Pad Stitching

Pad stitching is used for attaching the layers of interfacing to the under (or inner) collar or in lapels. It is used for stiffening and shaping. A helpful booklet to have for information on tailoring stitches is "The Workman's Guide to Tailoring Stitches and Techniques". I still have not gotten the stitch down to what one would call beautiful but I am trying. With a chalk pencil draw paralell lines 1/2" apart vertically in the stand section of the collar. There is supposed to be only a thread picked up on the under collar fabric. My stitches are a little bigger than that, still trying to be better. No one will see them because the fall part of the collar will cover them.
For this particular frock coat I have used some navy wool flannel for the under collar that matched my outer fabric in color fairly well. The outer part of the collar is then attached to the inner with a "prickstitch" which is hand done. You could use a sewing machine but I have found that doing it by hand makes a nice edge and tends to keep the under collar from peaking out.

Stand Fall Collar

The stand fall collar I have drafted using information from "Men's Garments 1830-1900". Unfortunately, I hate to admit it, I have not found exactly how I drafted it, with a cursory look through the book. But I did and have used this piece for many a frock coat.

Stand Fall collar pattern for Navy Frock coat

To help add some body to the collar, I use canvas. But you do not want so much thickness in the seam line so I have used some muslin applied to the canvas with two rows of stitching, as seen below, then trimmed away. The whole piece is then turned over and the canvas is trimmed away leaving only the muslin in the seam allowance area thus reducing bulk. There is a center back seam that is then sewn and the two pieces are applied as one to the under collar pieces with padding stitches in the standing part of the collar, with the curved seam where it attaches to the neckline. A discussion of padding stitches will probably be next...

Muslin applied to canvas interfacing then trimmed to reduce
seam thickness

Pattern, fabric etc.

The pattern I have used for years, and refined as it to how Greg likes it to fit and look, is the Period Impressions Officer's Frock Coat 712. I have changed over the years the shape of the sleeves, he doesn't like those large shaped sleeves, and the fact that the pattern has them hang way off at the shoulders, which might be period appropriate but...he is having a tailor make this coat. I have not had someone, to my face, say that the fit is not period appropriate. An officer is paying a tailor to make his uniform, it is not issued, and thus it is to fit as he likes. The fabric was purchased from http://www.fashionfabricsclub.com/. It is a "tropical weight" or lightweight 100% wool twill gaberdine in a midnight blue or dark navy blue color. If you purchase a "navy blue" it is more like an army color. If you live and reenact someplace colder than Texas, you might choose a heavier fabric, but the color is what I am going for.  I also interline the frock coat with 100% cotton canvas for weight, especially in the body sections and a lighter weight cotton twill for the sleeves and skirt.  And even though I have used this pattern many times, I generally make a mock up ( always make a mock up of scrap fabric if you have not used the pattern before). Some fit very well and other need fixing. I use this pattern, but I think the directions could be better.

Cutting out the wool

I have also drafted a more appropriate collar since it is a stand/fall collar. I used information from "Mens Garments 1830-1900". If you want one, just email me and I will send you a copy of what I have made. (Greg is a 42 regular). You can see the piece for the collar in the upper left just above the "skirt" piece, below the side back. I think I will take a photo of it and post it as well.

Boonie as promised

Small touches left to finish the 2 boonies for our Viet Cong impression, but here are some photos of the process.


5 pie shaped sections sewn together and a section of "quarters" sewn below them



circular brim sewn in a spiral with canvas between for stiffening 



brim sewn on to "quarters", that center circle cut out leaving the right amount of seam allowance



finish edges of brim with bias fabric trim and the inside seam where brim meets quarters

Ok, back to the 19th century!

Time Traveling to the 20th Century

Many apologies for such a big gap in posting, but we have been caught up in some time travel. We have been asked to participate in Wings over Houston, air show in October, in their reenactment of Tora Tora Tora and a Vietnam War scenario. New clothes! I made us some black pajamas, so we could be Viet Cong, someone has to be the opposing side. I am also making some boonie hats because the ones that are available don't look quite right. I think I have faked it pretty well and will post a photo when it is done. Also making a Navy nurse's white indoor uniform, pre-WW2 shirt dress type. Got me a nurse's coronet and will apply black velvet ribbon to finish it off. Got some sewing to do...back to it!

