snowmen!
