After cutting out your front pieces, mark the fold line at the neck for the self-facing, as well as another mark 1 1/4 graduated inches further towards the curve of the neck to denote the center front, similar to the cape.

We then need to transfer the marking lines for the lower and breast pockets. For the lower pockets, the easiest way is to first align the ruler on the upper or side marks.

Then keeping the ruler and pattern in place, fold the rest of the pattern out of the way and draw a chalk mark over the pocket area.

And then the process is repeated with the two ends of the pocket.

Marking the breast pocket, first draw a line following the curve, 1/4″ above the original construction line. Since there’s a seam allowance to the pocket, offsetting it this amount will ensure that the pocket is actually installed in the original position.

I find it easiest to simply poke holes in the paper and use a white colored pencil to mark the ends of the pocket.

Then redraw the curve. You may want to make the curve a little deeper than you want as they tend to straighten out, if only visually, after construction. Don’t go too deep though, at least on your first pocket, or you’ll have a more difficult time trying to construct the pocket.

Mark the ends of the breast pocket as well. Here you can see all of the markings I put on my front piece, also known as the forepart.

It’s then a simple matter of mark stitching all of the chalk lines to transfer them to the other side.

And here’s the forepart after mark stitching and trimming the threads.

If we left the fly as it is, it’s likely the layers will separate while wearing with the slightest gust of wind, so it’s a good idea to tack the layers together between the buttonholes. Begin by marking the points in between the buttons along the edge of the fly.

Knot your thread and pass it from between the fly layers to the wrong side of the cape.

Being careful not to let the stitching show through to the right side, make a number of stitches, maybe 5 – 6, in place along the edge of the fly, catching the button catch and just one layer of the outer fly.

And that’s all there is to that, completing the cape.

Using a small felling stitch, spaced about 3/16″ apart, fell the bottom hem of the cape lining.

Continue felling along the front edge as well. The directions vary depending on which side of the cape you’re working on.

After felling, carefully trim the neck and side seam edges of the lining flush with the raw edges of the wool.

Here’s what your cape should look like at this point.

It’s now time to line the cape. Rather than precisely laying out the pattern for the lining, it’s better to cut it a little larger than needed and trim to fit. Place the cape on your lining fabric, squaring the front edge with the grain of the lining. Cut around the cape leaving about an inch extra around the lower edge, and about 1/2″ along the side seam and neck.

Place the lining on top of the cape, wrong sides together, aligning the front edge and keeping the same spacing around the other edges.

Baste around the entire edge of the lining, keeping the stitches just off of the facing, and about an inch away from the edge of the side seam and bottom hem underneath.

Trim back the lining a little from the front edge, maybe 1/2″ to 1″. You want enough to be able to turn it under at the top stitching line 1 1/2″ or 1 3/4″ from the edge, but not so much it gets caught up in your basting stitches.

Turn the lining under along the front edge so that it just covers the top stitching.

Baste along the front edge using a straight basting stitch just to hold the folded edge down temporarily.

Turn to the right side of the cape, and trim the lining to about 1/2″ to 3/4″ away from the hemmed edge. Again, I’m just doing this by eye, no need for precise measurements.

Back on the lining side, fold under the bottom edge along the curve, setting it back behind the hemmed wool by about 1/8″, so the lining is not visible from the right side.

Secure the bottom edge of the lining with a straight basting stitch.

Here’s the lining after basting it into position. Repeat for the other half of the cape.

Lay the left cape right side down on the table and position the fly, right sides up, on top of it. The fly should be set back about 1/8″ along the front edge, and the top stitching on the fly should match the top stitching at the neck as closely as possible.

Baste the fly in position with a diagonal stitch down the middle of the fly.

Flipping to the right side, mark the vertical stitching line to match the right cape’s top stitching. This should be about 1 1/2 graduated inches from the edge, or in my case, I went with 1 3/4″.

On the right side, mark the point where the curve begins on the lower front edge.

And use the same curve you used on the cape to mark another curve from that point, curving upwards into the line 1 1/2 graduated inches from the edge.

Here’s the curve so far.

Starting at the neck, begin top stitching through all layers about 3/8″ away from the front edge of the cape, through the stitches you’d previously made.

Then rotate and top stitch along the vertical chalk line (1 1/2 graduated inches from the edge), then moving into the curve you just made.

Here’s what everything looks like at this point.

Turning to the inside, trim the excess fabric from the fly below the curved area down to about 1/8″. Don’t trim all the way up the vertical stitch line, just curve towards the edge of the fly.

Finally, starting a little ways above the curve, continue sewing the fly to the cape along the vertical line to the hem.

The draft for the Buttonhole Fly is very easy. You can draft this on paper but I usually just measure everything out directly on the cloth.

