A Study in Coat - Finished

[jessamygriffith]

Though these are only my iPhone pics and not anything orgasmically GQ, the coat is done. Okay well, I must put in the sleeve linings but I can do that at school tmrw. Free time, whee.

First I must bitch about the sleeves. The original drafted ones were shapely but too narrow - I would never have got a suit jacket into them. I recut a test sleeve (revamped the cuff to something so simple I think I must have been an idiot when I made the first draft). They are lovely, roomy. I set them. One is puffy in the shoulder. They are bunching weird in the armpit. I LOATHE THEM with the poisonous hatred of a thousand hissing radioactive spiders.

"Fuck," says I. But this project is charmed. Why, you say? Must be some Sherlock magic, like he's standing there and saying, 'You're an idiot, but you can do better.'

I agree, Normally a 'real' sewing project for something of this magnitude involves a trifecta culled from the following:

a) Frustration
b) bleeding (makes the gods happy, oils the sewing machines of Satan.)
c) Tears.
d) Throwing the project across the room. I did this once to a commissioned piece and I sulked, It stayed there two weeks.
e) holes in fabric from tearing/ accidental cuts/ ripping things out over and over

I had heaps of frustration but all in all, learned tons. I would definitely use some of these techniques in tailoring again. And I understand completely about how the underlying architecture of a garment makes it look so much better.

I ripped those damned sleeves out and tried again, recutting the armscythe. And hey presto, it worked, I stuffed in the shoulder pads and Bob's my uncle.

You are spared the pics of me fighting the sleeves and instead get a tip for perfect pleats. Do a huge ugly stitch down the pleat to hold it in place, the steam and press the garment with your wooden clapper. Hammer the wool with the clapper if it's really thick.

And now the finished pics, not really nice, but with the Sherlock ones to compare.






That's it folks. The Coat.
Originally by Belstaff for Sherlock BBC. Copied by me.

And yes, it's not as big in the chest as Benny's because, fuck it, I don't want to SWIM in it.
Houndstooth wool, plastic buttons and all materials bought respectively in Nippori Fabric District, Tokyo, and Okadaya, Shinjuku, Tokyo. Notions from Yuzawaya in Yokohama.

Now I can be tortured by not having The Scarf.

Comments

[k95mee.livejournal.com]

I'm not surprised - your seamstress skills are as stunning as your writing skills. Well done on a lovely job, there.

[jessamygriffin.livejournal.com]

It was a lot more effort for a 'costume' than I would normally go to, except, it's not a costume. I love it when costume become clothes. I'll wear this the remainder of winter because frankly the other long wool coat I have is knackered.

Yes yes SO HAPPY

Thank you!

[pargoletta.livejournal.com]

Hooray! Mazel tov! You did a really nice job. Wear it in good health.

[jessamygriffin.livejournal.com]

I may make one more post, just to... you know. Be smarmy about trying to get details that most people won't even notice. This will satisfy the inner obsessive compulsive in me.

But thank you! I shall wear it, and on a good day, like Friday, there may be a twirl. Just to see how it flares.

Thank you!

[alltoseek.livejournal.com]

AWESOME!

We need a pic with you in it, tho' :D

Don't worry about the scarf - it changes anyway, so any nice blue scarf will be fine :-)

Gorgeous...

[jessamygriffin.livejournal.com]

I will do some pics, but I'll put them on my Flickr account, I think. Or my other LJ account. This one was meant to be a puppet after all.

If I had gotten this done sooner it would have been nice... The bulk of really cold weather is done here! Sigh.

But still! I did it, and I can't be modest here, it's a darned good copy for an amateur. Semi amateur. Ok, untrained seamstress.

Thank you!

[karadin.livejournal.com]

Congrats on a great job, eventually I'll be making one, it's nice to see someone obsess on details like I do. And hopefully you can get season two scarf.

[jessamygriffin.livejournal.com]

I am going to haunt Nippori Fabric district tmrw, and see what I can find for that scarf. I actually wouldn't mind one in knit fabric with that stripe. Though I prefer the original blue scarf.

I gotta do one last blog with my crap pattern sketches.

I am glad you like it!

[swissmarg]

That's absolutely amazing! You just... made it up? From pictures? From screenshots? I can't even... How long did it take you to do? And just out of curiosity, how much did the materials cost?

[jessamygriffin.livejournal.com]

I had the use of approximately three pattern pieces from an old Burda pattern, I look at the seam lines of the original coat in screen shots, I gridded Sherlock up to get approximate button locations and pocket placement.

