A Jacket, c 1775-1780

From Costume Close-Up by Linda Baumgarten &  John Watson with Florine Carr

  

Two similar front views of my late 18th century jacket and a back view.  On the left, I had just put the jacket on.  In the center, I had been wearing it all day at Costume College.  The jacket is a block printed Indian cotton from Joann.  The petticoat and stomacher are gold colored cotton.  The cap and kerchief are handkerchief linen.  The hat is from the Silly Sisters and the shoes from Fugawee.

The jacket is entirely handsewn using the techniques in Costume Close-Up.  The rest of the outfit is handsewn as well.

 

The jacket is sewn with lapped seams.  First, the fabrics were pinned together as shown.  The seam is backstiched from the right side.
 


 

The lining is then pinned and whipstitched into place.  This method covers all the raw seam allowances.
 

  

The edges of the jacket are finished with a stich called le point a rabattre sous la main.  This is briefly described on page 8 of Costume Close-Up as a stitch that shows as a running stitch on the outside and an overcast stitch over the lining.  To get this effect, I took a running stitch through just the printed fabric, then brought the tip of the needle a few threads down into the lining.
 
 
 

My Costumes
18th Century

I'd like to go home!