and He has a Coat....

6/2/2019

I finished making Rex's coat yesterday. Well, at least the main sewing part. I'm really happy with how it turned out, even though several things needed to be redone, and there's still one minor issue with the lining to be figured out for next time. I can already imagine the coat being made in richer fabrics for fancier outfits from the period. With Marie Antoinette style gowns for Bianca.

Now the fun begins. I get to sand the fabric and stain it to make the coat look old and lived in, like it's been his only coat for the past two years - worn in town and country, on ships and in the wilderness. Which I why I thought I should take a 'before' picture.

And while I was at it, I decided to take a photo of him with Bianca, whose latest outfit now includes a knit cowl scarf and an apron.

Rex's coat still needs the buttons, as well as some fake buttonholes. I had chosen some dark gray buttons, because I didn't want anything flashy, but there weren't enough. I really didn't make to make buttons out of polymer clay, so I printed off some discount coupons and headed over to Michaels to see if they had any tiny buttons in the right colour. No. Only packages with really bright colours. So I checked out their bead section, and they had some strings of an embossed silver metal bead, about the right size. Kind of a bright silver, which wasn't really what I wanted, but I bought two strings of them anyways. So today I brushed one string with dark brown paint, killing some of the flashy silver. Now they look more like 'brass'.....

Rex will also need some knit fingerless gloves, and the first set I made were too 'rough' and thick. I had combined two very thin yarns and knit them together to give it a more 'home-spun' look, but they turned out too thick for my taste. So I knit a second colour combo, alternating two medium browns. Unfortunately I cast off too tight and messed it up when I tried to undo it, so now I have to start all over. Again. I just hope there's enough of the one yarn.

Now to go 'age' that coat....and start some more arm warmers....

Dorothy

6/2/2019 04:23:07 pm

Thanks for showing the before photos of the coat. It is lovely.

I see what you mean about the color of the buttons. I would have thought that the silver color was fine until I saw the brass color you wanted. I like it better and I am guessing that it is period appropriate.

Bianca looks adorable as always. I like seeing the finished outfit, remembering the early photos you took and how you have added on pieces.

Martha

6/3/2019 11:15:49 am

Silver buttons would have only been worn by the upper classes. Brass was for everyone else. Plus the bright silver just didn't have the right look for something that would be worn in the wilderness.

Bianca's clothes are done, but she still needs a shoulder bag and a cloak for when it's really cold and windy. I haven't decided whether Rex will get a cloak as well. I'm considering tartan for that. And he might need a tri-corn hat as well.

Donna

6/2/2019 09:26:35 pm

Rex's coat looks wonderful! This series of costumes under construction has been an interesting education in all that goes into creating authentic looking period costumes. Everything is so beautifully in scale that it is impossible to tell how big or small Rex and Bianca really are. I'm really looking forward to all the photos that will be coming as they have their adventures together!

Martha

6/3/2019 11:11:15 am

Thanks! I want their costumes to look as realistically in scale as possible, especially for an on-location photo shoot. And they have to look worn as well. This is no different than faking old worn clothes for movies.

I've sanded his coat in all the places where it would most likely get worn first, and have washed it so that it will hopefully not look so perfectly pressed when it dries. Then I'll embroider the fake buttonholes, and sew the buttons on. And then it will get stained with diluted paint, and pastel dust. Then I'll take the 'after' photos.

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and He has a Coat....

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