Ichabod Crane Revolutionary War Coat

I finished the Ichabod Crane style coat last spring but never had a chance to have it modeled.  Finally got that done this week.  

I wanted to simulate this coat from Sleepy Hollow from Fox TV.  I can not afford wool flannel so I went with cotton flannel in a navy blue, it is a bit darker in person, but not much. I changed the collar a bit from the pattern to reflect the costume.

I used Butterick 3072.

I did not put in buttonholes but I may go back later and add them.  Ichabod Crane has a very plain coat without any trim so I was trying to copy the plainness of it.  

I'm working on breeches and a nice white shirt to go with it.  They will also do double duty for Husband's pirate costume

    

I really like how well the back came out.  It is fully lined as well.  I have never made a men's coat before so this was a learning experience.

As soon as I get the next two pieces done I will post those pictures as well. Maybe I'll add the dirt for authenticity when he wears it!

Blessing, 

Jeannine

Pirate Vest

Since Husband and I are going on a second Disney Cruise in spring 2016, I decided we needed new pirate costumes.  I started with the same Simplicity Pirate costume pattern, based on Pirates of the Caribbean.

I then used the linen I dyed royal blue to make the vest.

I enjoy the way it looks weathered already, like the pirate has been out to sea for a while. It has machine sewn buttonholes and "pewter" style buttons

I wanted to top stitch the edges but wanted it to look hand sewn so I actually hand stitched a running stitch around the edges and down the side seams. I used embroidery thread for this step.

I like the way it came out.  it is fully lined with blue chambray style fabric that was a freebie from my daughter's mother-in-laws fabric stash. It is a little heavy but works well overall.

Hope you enjoyed it.

Blessings,

Jeannine 

Dying Linen for Costumes

A year ago, or so, I bought two pieces of this linen blend fabric. Each was about two yards long.  I had planned to make a 1700s style petticoat. Then I realized that the fabric was probably too heavy for petticoats. Since husband and I are going on a Disney Cruise again in the spring I need to make us each a new pirate costume for pirate night. The linen would make a great pirate vest, but not in white. So back to the dye vat.

I decided to use the royal blue from Rit.  I like the liquid for its saturation and solid color.  

I heated water in my water pot and added a cup of salt along with a gallon or so of super hot tap water.  Then I stirred it a bit and added the dampened fabric.

Rubber gloves and a stir stick are necessary so that my hands didn't turn blue.

I left the fabric in the dye solution for half an hour, turning and opening the fabric out once or twice so it was entirely covered.

Then I started rinsing it with cold water from the outside hose. Remember to dump your dye and salty water out in a place where you are NOT trying to grow grass in a drought.  See that dry spot? That's my lawn. I forgot and dumped purple dye water here a year ago and it is still dead in this area. Oops!

This is a little view of the color of the fabric.  It has some spots that look very weather worn, which works great with the pirate theme, but doesn't show great dye skills.

I do like the way it came out and the entire Pirate Vest came out great.

Blessings,

Jeannine