So one of my projects for the next month is a Rev War redcoat of the 71st Regt. of Foot. The forty Regimental buttons(which are entirely decorative, not functional) and wool trim seriously cost more than $60. I ordered lovely madder red and white wool from Wm. Booth, Draper, which was the lowest price I could find for appropriate fabric where I didn't have to buy wholesale. And they shipped it very promptly, too. This coat has lots of trim, like on Caleb's coatee, and I want to do it better this time. The wool trim tends to fray badly, so this time I'm sealing the edges with bonding glue.
Caleb's coatee collar after a long over-due mending.
I replaced the collar facing on Caleb's coatee, which had sweat stains already, with a navy blue linen. I was told when I made the coatee that the collar facing should be the same wool broadcloth, but it's so thick that it makes the collar very bulky and doesn't look sharp. Plus the linen will be more comfortable. Don't tell me if this is historically allowable or not, because I already changed it.
I also tacked down the trim again (the wool lace seems to jump around easily) and re-plugged the buttons. I was told to plug the buttons underneath using a strip of the wool coating, so that no other color would show through on top, but the wool pulls apart and then the button falls out, and it's a pain to replace. I saw another coat where a sturdy string was used, and I think that's a better way to go.
The outside of the redcoat cuffs. I started out with the cuffs, since I figured I need to practice in the least visible place. Since I'm just going off online images, there's not a lot of detail available to me on exact measurements of the trim and such.
I replaced the collar facing on Caleb's coatee, which had sweat stains already, with a navy blue linen. I was told when I made the coatee that the collar facing should be the same wool broadcloth, but it's so thick that it makes the collar very bulky and doesn't look sharp. Plus the linen will be more comfortable. Don't tell me if this is historically allowable or not, because I already changed it.
I also tacked down the trim again (the wool lace seems to jump around easily) and re-plugged the buttons. I was told to plug the buttons underneath using a strip of the wool coating, so that no other color would show through on top, but the wool pulls apart and then the button falls out, and it's a pain to replace. I saw another coat where a sturdy string was used, and I think that's a better way to go.
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