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jessamygriffith) wrote2012-02-07 09:58 pm
A Study in Coat - Finished
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.
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Yes.
Yours is better, because mine has this fucking annoying slight mylar thread and so it sparkles like a subdued Twilght vamp in sun. I am slightly jealous.
When I look at Sherlock's, the ratio of black seems higher, but it IS houndstooth. Hmm. Not bad price, for America.
Get it!~
Mine was medium weight too!
I am thrilled my utter geekness will help others in fandom. And am only surprised that no one else has blogged/twittered/made? The Coat before with any details before!
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I am thrilled my utter geekness will help others in fandom.
I'm not really in this fandom yet, but I'm thinking it's only a matter of time. =D I'm just...staggered on the timing of it. You posted this two days before I decided to do mine. It was meant to be.
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I dunno, I never even considered a girls version. That's messed up right there. I guess I like him as he is and wanted to do the character justice - also I LOVE accuracy in in re-creation. My issues!
Did you get here via Tumblr, out of curiousity? I posted there and was a bit surprised by the response. Which is why I couldn't believe no one had done this before.
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I never even considered a girls version.
tl;dr: I'm a fan of queering stuff. Even if I don't incorporate some sorta gender statement, I focus stuff not usually emphasized in the subculture/text. Years ago, when I did a couple steampunk costumes, I made one that relied heavily on the Victorian Asian/Orient appropriation that I think most steampunk people ignore (hello, colonialism!). The other one was just flat-out punk, something I find woefully absent in a culture that actually uses the word punk in their subculture name. Anyway. I have some feelings about fandom and culture that get expressed (for better or worse) through my costumes.
I guess I like him as he is and wanted to do the character justice - also I LOVE accuracy in in re-creation
We need all types when it comes to costuming. I have mega-respect for people who do faithful reproductions. And honestly, it makes it a lot easier to do my own thing when I have such helpful and talented people going before me!
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This whole 'posting the pattern' thing has gone over Pretty well. I am a bit embarassed I didn't blog it better but I never meant to!
I just can't get over the fact that no one else has done/shared a pattern. Or some one more professional?
Oh well! I am terribly happy people are getting inspired!
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Argh Decisions.
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Are you asking the authentity nutjob about whether navy is a viable choice? Are you MAD, or am I???
Mine is black and grey, and the original looks to be much the same. Oh how I would love to see it close up.
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For that matter, I'm going to try dye to match the scarf color, too. I have a light gray scarf...we'll see if I can get it the right shade of blue.
And we are All Mad Here. Aren't we? I'm still on the outskirts of fandom (although I have been tangentially involved for years and years due to general participation in SF/SciFi/SpecFic). But the deeper I get into it, the more I realize that this is My Kind of Crazy. <3
I have always wanted to do a Meiji era Japanaise Victorian gown
I want to see this some day. Unf.
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Either I am cocking up my wool dye baths with not enough salt /vinegar whatever they tell me to use, or I am not using enough dye. Wanted mine to be a bit darker... sigh.
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