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Saturday, March 8, 2014

·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  Almost all the web rings are outdated now, and all but a few images are broken.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 :-) ·

24 comments:

  1. I really love that you went with impractical pink. :-) Life is short.

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  2. Absolutely stunning!!! That coat is just positively gorgeous!

    Brigid
    the Middle Sister and Singer

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  3. Fabulous coat! Love the color and the embroidery!

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  4. After last night I just had to comment!!! I so enjoyed seeing you... ;-) But seriously, the coat is soooo pretty (and you look so pretty in it)! I love the pink...and (as far as I'm concerned) practically anything Edwardian is absolutely amazing. :-) (And btw, in case you wanted to look it up, my blog address is ladyofanorien.blogspot.com.)

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    1. It was so nice to meet you and your family! :-)

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  5. Oh my goodness! This is absolutely gorgeous!! Pink is my favorite color, so I definitely love it! :-) Beautiful!!!!

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  6. You look absolutely adorable in that pink coat! I'm not sure if I could ever wear that color, but you wear it perfectly. :) Great job on the coat! <3

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  7. Wow, that coat is so great! The designs just make it. I just love the style.
    Awesome job!!!

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  8. Gracious me, Lily! There are "issues" with this coat?!? It looks completely wonderful and perfect! It's certainly obvious that you put in many hours into the braided design. Your patience for details inspires me. :)

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    1. Hehe! Oh, yes there are plenty of issues... ;-) And I'm still fighting the urge to talk about all of them! LOL!

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  9. Eek! It's stunning! (swoons)

    Morgan

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  10. I LOVE IT!!!!! Can you make me one please???!!!!!=) You did a great job on it. And yes we can have pretty coats of pink if we want one. =)

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  11. Really lovely job as usual, Lily! My mother-in-law and I were both oohing and ahhing. The effort you put into the extra details certainly make your projects extra stunning. :)

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  12. I know I already commented, but I was just wondering how you did your hair. Could you maybe do a hair tutorial sometime? I love how vintage it looks! :-) Thanks!

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  13. Thank you all so much for your compliments!! :-)

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  14. Wow! This is spectacular! That's fantastic! I'm in awe!

    xoxo
    -Janey

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  15. Hi Lily!
    Your coat is soooo pretty. The Edwardian period is my most favorite! : ) Pink was a very good choice. It makes the beautifully done embroidery stand out. wonderful job!

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  16. Yay for the pink!! You look amazing! :)

    I'm still in awe of the embroidery.

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  17. Your coat is so beautiful, and lovely work on the soutache. My costume pattern review group on Facebook was just discussing the Simplicity pattern #2581 that is similar to your coat. There were some fitting problems with it as it tended to be too large. But the soutache would really finish it nicely.
    Val

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  18. This coat is bee-yoo-ti-ful!!!!
    I am in raptures over the color of pink, and the embroidery on it, and the Edwardian look. I love Edwardian, Civil war, and 1950's eras.
    And I love the winter behind you. :) I adore winter, specially when it has the winter-wonder-land look!

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