Progress at last! The 17-something jacket

Like all good costuming projects I started out with one thing in mind, changed my mind when I bought fabric I wasn't really looking for, then returned to the original concept. Originally I wanted to create a short 1780's jacket, much like the one on the Kyoto Institute web. But then found a big fat wad of red worsted which would be wasted if I made a short jacket out of it. So I upgraded my project to a Redingote. I then sat on that idea for several weeks trying to envision all the pattern pieces I would need to draft. Yeah, the short 1780's jacket was looking a lot better.

Not that I'm a coward mind you, it's just that this will be the very first garment I ever draft a pattern from scratch for, so do I really need to make it so complex? Surely I can cut my teeth on something simpler and create that Redingote when I have a little experience. So I drafted up a collar-less jacket pattern with pleated peplum 1740's style except this one will have full length narrow sleeves and button up the front. Making it more 1780's. Lets face it, this jacket is by no means a truly "historical" piece but it's a first piece of 18th century inspired clothing. Yay for me!

The photo's show my progress to date. Note the loud 80's curtain fabric, hideous isn't it? I got 4m of it in a junk store for $2 so who's complaining. No I won't be wearing this little number, it's my toile and will be ripped apart and used as a pattern for the real jacket. Not to put too finer point on it I'm chuffed. I mean this is my first ever self drafted pattern and the fit is pretty special as far as I'm concerned.



Those big strips of white down the front are just the excess fabric I've pinned back and will eventually cut off. Apparently my tape measure thinks I'm fatter than I really am. I've yet to widen the neckline to it's proper place, I'm hestitant to use scissors in case I ruin all my (so far) successful work.



The peplum is stupidly long at the moment, following my tradition of cutting everything too big as I can always make it smaller but not the other way around. It will be shortened to a more period length. The peplum starts at my natural waist but for some reason it feels way too high. I figured out why today. Modern clothing places the waist line closer to the hips and that's what I'm used to. But photos and drawings of these types of jackets all point to it sitting on the natural waist. So I'll leave it there and just get over it.



Now I know why jeans were not worn in the 18th Century, this jacket makes my (size 8) backside look enormous! My trunk looks tiny in this jacket, (magic of the clothes and stays) which only goes to emphasize the ample-ness of my rump. Yep! skirts needed.

Now for the exciting bit, since my red worsted is now earmarked for a Redingote, I've gone and bought something else. An ebay find actually, this lovely brocade. The ground is a soft sage green which doesn't show well in this photo. I have 2m of this fabric (140cm wide) so that should be plenty to do this jacket. Burn testing the fibre points to a natural rather than polyester, what kind of natural I have no idea.



The brocade pattern is quite small, for an upholstery fabric anyway. The flower heads are about the size of an Aussie 20 cent piece. With each bouquet being about the size of my palm. Certainly a good size for a jacket. The hand of the fabric is acutally quite soft and it drapes nicely. Should be perfect for this jacket.