Striped Caraco Jacket

I ended up with about 1.5 yards of a beautiful silk striped taffeta from searching for fabrics for a client.  I pondered it for a while, not knowing what I could possibly make out of such a small amount.  Then I came across this jacket.  I had to try.  Turns out, it was practically made for it.  The first thing I did was figure the width based on the stripes.  I used the measurements from my own stripes rather than trying to figure out the originals, since I would optimally like the stripes to line up in a similar way.  I used some old shapes from other garments to work out length measures.  I threw together a mock-up on Saturday night, which fit almost perfectly!  I worked all of Sunday and most of Monday, and got to the point of trimming and inserting the sleeves.  It was a very quick and easy garment to make, thankfully.

The stomacher is a separate piece, pinned in for wear.  There are tucks which run the entire length of the front, only tacked down from the bottom of the armscye to the waist.  The front trim tapers as it goes up.

The fronts and backs are actually one piece connected through the skirt, the only full length seam being center back.  I treated the construction similar to the Polonaise gown, with backstitched side seams.

The lining is only to the waist, attached to the pleats so it doesn't show on the waistline.  You can also see where I did a short cut by cutting the fronts on the selvedge, so I only had to fold it back once and stitch the trim over it rather than roll it.

For the trim, I folded back the edges to finish.  The bodice trim was gathered using a whip stitch a varying distance from the edge to create a little ruffle.  The inside edge was tacked down with small tucks sticking up.  The cuff was done similarly, but with an extra gathering line near the top.

The front tuck is left loose over the shoulder.

Bodice Assembly

When putting together a woman's jacket or a bodice for a gown, the assembly techniques are generally the same.  I've already shown in a previous post how to lay out the front pieces and stitch them together.  Leave the seam allowances at the ends un-sewen (shoulder seams, side seams) so you can fold it over later.

When stitching the back seam I generally use a back-stitch on the fashion fabric.  The lining can be done the same or with a butted edge.  For that you fold over the seam allowance on both sides, put wrong to wrong side and do a very tiny whip stitch.  Grab just a few rows of the weave each time.  Don't stitch too tightly, but do keep it snug.  When finished you pull the two sides apart a bit and the seam should be able to lay out flat (hence why not too tight of stitching).  This same technique can also be used on selvages and I've seen it on shirt seams like that.  If you're doing a jacket, you can put the fashion and lining backs together and stitch around the neck and bottom hem up to seam allowances.

The sides can also be done a few different ways.  I like the method I found in Costume Close-Up.  Fold over the front fashion fabric and line it up on the back pieces.  You will stitch a spaced back stitch very close to the edge through all three layers.  The front lining will then be folded towards the seam and stitched down, enclosing the raw edges.  You can also use the same technique explained for the back seam, but use the back stitch on the fashion fabric seam instead.

Sleeves use the same techniques as the side or back seams (underhand whip the hem) and I've seen the armscye left raw and whipped, with all allowances sandwiched in the sleeve, and where it's inside the bodice.  It's all up to you and whether your fabric frays and if you want to see stitches externally (and where).

Exterior of a side seam for a 1790s jacket I'm building.  Shows the spaced back stitch on the side seam (horizontal in picture) and the underhand on the bottom hem.

Repeat imagery of the ever so useful backstitch I keep mentioning.
The overhand stitch.  Same usage as underhand, but shows up as a small dot on both sides.  Just up and down with the needle very close together.
Similar to over hand, but as a seam.  Resembles the spaced back stitch in form and function (just doesn't back up on the small visible stitch).  Use for side seams or armscyes.

The butted and whipped seam.  Not the prettiest of examples, but it would be the lining anyway. (Also used to piece together stays, but I'll be doing a workshop on those in November).

Just like modern stitching you need to find a technique that works for you.  Every extant garment is different and there are probably many stitches we haven't ever seen!

My caraco is nearly completed (one more cuff, then some details).  I'm hoping to do a pair of mitts soon, a 1780s gown workshop, a stays workshop, and eventually a riding habit workshop in January.  I move in two weeks, so if I disappear for a while I promise I'll be back!

Caraco 3

I apologize for the delay, things have been hectic with preparing to move soon.  Hopefully I will have more time for projects once October comes around.

I have nearly completed the caraco and hope to try it on and take pictures this weekend.  In the mean time, here are a few up-close images of construction techniques.  These can be used in any style of jacket or the bodice of a gown (or anywhere else you can imagine!).

This shows an interior shot of how to lay the lining to the fashion fabric.  In case of a jacket, you would use this along the exterior edges; front, neckline, bottom hem, and sleeve hems.  Simply fold over the fashion fabric at the seam allowance line, lie the lining on top and fold back the edges a small amount (1/16") past the fashion fabric.  I usually pin the lining in the middle area to make sure it doesn't shift.  The other edges I baste together flat (temporarily in some cases).

Here's a shot of how fold the corners.  I recommend the right side (where the fashion fabric shows more) used at the bottom as the front and as the neckline on top.

This shows the small "whip" stitches I described in one of the previous posts.  You can also do a spaced back stitch leaving a long stitch on the wrong side or do it pretty and make it look like a dot on both sides.  I recently did a workshop on hand stitching at work and will bring my book home this weekend to post up here.

In the near future I will try to post from the workshop, more comprehensive instructions on my caraco, roll hemming kerchiefs, and soon to start patterning and building my next pair of stays!

Caraco 2

A new and better picture of my Caraco mock-up.  I added in the tabs and cuffs as well.

I think I'm going to alter the front piece slightly to get rid of the puckering under the arms, but it might just be the light-weight muslin not offering enough resistance.

Caraco 1

Here is the first of my on-going project updates.  This one is a caraco jacket which is featured in Fashion in Detail.  What makes it unusual is that the back (skirt and all) and the sleeves are all one piece.  That's right, no shoulder seam.  The back is formed by tucking, according to the book.  I took the idea to the Milliner's shop at Colonial Williamsburg and mostly got "good luck!" from Janea.  After starting to drape it, I realized that my 45" wide fabric wasn't going to cut it.  Despite always hearing about how narrow fabrics were, there were apparently a few over 45".  So, I slipped an invisible seam in the tucks on the skirt area.  Looking at the print, Iit definitely is one piece, so no misunderstanding there.  I used that as a basis for angles in draping as well.  All in all, the mock-up went well with only a few alterations I'll mention below.  I have no clue if I did it correctly, but it looks right.

First off, my front was a bit too large, so that's been pinned in.  I still have to shape the stomacher, tabs, and cuffs.  The robing is also gaping at the shoulders, but I have alterations to do in back that will fix that.  The hem line is also too low in front.

The back neck line will be lowered, fixing the gap issue on the robings.  I'm also moving the "dart" that creates a waistline to more of an angle.  The side seams are also getting a new curve, but it's hard to see that issue here.  I had to cut out the excess fabric on the upper back seams since the amount pleated into the skirt was too bulky to hide further up.  That's my only question of authenticity at this point.

I've got the printed cotton (see petticoat in previous post) and am just waiting on getting a lining material before cutting.  I might take it into work tomorrow to have it checked over before going on.

To go with this I'll be making a kerchief for modesty's sake.  Since it's a caraco, I have the option of using the tabs in front to tuck it down, making a separate stomacher optional.  I'll gather some more info up on caracos for a later post.