Making my own clothing

[Ringel05]

I'm considering buying patterns and making my own clothing. My wife and I've made 1850s clothing before and now I'm considering making a 1750s civilian outfit.
Any ideas on best (easiest) patterns to use, inexpensive 100% wool and linen fabrics, best thread to use?
Was looking at the Italian wool online for about $6 a yard but not sure if the fabric is wrong for the period. Also wondering if it wouldn't be cheaper in the long run to have J. Townsend make me a pair of fall front breeches and I just make the rest.

 

[Stophel]

A "good" pattern won't necessarily be "easy". Breeches are the most complicated article of mens' clothing, and it's further complicated by the poor patterning used by virtually everyone today. J.P. Ryan breeches pattern is probably the best, but I still find the rise in the front to be too high as-is. Breeches should hang on top of the hips, high in the back, low in the front, for the most part. In the late 18th century, they started getting higher in the front. They also started wearing suspenders to hold them up!!! Unfortunately, pretty much all of the vendors use ca. 1800 breeches as a pattern. Skinny dudes might be able to get away with these super high rise breeches, but others cannot. MANY people complain of "breeches blowout" because they are trying to wear their sternum-high breeches down around their waist, and then the crotch blows out. The only commercially available breeches I have found that have a proper low hip-hanging rise are the fly front breeches from Cobb Creek. I have two pairs of fall front breeches from Druid's Oak (who may or may not still be around) which are much better than most, but I still had to cut down the waistband to get the rise down closer to where it should be. Breeches require real tailoring in order to get them to fit. I would suggest making a trial pair in cheap fabric first just to see what you might need to change before cutting into expensive fabric.

J.P. Ryan has a good coat and waistcoat pattern too. Again, it's best to tailor it to fit you.

Wool fabric of the proper type might be hard to find from "regular" fabric stores. Wool can be had from Burnley and Trowbridge and Wm Booth, Draper. Wool is not cheap, especially in proper weaves, which is why no one wants to use it today, but 200+ years ago, they used wool for almost everything.

 

[Stophel]

Linen can be had from either of the two vendors above, or from www.fabrics-store.com :wink:

 

[Ringel05]

Yeah, I may have to go with all linen, I know about the fabric store and a few others I have saved. Also saw references to silk and wool, silk and cotton and silk and linen blends dating back to at least the 1700s.
As with the cloths I'll definitely make prototypes out of cheap muslin first.
Also debating what colors to chose, was thinking white or natural for the breeches, light blue waistcoat and a dark blue, medium brown or dark green for the frock. Thinking a brown or tan tall tricorn and Paul Revere or stovepipe boots to finish it off.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

+1 for the JP Ryan patterns. Also her husband is a big fellow, so the patterns do well with 21st century physiques.

Stophel did hit on a common problem... but it's to be expected. If you buy over-the-counter breeches or trousers... you will probably need to tailor them. He mentioned that breeches were tailored to the individual, and this is perfectly correct. It needs to be done today as well.

I have sewn both trousers and breeches, but had a tough time until I borrowed an actual pair of breeches, to help me put them together. I learned to sew with a pattern, after I got into this hobby.

AVOID Eagle View patterns (imho).

Pegee of Williamsburg and Kannik's Korner patterns will work (imho).

I use the directions for shirts from the book Tidings of The Eighteenth Century by Beth Gilgun. (I shorten the length of the collar opening over the sternum.) It's also a good book to see what the pre-AWI styles were, what folks wore as basic clothing, and has basic information on hand sewing stitches used back in the era. You should get the book and read it for that information.

Some folks hand sew everthing. Some machine sew. Others machine sew all but the stitchin that will be seen by the eye when the garment is worn, and stitch by hand those seams.

Here are some sources for wool. It's not cheap, but it lasts under hard use. Most folks when using such expensive fabric, take a pattern, and using super cheap cotton/polyester fabric from Walmart, they make a test garment to check the fit on the wearer. They can then see where to adjust the pattern, so when the wool is cut and sewn... it fits well, and has not resulted in a costly disaster.

Wool:
Military Heritage

Wm Booth Draper Look around on the site for various priced wool


MJ Cahn

B. Black & Sons


Canvas if you need it might come from:
Big Duck Canvas.

And you had the link for Fabrics-Store for linen.

LD

 

[Ringel05]

It's interesting that what most people have available for historical garb is almost always Melton for wool fabric, there were many other weaves/weights available, why is Melton wool mainly used? And why a 24 oz not a 10 or 12 oz wool Melton?

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Well if you explore some of the wool sites provided, you will find flannel, worsted wool, jean cloth, as well as Melton. Probably because these are what the wool mills offer.

Here's one I missed:

Woolrich Uniform Wool


LD

 

[Ringel05]

Ordered the patterns from JP Ryan. Will probably do the outfit in all linen first then do another in wool later.

 

[wry]

Just my 2 cents worth, Ringle: I bought a pair of Townsend's breeches in linen after supplying them with the measurements that asked for. They're certainly not "free" but they fit perfectly and my plan was to use them for a pattern after they wore out. That was three years ago and after some hard use, they're still in fine shape. Making your own has its own allure and satisfaction (I've done that too with the JP Ryan pattern--got good results, but I'm no seamstress and the aggravation simply was not worth it to me--I didn't think I'd ever gather enough material up out of the "stride". Whatever route you go, let us know--we'd all benefit from your experience!

 

[Ringel05]

My wife was trained to do Civ War clothing by Harriet Engler in Winchester VA so I have some very good help. I did order the breeches pattern but will wait to see how much is involved before deciding of making a pair or buying from Townsend.

 

[running horse]

If you want to buy local there is Jo Ann's for linen. Just watch for sales several times a year they have there 50% of sale and there competitors usually do at the same time Jo Ann's usually accepts the other guys cupons taking $16 fabric to about $4 just a thought

 

[Ringel05]

Picked up a couple of yards of linen from the fabric store.com, ordered the medium weight. The fabric appears to have a fairly loose weave, almost see through with a back light. Is this normal? Thinking if I use this for breeches I'll have to line the breeches with a jute cotton or something similar.