The time is kind of hard to say... I made and finished a TEST coat for this sucker just to try out the pattern. (Conclusion - needed work.) Do I count that time? Probably 20 hours on the test coat alone. On the real coat... I can't even say.

Materials - about $120 I think? The wool was cheap, ironically - 700 yen a meter, I got 5 meters. The buttons were 130 yen each. I had the gold paint already to touch them up. Red silk thread, 250 yen. Iron-on interfacing, maybe 1000 yen. The stupidly annoying and expensive stuff was the mohair/wool interlining (I was testing real tailor techniques) which gives the front of the coat that crisp, smooth look. THAT right there, for 3 meters... ugh. 8000 yen or so. The lining was cheap. 100 yen a meter, just some crisp taffeta of polyester in dark grey.

If I made this again, I would get a cheaper equivalent of that tailor's interlining.

Re: Test coat

[feikoi.livejournal.com]

MINE ALL MINE
MUAHAHAHAHAHA-*coughs*

(i think the kids got me sick this week, ugh. cap never got finished, so cas will be next to you saturday in a much cheaper suit/coat, comparatively :P)

Re: Test coat

[jessamygriffin.livejournal.com]

Oh, plz don't make me ill! God, the kids at my school have all been going down like dominoes.

Ah, Caz. I am in Season 2 of Supernatural.. hmm. Think I should watch more tonight. I have some tweaking to do to my Sherlock gloves.

[lafleurdusoleil.livejournal.com]

This is so cool! Congratulations on your talent! =D

[jessamygriffin.livejournal.com]

Thank you! We (The Coat and I) are very very happy.

[a_blackpanther]

This is so amazing. I'm really jealous because I WANT that coat and I definitely do not have your sewing skills.

[jessamygriffin.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I was talking with Tumblr person who got one of the commercial cosplay ones from China, and she doesn't like it - too flimsy, badly proportioned, buttons wrong and pockets placed wrong.

Which only goes to show if you want it done right, do it yourself if you can.

I am thrilled with this coat.

[mildly-neurotic.livejournal.com]

It really came out amazing. I'm glad the redo of the sleeves sorted out well. Bravo on a job well done!

[jessamygriffin.livejournal.com]

Yeah, damned sleeves. If I ever do a proper sewing classes, it will be to learn how to draft sleeves. Anything else is just easy.

There I was... sleeves sewn in yet bunchy and weird. GOD. Thank god I have a dress dummy now, or I would have never got it right, I think.

Still, it does make a handsome coat for winter for me. The back pleats are amazing.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

GOD BLESS YOU.

I just today decided to try cosplaying (well, cosplaying via Rule 63) Sherlock at an SF con this summer. You are a lifesaver. A very timely lifesaver.

This will be of more help

[jessamygriffin.livejournal.com]

The pattern sketches, not too good but what the hell, hmm?

http://jessamygriffin.livejournal.com/10822.html

[spikestress.livejournal.com]

I have sent several friends to this journal to see this amazing coat. I KNEW I should have taken sewing in school instead of shop!

Lovely lovely lovely.

[jessamygriffin.livejournal.com]

Ah, thanks! If any of them sew, I put up the pattern pieces on the next post - http://jessamygriffin.livejournal.com/10822.html


Or they can search under 'how to make' to hear my interminable whingeing about how I screwed up the welt pockets AGAIN.

[mawaridi.livejournal.com]

Holy crap, you are extraordinary. Wonderful work!

[jessamygriffin.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I am glad the effort put in shows!

[ladyuranus.livejournal.com]

This is tremendous, as is your post about how you drafted the pattern.

The fangirl in me really, really wants this coat. But I live in LA and would need some adjustments in the bust area, so I doubt it will become a reality. I'm considering modding this pattern to help me along: http://www.burdastyle.com/patterns/102011-ankle-length-double-breasted-wool-coat

Maybe the coat will happen. I have some awesome buttons for it, at least.

[jessamygriffin.livejournal.com]

I can't even describe the mental process that made me make the coat EXACTLY as a man's coat, despite having a bust myself. Pure contrariness? A desire not to do a Fem'lock cosplay? Probably that was it. Regardless of the mannish look, it still looks pretty good on me, the skirt flare in the back is dramatic and kind of feminine.

I just found a German store that has the wool, the closest I've seen! I don't know if they ship internationally, but if you are big enough fangirl... I mean, if I had found this wool before I made my own, I SO would have gotten it. The houndstooth I used is okay, but I am a sucker for versimilitude.

I used a burda... well not the pattern, I LOST the pieces... I used the pattern instructions with the sketches of the pattern/fabric layout to do a lot of mine. I wish I had had a pattern because the armhole sucked big time. That Burda looks good. The Vogue pattern 1266 is also pretty good though you would of course change the pocket. Mmm can't decide which one has the better collar...

