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

[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...

[ladyuranus.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I don't consider this a cosplay project or I would go full out. I mean, where would I wear it to?

Living in LA makes the wool seem entirely impracticable, but I have no doubt the LA fabric district will get me something close and more light weight.

My first thought about the coat was that the back part was actually good for a female shape, so we definitely had the same idea!

I'll have to check out Vogue 1266, too.

[jessamygriffin.livejournal.com]

Ah, yeah, LA not so good for great coats, I can see that.

I've been wearing mine most everyday here, and since it's Japan, no one except my friends really get the reference. Just looks like a nice coat to everyone.

FYI The Burda I 'used' was 4127 - really similar to the vogue coat actually, and double breasted. Might be out of print...