All we have left to do on the paletot is give it a good final pressing, beginning with the collar and lapels. Ideally you should try on the coat and have someone press the collar and lapels into place along the roll line, followed by pressing with the iron, just to perfect the fit, but if necessary you can just press on the tailor’s ham.

I like to start at the back of the collar, pressing the center back firmly along the roll line. You can use starch here and elsewhere to make the crease more permanent.

Continue pressing along the roll line to one side, being sure to use the pressing ham to match the shape and roll of the shoulders.

Press the lapel down to about 2 inches above the end of the roll line. This lower section should not be pressed — instead it should be allowed to roll freely to give the most elegant look.

Here’s the lapel and collar after pressing. Repeat for the other half, and then give the entire coat a pressing as necessary, especially along the edges and any wrinkled areas.

I recommend starching the coat in light, thin layers, building up the layers until you get the thickness you prefer. I just stick with the spray starch you can get at any store as that’s easiest for me, but feel free to experiment with other more historical methods of starching if you wish.

And with that, this project is complete! I hope you’ve had fun and success while making your own coat. I’d love to see photos of your finished pieces! Email them to me if you like at james@historical-tailoring.com and I’ll add them to a gallery here on the website and share on Facebook (with your permission of course).

James

Usually the last things I sew onto the coat are the buttons, as they have a tendency to catch sewing threads if you put them on earlier. When sewing on the buttons, work from the waist up if you are right handed to avoid the threads catching on the previous button.

Begin by marking out the button position based on your pattern, or transferring from the buttonhole side, 1/2″ away from the edge.

Insert the needle from the wrong side using a knotted piece of silk buttonhole twist.

Arrange this first stitch so that the button will be positioned appropriately.

Make your first complete stitch, reentering the fabric about 1/8″ from the first half of the stitch. I like to keep track of the number of stitches by counting ‘one’ on the up stitch and ‘and’ on the downstitch.

After this first stitch, keep the button rather loose on the coat, with anywhere from 1/4″ to 1/2″ of ease on the threads.

Now make your second complete stitch in the same manner. This is the point at which you can adjust precisely how far away from the coat you want the button to stand and should be based on how thick the front of your coat is plus a little ease. By holding the button with one hand and gently pulling on the loose end of the thread with the other while also holding the coat, you can precisely adjust the height of the button. Here I made mine just under 1/4″.

Here’s my button after adjusting the height.

As soon as you make a complete third stitch, that will lock the height of the button in place. Just be sure to hold the button away from the coat as you pull each stitch taught, so it doesn’t get pulled into the coat. I make six stitches total.

If you are using a button with four holes, make three stitches in one direction and three across, forming a cross pattern.

With the stitching complete, form the shank by wrapping the thread around the threads 4 to 8 times, depending on the button height. Pull snug, but not too tight, or it will be difficult to finish off the button. These wraps around the threads will keep the button attached much longer.

Finishing up the last wrap here and pulling everything snug.

Finally, secure the button by passing the needle and thread through the shank three times in differing directions. Trim off the excess thread.

Here is the completed button. Continue with the other two.

And finally, attach two buttons at the top of the pleat area in the back, going through all layers. I sometimes attach these before the coat halves are joined at the back, as they’re easier to access that way, but that’s up to your personal preference.

Usually the last things I sew onto the coat are the buttons, as they have a tendency to catch sewing threads if you put them on earlier. When sewing on the buttons, work from the waist up if you are right handed to avoid the threads catching on the previous button.

Begin by marking out the button position based on your pattern, or transferring from the buttonhole side, 1/2″ away from the edge.

Insert the needle from the wrong side using a knotted piece of silk buttonhole twist.

Arrange this first stitch so that the button will be positioned appropriately.

Make your first complete stitch, reentering the fabric about 1/8″ from the first half of the stitch. I like to keep track of the number of stitches by counting ‘one’ on the up stitch and ‘and’ on the downstitch.

After this first stitch, keep the button rather loose on the coat, with anywhere from 1/4″ to 1/2″ of ease on the threads.

Now make your second complete stitch in the same manner. This is the point at which you can adjust precisely how far away from the coat you want the button to stand and should be based on how thick the front of your coat is plus a little ease. By holding the button with one hand and gently pulling on the loose end of the thread with the other while also holding the coat, you can precisely adjust the height of the button. Here I made mine just under 1/4″.

Here’s my button after adjusting the height.

As soon as you make a complete third stitch, that will lock the height of the button in place. Just be sure to hold the button away from the coat as you pull each stitch taught, so it doesn’t get pulled into the coat. I make six stitches total.

If you are using a button with four holes, make three stitches in one direction and three across, forming a cross pattern.

With the stitching complete, form the shank by wrapping the thread around the threads 4 to 8 times, depending on the button height. Pull snug, but not too tight, or it will be difficult to finish off the button. These wraps around the threads will keep the button attached much longer.

Finishing up the last wrap here and pulling everything snug.

Finally, secure the button by passing the needle and thread through the shank three times in differing directions. Trim off the excess thread.

Here is the completed button. Continue with the other two.

And finally, attach two buttons at the top of the pleat area in the back, going through all layers. I sometimes attach these before the coat halves are joined at the back, as they’re easier to access that way, but that’s up to your personal preference.