Start with a horizontal line that will eventually form the fold line. This should be two or three inches longer than the length of the cape.

Draw two parallel lines 1 1/2 graduated inches above and below the first line, for a total width between the two of 3 graduated inches.

Add a 1/2″ seam allowance along the upper and bottom edges. No need for an allowance on the ends since we added a few extra inches already.

It’s finally time to start on the buttonhole stitch! I’d recommend doing a buttonhole or two on some scraps before working on the real thing. Begin by cutting a piece of buttonhole twist about 1 yard long and tying a knot in one end.

Insert the needle at the beginning of the buttonhole, between the layers, so that the knot will be hidden, and pull taught. The needle should re-emerge just beyond the four-cord.

Pass the needle underneath the buttonhole this time, going through all layers, and exiting the fabric next to the original stitch. Don’t pull the needle all the way through yet.

While the needle is still in the fabric, grasp the two threads coming from the end of the needle. Pass these in a clockwise motion underneath the needle as shown.

Pull the needle out and gently tighten the thread. As you get closer, you’ll want to use your fingers to help guide the purl into the right position.

Here’s the first purl after tightening. You want the purl to lay just to the inside of the four-cord, not on top, and also not falling into the buttonhole. There’s definitely some room for personal preference though, and tailors usually have their own unique style of buttonhole.

Continue making stitches along the buttonhole. You’ll want to pay attention to both the depth of the stitch, which should be about 1/8″, as well as the spacing between stitches. This spacing should be about the width of one of the purls – close enough that they touch each other, but not so close that the purls end up on top of each other.

Don’t worry too much if yours is not perfect on the first try. It definitely takes a bit of practice.

When you get to the point where the teardrop shape starts, begin moving the purls gradually more to the top of the four-cord.

It’s really subtle but you can see the purls moving towards the top here.

By the time you get to the eyelet, you want the purls to be completely on top. This makes more room for the purls while maintaining the same distance between stitches. If you’d kept the purls towards the inside, there would not be enough room for them all inside the eyelet.

Work your way around the eyelet – you can really see the affect that moving the purls has.

When you get to the other side of the eyelet, begin tapering the purls back towards the inside, matching the stitches you made going into the eyelet as best you can.

After tapering the purls.

Continue along the straight part of the buttonhole towards the end.

When you get to the end, pass the thread to the top but don’t form another stitch – just move the thread out of the way.

Then pull the left hand four-cord underneath the right.

And pull both four-cords to the underside, pulling them tight.

Back on the right side, take your thread and make about 4 bar tacks across the width of the buttonhole. Be sure to catch the four-cord in the stitching underneath.

Then turn the needle perpendicular to the bar tack and make a series of about 8 stitches around the bar tack, catching the top layer of wool with each stitch.

After the last stitch, pass the needle and thread to the underside.

Pass the thread underneath a number of stitches on the wrong side, first in one direction, then the other, and then back the original direction for a third pass to secure the thread.

Trim the thread and four-cord flush with the buttonhole stitching.

Here’s the completed buttonhole. This one came out okay, I would have liked the transition of the purls to the curved area to be a little more consistent between sides, and maybe the stitching to be a little more even in tension.

Here’s the underside of the buttonhole. I wouldn’t worry too much if yours are not quite as neat yet. Concentrate on getting the right sides looking good and the undersides will naturally follow.

Before starting on the buttonholes themselves, we must create and attach what’s known as a four-cord, or gimp. This four-cord gives some additional structure and strength to the buttonholes, and raises the purls of the buttonhole stitch above the surrounding fabric.

To begin, cut a piece of silk buttonhole twist about 6 – 8 feet long. That should be long enough to make enough four-cord for the seven buttonholes in this project. Double it up and knot the ends together.

Note for demonstration purposes I cut mine a lot shorter, maybe 3 feet, just so I could get everything in the camera frame.

Loop the knotted end of the thread around a heavy or immovable object like a chair or iron and then through itself as shown. You want the knot as close as possible to the object so it’s out of the way.

Put a pencil through the other end of the loop and begin twisting the thread with the pencil. I like to hold the thread a few inches from the pencil, and then distribute the twists down the length of the loop as the start to form more tightly.

Pass your fingers along the thread to distribute the twists evenly.

Depending on the length of your thread loop this can take a few minutes. Eventually, you’ll see the thread is completely twisted, by how it wants to naturally curl up on itself, as well as how it will begin to get stuck on the pencil.

At this point, grasp the thread at the midway point.

And then bring the pencil to the looped part of the thread, basically folding the thread in half.

Let go of the halfway point, and the thread will quickly twist around itself firmly. Rub your fingers along the length to distribute the twists more evenly as necessary.

