Double Breasted Frock Coat

At this point in time, the undercollars were still mainly attached right sides together with a backstitch to the body of the coat. During the later 1860s and 1870s, collars began to be attached with the method still used today, by felling the raw edge of the collar to the coat. We’ll be doing the …

Now for the fun part! I find this next step incredibly relaxing, because after you figure out the technique, you can put yourself on autopilot and think about other things. The Collar Stand Just to the inside of the roll line, make a row of fine side stitches. The stitches should be between 1/8 and …

Collars of the period, and even to this day, were constructed in two steps. The undercollar was first attached, and then covered by the overcollar, giving a nice thinness that is lacking when the collar is constructed using other methods. Begin by drawing a bias 45 degree line on your french collar canvas. Place the …

Line up the back lining carefully, being careful not to stretch the neck area of the coat. Baste down the center of the lining, catching the center back seam. Check to make sure everything is lined up as you baste. Baste the shoulder seams down, staying about an inch away from the edge. Make sure …

This is a feature I’ve never seen on a reproduction, but is sometimes found in originals. The purpose of the back canvas is to give a little more support and strength to the back. Trace onto paper the top of your back pattern. About 3 inches down the back and shoulder should be fine. Connect …

This is an optional step. If you do not wish to quilt the back lining, just skip this section. On the madder red interlining, trace out the upper half of the back, on the fold. Reduce the neck and shoulder seams by half an inch. The bottom should be approximately even with the middle or …

We will now begin the final piece of lining – the back. Using your pattern, draw out the back on your lining as usual. It’s necessary to add some inlays, to make sure we have room to cover everything. I usually add 1⁄2 an inch along the neck, shoulder, and armscye, and an inch along …

It is time to finally close up the final remaining seam – the back. Lay the coat halves right side together, and baste the seam closed from the neck to the back vent. At the back vent area, you can see how the left half of the coat differs from the right half. The right …

It is now time to close the shoulder seams. Since these seams are cut strongly on the bias, it is necessary to secure them with a strip of linen, to prevent too much stretching out of shape. The linen is cut on a slight bias, about 30 degrees, and is about 1 inch in width, …

It’s time to finally move on from the linings – for a little while, anyway. Turn the coat right side up. This is the best time to put on the plait buttons, before we close up the shoulder and back seams. At the point where the waist seam meets the back, is the location for …