The Best Way Series No. 16 Coat

Another Beautiful Coat for Jo Jo

Hallo my dazzling darlings, I have something special for you today, look at this little treasure that I came across in the Brain Watkins House. It is a Best Way sewing magazine, and although it is not dated I think it is early 1900's maybe 1919. It has a wonderful collection of coat designs from that era and some wonderfully wild women. I love and want so many of these coats.

It is the brown coat on the right that I love the most of all the coats in this magazine. Best Way magazine included free patterns in every copy, unfortunately the coat shown on the cover above, the one I love, was not the pattern in this copy. I am hoping though that I can adapt the pattern for the coat in the centre, as the basic cut and style of these coats is not too dissimilar.

Look at some of the gorgeous darlings in the magazine, I love their style.

How are those collars, in this the final phase of those stiff high detachable collars worn by men in the Edwardian era, collars like Karl Lagerfeld wears today.

Such a masculine look, robbing power symbols from men again, an old ploy that fashionable women have played for hundreds of years, dressing like men so they can do what men do.

So below is a selection of stunning coats, look through them all and tell me if I am wrong, is there a more beautiful coat than the one on the front cover?

Goodbye for now sweet peas, until next time. xx

The Rose

The Rose

A fully opened rose, is like a woman in her 30's, all her beauty has unfolded, and yet she hangs on the cusp of fading.

In her 40's she starts to soften, the fullness and vibrancy of youth leave her. She holds the shape and form of youth, but the moisture and plumpness that held the petals of the rose in shape is slowly evaporating.

The faded rose, slowly dries, and the colour in the petals intensifies, the edges curl like delicate ruffles on the edge of a petticoat, and suddenly the rose is more beautiful than it ever was.

Is the Coat for Trixie or Jo Jo?

I have been inspired to make another coat. The inspiration came from a pattern dated 1919, right at the end of World War I, and the Beau epoch, when Paul Poiret was designing beautiful clothes influenced by Orientalism, clothes like this beautiful Cocoon Coat.

Paul Poiret Cocoon Coat, 1925.

Paul Poiret 1913

The inspiration for the coat was this Butterick Pattern, dated 1919.

This pattern belongs to a collection of sewing magazines and patterns that belong to a historic kauri Victorian villa in the town where I live. The house is called the Brain Watkins House after the family names of the members that lived in the house between 1881 and 1979. The design of the coat by Paul Poiret, was inspired by the Japanese kimono, which was having a huge influence, creating a new softer draped look. Stiff bodices with rigid corsets were on the way out, and women wanted more freedom and movement in their clothes.

These are the fabrics I am thinking of using for the coat, the pink damask will line the body of the coat, the black fannel (a 100% wool fabric with a dense weave), will make up the outer body of the coat, and the black plush will form the collar and the sleeves.

The Butterick company was one of the first to print paper patterns. Prior to this tailors had made their patterns with paper or fabric placed on the clients body, toiles that were then used to cut the final fabric pieces. The Butterick patterns came already cut out, but with no markings other than holes punched out of the paper, as these early patterns were made by cutting around a heavy piece of card through the layers of tissue. It was not until later in the 20th century that patterns would be printed on the tissue, and placed in the envelope still in sheets.

These are the instructions, not as complicated as would be found in a pattern today, but for someone who knows how to sew, they have all the information required.

I want to decorate the outside of the coat with embroidery and appliquework and the following Art Nouveau images are something I came across in my work, over the last few weeks.

I particularly liked the willow pattern, and then today I went for a walk with Trixie, and we talked about making the coat, and how I could decorate it.

It is spring where I live and this was the view as we walked to the beach, wet and wild.

The willow trees were just bursting into life and I love the colours in this image.

The pussy willow type flower common to all willows, soft and silky.

On the walk back we collected a tulip flower from a tree bursting into life, and both Trixie and I loved the colour. I thought it would be a great colour to do the little circles on the willow design.

It would look stunning on the black, and they are colours I feel would work to capture the feeling of the fading Beau Epoch. I would embroider the stems and trunk of the tree, and work silver bugle beads in with the green threads. So below is the colour palette for the coat, without the silver beadwork.

So wait for more on the coat, as we walk through the steps of making it together. Now to work on the design of the embroidery. Until then my luscious ones, stay delicious and irresistable, until we meet again.

The Domestic English Woman's Magazine

A Pattern Supplement to The English Woman's Domestic Magazine

In the 19th century, supplements, or free giveaway pages were often included in magazines and newspapers. The English Woman's Domestic Magazine, was a magazine with articles on topics that appealed to women, fashion and crafts made up a large part of the content. During the Victorian era, many women still made their own clothes, or if they could afford it, had a dressmaker sew their clothes for them. In the first half of the 1800's off the rack clothing was unheard of. Patterns were not as readily available as today, and often not available in different sizes.

A giveaway pattern in the magazine would have been an incentive to buy the magazine. The image above shows a supplement from the English Woman's Domestic Magazine. The pattern pieces are laid out on a sheet of paper, that is printed on the other side with embroidery and sewing ideas. There is no date printed on the supplement, and so I am not sure what year it is, however the style of the bodice suggests the mid 19thC.

The two panels of printing above are cut from the supplement page, and are the only directions given for assembling the garment. How times have changed, and how patterns for dressmaking have changed to suit the needs of the modern sewer.

THE MOST FANTASTIC CAMPING HOLIDAY EVER

As have been researching pennants and pagentry, I came across this in my googling searches and had to share it with you my passionate darlings, because I know that it will fascinate you, that at one time textiles were such a sign of prestige and power that two Kings were prepared to risk all to see who could be the more lavishly decked out for a little camping holiday in the most fantastic textiles imaginable.

The painting above is of the scene at Dover as Henry VIII and his Courtiers prepare to leave for the most fantastic camping trip ever.

The best ever if you love textiles, glamour and excitement. King Henry VIII and King Francis I met near Calais in 1520 for a little camping holiday.

Francis I and King Henry VIII

The trip was really a big brag fest, who had the most glorious accouterments, and the spot where they pitched camp was known as the The Field of Cloth of Gold because of the amount of gorgeous gold cloth.

This stuff is pretty wonderful as you can see from the above image, and expensive and the two kings just about bankrupted their countries getting set up for the most stylish camping trip ever. Here is one of the tents, these were modeled on the layout of palaces, and made from velvet and cloth of gold.

The entertainment was not lacking either, with a jousting tournament between knights on horseback. Below is the roll of arms from the tournament, starting with those of the two kings, and then listing the arms of the jousting knights.

The painting below captures the scene from above in all its splendour. Camping under canvas will never be the same again.

Bonjour my sweet little peaches. I have not been well so have not spoken for some time. I wanted to tell you about a wonderful gift I was given recently by my favourite peach, a little stash of ribbons.

Anyone who has a stash will know how wonderful it is when someone gives you a little collection of treasures, put together by another who passed away before they had time to use them. Who knows what projects these were being saved for, what fantastic imaginings they inspired.

So thank you sweet pea, and watch this space to see what I do with them. Tee hee and away!