Near the bottom in my left hand, you can see a few twists that need to be better distributed.

Cut the four-cord off of the object, while holding it closely so it doesn’t unravel.

Knot the cut end.

Pass the four-cord over some beeswax a number of times until it is firmly coated.

Place the four-cord on a scrap of cloth and iron it to melt the wax into the threads.

When you’re done you should have a strong thread that will stand up on its own.

Attaching the Four-Cord

Start attaching the four-cord to the buttonhole by first taking a few stitches in place with regular thread at the beginning of the buttonhole. On the fourth stitch, leave a small loop and insert the four-cord as shown.

Then take another stitch or two directly under and across the four-cord. It basically just needs to be held in place as firmly as possible.

Now insert the needle one more time next to the four-cord at the beginning of the buttonhole, only this time not going through all of the layers. The needle should reappear about 1/8″ away on the other side of the four-cord, as shown. The four-cord should be about 1/8″ at most away from the edge of the buttonhole.

Take the next stitch immediately across from where the needle left the fabric, encasing the four-cord in the stitching. This is known as the couching stitch, also used for sewing on various types of trims and braid. Continue stitching along the buttonhole.

As you get to the eyelet portion, form the four-cord around the eyelet first to get it into its rough position. That way you have a better idea of where the next stitch should go. Continue stitching around the eyelet.

Keep stitching until you reach the end of the buttonhole.

At the end, make a few stitches in place across the four-cord to hold it in place.

Trim the four-cord, leaving about an inch on either end.

This concludes the preparatory work for the buttonhole.

It’s time to cut open the buttonholes. If you don’t have a buttonhole cutter, the easiest way is by using a block of wood, hammer, a 1/8″ hole punch, and a small chisel.

Begin by cutting open a hole centered on the intersection of the lines nearest the folded edge.

Now use a small chisel (I recommend 1/2″ so you can get a variety of buttonhole sizes), carefully chisel open the rest of the buttonhole between the two layout lines.

Instead of lifting out the chisel between strikes, it’s a good idea to slide it over, keeping part of the chisel in the part you’ve already cut, to keep the line nice and even.

Here’s the buttonhole so far after cutting it open.

Use a small pair of scissors or thread snips to cut off the little triangular bit where the eyelet meets the chiseled section.

It’s really a tiny amount you’re snipping off here, just enough to smoothly transition between the hole and the chiseled section.

You should end up with a bit of a tear drop shape near the front edge of the buttonhole.

Now starting at the beginning of the buttonhole (shown in the photo), make a couple of stitches in place using some regular thread. Catch all of the layers of the fly as you do so.

Now begin overcasting the buttonhole, using stitches with about 1/8″ to 3/16″ in depth and about the same distance apart.

Continue sewing around the eyelet section.

And continue sewing back towards the end of the buttonhole.

At the end, make a bartack across the width of the buttonhole as shown, using about 4 or 5 stitches in place.

Here’s the buttonhole so far. These felling stitches help secure the buttonhole while we work the other parts of the stitch, as well as provide additional strength over the years of use.

Repeat for the remaining buttonholes.

Moving on to the buttonhole fly, ensure yours is cut just a few inches long than the length of the cape. I’ve cut mine on the selvedge but it’s not really necessary.

Press the fly in half lengthwise, wrong sides together.

At the neck end, about 1/2″ away from the top of the fly, draw a line square across.

Along the folded edge, draw in a curve similar to the one you added to the facing at the neck.

Top stitch along the line and curve, tapering into the folded edge.

Trim the fly to about 1/8″ above the stitch line.

Lay the fly in position on the wrong side of the left cape. The fly should be set just behind the facing at the top and bottom edges.

Mark the fly at the bottom just where the curve of the cape facing begins.

Now open up the fly and insert a piece of linen that’s just slightly narrower than the fly and long enough to cover all of the buttonholes (compare to your pattern to make sure).

Close up the fly and baste it closed along the inside edge. Here’s how everything should look so far.

Now line up your fly with the cape pattern and transfer all of the buttonhole positions to the fly. This is the last chance to adjust their positions. I ended up moving the top buttonhole about 3/4″ from the top edge, and centering the middle buttonhole again. I also couldn’t figure out whether or not to put the top buttonhole on the bias or not – since the original was square across I finally just went with that.

Then mark the buttonhole widths, starting about 3/8″ from the folded edge, and then the final width being about 3/4″.

Baste around each buttonhole with a diagonal basting stitch to further hold the layers together and keep them from shifting.

Here’s the fly so far. I recommend placing into it’s position on the cape and ensuring that all the buttonhole markings are in the right place, on the correct side, and so on.