Male Form and buttons

We finally got for me a male form, after all these years. We did not pay much for it (found it on Ebay) and it was not the exact right size, but it was close enough that  it could be padded to be the right size. Sure beats putting his clothing on my dress form. The breasts just weren't working with the fit! I really find putting it on the form handy to see how the garment hangs and to see it from afar. A good bit of what is done is an art and requires, in my mind, looking at from a distance.

Buttons will be a pretty important part to this uniform. We thought we were going to use some actual Navy buttons from Marlow White (provider of uniform items for current military), but the eagle on the button faces the wrong way. A small thing, you say, but an attention to detail. Schuyler, Hartley and Graham Illustrated Catalog of Civil War Military Goods is a wonderful reference book to have. There are illustrations of the buttons in there and the eagle is facing to our right, as we look at it and to the wearer's left as it is worn. There are Uniform Regulations in the book, too. The buttons I am using are the LaMode Navy buttons. They are nicely made and come in 3 sizes. The large and medium are used on the frock coat, 18 large (because it is a double-beasted frock coat) and mediums are used in the back at the waist seam.

Thanks

Battle of Guilford Courthouse, Allie Graham and Jason Presnell

Many thanks to our daughter Allie and her boyfriend Jason (both Masters of Science in Biology working at Duke University) for the great brainstorming which helped me choose the name for my blog. Allie thought of "Facing History" and Jason "Seams of Time", which were both taken, thus the melding of the two and "Seams of History". Here they are at the "Guilford Courthouse" reenactment in Greensboro, NC that we all went to in March. And Allie is my first follower, hurrah! Thanks guys!

The Other Navy Uniforms

The 1895 uniform looks too simple from afar. It has quite a bit of elaborate trim, a 1 1/2" outline of mohair trim around the edges and 1/4" mohair braid inside that. I will have to include some images of how it is done.

1895 Service Dress Blues, Spanish American War

The 1895 Summer White is very hard to see the detail on. All the trim is white in the same pattern as the blues, again I will publish some details.

1895 Service Dress Summer Whites

Confederate Navy...note the unusual pattern of the gold lace on the sleeves, very Brittish...

Confederate States Navy

The Texas Navy was very important to Texas winning independence from Mexico. There were not many uniform regulations for me to go by in building this uniform.

1836 Texas Navy

Navy Lace

The "lace" which is applied to the sleeves of the uniform is used to denote rank, not because anyone onboard a ship would not know the rank of a person having spent a good deal of time at sea together. It is mainly for those ashore to see and know.  Below is a variety of sizes of Navy lace. It has a specific pattern of two lines that run the length, inset from each edge.

Navy Lace: 2", 1", 7/16" and 1/4"

I have found only one reliable supplier of Navy lace, La Lame in New York City. I think they still have a website, but the easiest way to deal with ordering is to call them. They are nice and prompt to do business with. The regulations call for 3/4" but 1" will do. Sometimes, you can only do so much....

1862 Uniform Regulations

The book in which I found the regulations is, "The Uniforms of the United States Navy" by James C. Tily. We found it online for less than $10. After the beginning of the Civil War, the Navy grew tremendously. The regulations dropped the use of the full-dress coat with standing collar, tails and elaborate trimmings of lace. "The undress frock coat was to serve for all purposes: full dress, undress and service dress." The uniform seen most often in photographs of the time is the service dress, which is what I am making, with shoulder straps and cap instead of cocked hat. The rank we have chosen to use is a Commander. A commander will have two strips of 3/4 inch navy lace, with a 1/4 inch strip between them on a frock coat of deep navy blue, almost black, with a rolling collar.

The Beginning

I am currently in the beginning process of creating an 1862 Regulation U.S. Navy Uniform.  It is the 7th Naval uniform of some kind that I have made for my husband of almost 30 years, Greg. My first Navy uniform was just awful! (a Civil War U.S. Navy summer uniform from "Uniforms of the Civil War in color" by Phillip Haythornthwaite) But at the time, we thought it was great. It takes some research and we did not know much about it all at the time. Not because the reference book was bad, just my interpretation, fabric choices, insignia.... We do have a great deal more reference books now and they do help! I built an 1864 Regulation U.S. Navy uniform as one of our Dickens-on-the-Strand costumes, period clothing. It was, is, grand. But, I can do better. Here is Greg wearing the uniform with our youngest daughter, Lillie, at the Brooksville, Florida reenactment in 2006.