·Titanic- Inspired Coat ·

I've never been terribly enamored with the costumes from James Cameron's "Titanic".  Well, except for Rose's Sinking Coat.

*sigh*  Sooo pretty.

4 winters ago I decided I wanted a bit of a challenge, so I set about to make my very own Titanic coat.  I scoured the internet for all the information there was available (which turned out to be quite a lot- including embroidery templates!!).  I came across evidence that the coat was later re-used in "Tuck Everlasting" where it was worn double-breasted.  Being a total sucker for anything double-breasted, I knew I had to do that! :-)

My favorite color at the time was pink so I loved the original coat!  However, I was concerned about the "practicality" of a pink coat, and was open to the idea of any other color.  One of our very favorite wool sources happened to be running a dirt-cheap sale on pale pink wool, though, so that was settled. :-)  In the end, I'm glad I went with it.  After all- does an embroidered dress coat really need to be a "practical" color?! ;-) 

As I mentioned before, the embroidery designs were from a site somewhere online, and happily were just the right size- no fiddling necessary!! :-)  And now that I'm searching around for all the sites I used for images, advice, etc.- I'm so glad I made the coat when I did!  Almost all the web rings are outdated now, and all but a few images are broken. :-(

I used soutache braid for the design, and stitched it into place.  The wool is slightly felted, and the weave was loose enough that I could insert the ends of the braid through it.

I traced the design onto tissue paper and basted that in place.  Then I stitched the braid on, through both the tissue and the wool.  The final step was tearing away the tissue, which involved many hours of painstakingly pulling out tiny shreds of tissue with tweezers!

The end of the soutache is firmly wrapped with tape, then inserted in the fabric with a tapestry needle.  Then once the end of the embroidery line is reached, the remainder is inserted with a tapestry needle and then the end taped and trimmed.  I wish I remember how many packages of soutache I ended up using!

I used Vogue 8346 since it was double-breasted, had vertical princess seams, and a shawl collar and just added cuffs.  It was at this point that I stopped worrying about making a 1910s coat.  I had lots of fabric, and I really loved the idea of a flared skirt on this coat.  Plus, I frequently wear full skirts, so "practically", I should have a pretty-princess coat. ;-)

Overall, this coat is still very Edwardian-inspired, so this fabulous "toque"-looking vintage hat and these Edwardian-inspired 80s shoes, seemed like the perfect accessories!

I loved having the excuse to buy these Edwardian-styled buttons!

And you can be shocked.  I resisted the oh-so-compelling urge to point out all the little issues and mistakes this coat has. *sigh*  Maybe someday I won't even feel the need to post disclaimers like this. :-P

· Photos by- yes, you guessed it!!- the wonderful Kathryn :-) ·