"To The Making of Your Coat"
One of the most distinctive garments in the male wardrobe from the 18th century was the coat. On March 4th, 1770, Robert Beverley of Virginia, wrote to his tailor in London requesting a new frock or coat. Beverley wrote,
“I desire you will make me a frock suit of superfine dark blue cloth with basket or mohair buttons, which should be most fashionable, you will line it with the best shalloon of the same colour and the sleeves of the coat with dimity or fustian, as I shall want it for the winter, and put up a few spare buttons, they must be made fashionably as frock clothes are worn and the breeches to be without lining.”
Coats covered the man from the neck to knee and could be adorned and trimmed in many ways. While an iconic garment, it often poses challenges in both pattern and construction.
Join Neal Hurst for a three-day workshop where participants will:
- Discuss the change in style of coats from the 1740s -1770s.
- Examine photographs of several 1770s broadcloth coats to evaluate cut and construction.
- Draft and cut out a 1770s coat pattern.
- Gain a foundational knowledge of 18th century coat construction, including attaching collars, setting sleeves, seaming cuffs, seaming pocket flaps, closing lining, and coat pleats.
By the end of the workshop, participants will have a fitted and a partially completed coat.
*Note:
- Participants are required to wear an 18th century shirt and waistcoat which the coat will be fitted over during the workshop. Participants will need 4 yds. of outer fabric, linen for lining, buttons, twist, etc. A full list of needed supplies will be included after registration.
- This masterclass is an Advanced Plus Level 4. All participants must have extensive experience making historical menswear and excellent hand sewing skills. Due to this all those interested in this masterclass must fill out the following questionnaire: Coat Masterclass Pre-Approval. We will contact you to let you know if you are pre-approved or not and a link to registration will be sent to those pre-approved on Wednesday, February 15th at 12:30 pm EST.
The cost of this 3 day workshop is $600.*
Those wishing to bring a "model" to make this garment for will need to pay an additional $60 fee.
Class size is limited to 6 participants.
Because of the nature and enrollment limitation of our workshops, we regret that we are unable to give a full refund for a cancellation. If you cancel 30 or more days prior to the workshop, we will refund your fee less a $50 cancellation fee. If you cancel less than 30 days prior to the workshop, we will have to charge the full amount of the workshop unless we are able to fill your slot, in that event you will be charged only the $50 cancellation fee.