Unlock the Secrets of the Frock Coat

Back when I was getting started in the Civilian side of reenacting, I found myself without any decent clothing to wear, save for a Confederate uniform. Obviously, that was not going to work. Having only a few months until my first event, I frantically searched online for a frock coat pattern. Little did I know what I was getting myself into. After choosing some cheap wool fabric from a local fabric store with the help of my mother, I set to work constructing the coat. The fabric was a thinly striped blue fabric, much too light weight for a proper frock coat.

I sat down and tried to make sense of the instructions, following the crude illustrations. Somehow, I managed to cut out the fabric and sew the pieces together. Having no idea what I was doing, the coat was made with no pleats or tail pockets, had side pockets on the skirt, a very flimsy interlining, and was ‘bag lined’, meaning the lining was sewn to the body right sides together, and simply turned. The collar was pad stitched, but with my lack of experience, had no actual affect on the collar, which remained limp and poorly pressed. After the coat was finished, a friend took a look at it and said “You should take the sides in a few inches”. Having no concept of period fit, I had made the coat several sizes too large .

Having realized that coat was a disaster, I took it upon myself to learn more about period tailoring techniques. I learned to draft my own patterns from Devere’s Handbook of Practical Cutting, and worked on perfecting my tailoring skills. Along the way, I’ve spent thousands of hours researching, from old tailoring manuals, to studying original garments, to experimenting with my own work. I remember thinking along the way “Oh, what I wouldn’t give to have this information all in one place”.

Civilian Frock Workshop

Being at the point where I am fairly skilled in period tailoring (there is always more to learn), I’d like to share the information I have learned over the years with you and spare you some of the trouble that I went through. Beginning January 2, 2012, I will be offering a 16 week civilian frock coat workshop, based online. In this workshop you will learn how to draft and construct a very accurate, tailored civilian frock coat – fully lined and properly quilted, all from the comfort of your own home. I will be posting information in both HTML format for easy viewing, and high quality PDF format for printing out, and offering support online via a message board or email. This is a format that is working well for the workshop I am  currently running on creating an Enlisted Frock Coat.

I will be opening up registration this Friday, November 25, with much more information to come then, and a special discount for that one day only. Stay tuned and please share with your friends!