Drafting Frock Coats of the 1860s

You should now construct a sleeve out of muslin, to test the fit. Only one side is necessary to test, and if you can do the left side, it is a little easier to set into the armscye (if you are right handed, that is). Begin by sewing the front seam together. Press open. Sew …

We will begin the last module of the workshop by first drafting and fitting the sleeves. Devere’s sleeve draft is relatively easy, compared to the coat. The sleeve head’s width is determined by a proportion of the breast measurement. The length is determined the the Length of Sleeve measurement, and the wrists and elbows can …

It is now time to construct the full body muslin. The purpose of this fitting is to ensure the seam lines are in the correct place, and that all of the pieces fit together properly. It’s also one last chance to catch any errors you missed during the close fitting wrapper stage. Before you begin, …

At the end of this drafting process, you should have the following pattern pieces. Note the seam allowances that have been added to the sides and bottom of the forepart and side piece, the sides of the back piece, and the top of the skirt seam. These are the basic seam allowances used for any …

The first step in drafting the collar is to draw the baseline. This should be 10 graduated inches in length, or the length of the collar from the collar notch (edge of the neck dart) to the neck and shoulder point, plus the width of the back neck. The next step is to square up …

As you are trying on your full completed muslin, check out the back of the skirt. Does it hang straight down, or does it spread apart at the back vent? Also, take a look at the hips. Does the fabric seem a little tight here, giving a pulled or strained look? If any of these …

To draft the main skirt, start by drafting a vertical line on the left side of the paper. Mark point 0 near the top, for the placement of the waist seam. Rise up 3 graduated inches, and mark that point for the fullness of the skirt. Finally, measure down 3/4 common inches less than the …

It is now time to draft the skirts, completing the draft of the coat body. To begin, make sure you have plenty of space on your paper, as the skirt can get quite large. We will start with completing the back skirt, as it’s length determines the length of the main skirt. I generally have …

The roll line can be placed according to how wide and deep you want the lapel to be. Start at point L at the shoulder, and draw a straight line to the desired location at the front of the lapel. It is this point on the lapel that can be drawn higher or lower. Again, …

The gorge dart is very important for the correct fit of a coat based on Devere’s patterns. While it will give some additional degree of fullness to the front of the coat, it’s main function is to help straighten the shoulder point – especially if we just crookened it again with the armscye dart. The …