[myfieldnotes.livejournal.com]

This is amazing. The work you put into it shows in every detail. The pleats. Oh the pleats! Your attention to detail and the way it drapes perfectly. Wonderful stuff to just even look at in the picture.

[jessamygriffin.livejournal.com]

Thank you! It's been a dream to wear, as well. The wool is just the right weight for Tokyo winter. And now it's heading into spring, and Sherlock, Y U now have summer clothes??

[kitamurin.livejournal.com]

Dropping by via tumblr just to say this is really, really impressive- well done!

[jessamygriffin.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I am thrilled so many people are dropping in to say they like my coat!

[mandyslupin.livejournal.com]

By God, you're brilliant - I can't imagine possessing the skills to make something like this from scratch. Bravo.

Also, Japan? EEK! I didn't think I'd EVER find someone else in the fandom who was an English speaker living here as well. This has made me very pleased, very pleased indeed.

[jessamygriffin.livejournal.com]

I've run into... well counting you, now I know of seven or eight? One is in Okinawa, one is not far from me and a military wife I believe, two are actual friends... and then I did go to that comic con in February, and the Japanese Sherlockians are lovely and fun and a lot of them speak English to some degree. One of them got to see the filming of S2 in London and showed me the pics. JEALOUSY

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Hi! Me, again! I'm slogging along on my own version of The Coat* and have gotten to the point where I'm ready to make my first mock-up. I can't tell from your notes or photos of the original--is either fully lined, all the way to the hem? Or does the lining stop at the waist? Is there no interior lining past the facing (I can't imagine this, but...)?

Thanks!

*I made my Watson's coat first and it looks faboo!

[jessamygriffin.livejournal.com]

I think I have just the thing for you here: http://www.therpf.com/f24/sherlock-coat-opinions-info-136738/index5.html

The guy on page 5 of the thread GOT AN ORIGINAL. He has posted pics of the lining and stuff! It is fully lined, indeed.

Mine was lined as well, but it's not as nice as the outside, so I was embarassed to put pics up.

Huh. I never considered people wouldn't line it... DERP.

GO LOOK AT THAT THREAD and THE GUY'S PICS.

*cries in envy*

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

I'm not as happy with it as I would have liked to be, but here's what I wound up with (http://www.flickr.com/photos/chernobylred/7449193584/in/photostream/) if you're interested in seeing my version of the coat.

But what's wrong with it?

[jessamygriffin.livejournal.com]

It looks great, and you look quit long and elegant! The length is perfect!

But yeah, I know how it is with some projects. I found out more recently that I got the collar band wrong, and possibly the darts in the back are meant to be pleats? (This hadn't been confirmed yet by Belstaff-owner guy on RPF forum, he doesn't speak seamstress!) Also - hate my lining and hem. There will always be something! But I am happy overall with the general impression.

[cumberbitched.livejournal.com]

The coal looks entirely epic. I am going to dare and make it myself, but I have a question. How many yards of fabric did you use for the whole coat?

[jessamygriffin.livejournal.com]

Weird, I just answered this on another mesage. Is it the time of year to make coats?

I think at the time I had bought what was on the bolt, which was 6 meters and a bit. Because I screwed up the armscythe and had to redo the sleeves, and also the upper back, I used it all.

Since a meter is 1.09 yards, 6 is probably a safe number, If you look at this Vogue coat, which is actually a bit fuller in the skirt than the Belstaff, you'll see the wider wool recommended estimate is over 6 yards.

http://voguepatterns.mccall.com/v8346-products-5658.php?page_id=265

I'd also recommend going to the Real prop Forum and checking out what people are saying there about making.

http://www.therpf.com/f24/sherlock-coat-opinions-info-136738/

Lastly, if you decide to make or not, I put up a bunch of links for commercial patterns and places you can buy replicas, in case you decide not to do the challenge. It is a challenge, doing this,

http://crimsongriffin28.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d4p1glc

[akiraniu.livejournal.com]

really cool one*_* i know you've spend huge plenty of hours and powers to create this amazing coat but, if at once you want to sell it i'll be very hapiness to buy it,bcs i never can do something in this so beatifull and accurate style.)))

[jessamygriffin.livejournal.com]

Ah, thank you! It's unlikely I'll ever make another coat. I couldn't sell this one anyway because 1. It's been worn for three years now! and 2. I love this sucker, I put so much work into it. It's my beautiful baby.

I am glad you like it, thanks for the comment!