Prince Charles Jacket in the Making

[LadyStitch]

I'm a professional Seamstress and this is my first attempt at making a Prince Charlie. I've made a kilt before, as well as vests, and suit coats but nothing like this. I will be using the folklore pattern to make it. I've got two clients who are interested in having one made.

So far I have gotten 3 different UK companies sending me wool swatches for the coat, as well as swatches from a silkbarron for the lapel fabric. The notions will be ordered from cleanersupply company, and B Black and sons. I found a company called Tartan Town out of Canada to get the buttons from for $1.25 each, but on another form I saw Pipers cove, Highland Press, and Three feathers Pewter. Considering one client is going all out with $50/ yard wool, I don't' want to put cheap buttons on the suit HOWEVER I also don't want to put him in the poor house for 25 buttons at $5 each either.

Your encouragement and assistance would be greatly appreciated. BTW I have yet to see a good Pattern review on the Folklore pattern, if know of one, please send it my way. Thank you.

[argyle24]

I don't have anything much to add other than that I'll be following along with interest. I make costumes and kilts for highland dancers, and we have a few male dancers in our region - PC jackets can be hard to come by and there's been some interest in seeing if I can make them.

My dance teacher has made her son's jackets for a few years, but instead of working from the folklore pattern, used a tux-with-tails jacket with the right collar and modified it (cutting it down, using the extra material from the tails for the epaulets and other embellishments). It definitely worked well as a lightweight alternative for dance - and looked just as nice on stage as a wool PC, but that solution wouldn't work so well for formal occasions!

I've ordered buttons from both Tartantown and Highland Express for use on highland dancers vests and jackets, and the quality is very nice. I wouldn't have concerns about using them on the pricier jacket for your client.

[Todd Bradshaw]

Something you might find interesting.... I recently pulled the silver buttons off of an Argyll jacket made by one of the well known, good quality Scottish tailoring companies. I never go anywhere fancy enough to need silver buttons and will replace them with something a bit more tame. Anyway, the epaulet buttons and front single button were typical shanked metal buttons, sewn on in the normal fashion to go through the corresponding button holes.

However, those on the cuffs and pocket flaps (just surface decoration with no button holes present) were the same type of shanked button, but installed differently. They were installed through a small hole in the fabric with washers and split rings on the back side. The lining on the back side of the pocket flaps was sewn around the sides and bottom of the flaps, but not along the top, allowing access to the split rings. The button backing washers and rings on the cuffs were installed through a small hole in the sleeve lining's seam, which was later closed by hand.

Though it seems like a curious way to install buttons on a relatively expensive jacket, it does do something of value. Since the silver buttons have a raised shank on their back sides, the system pulls the decorative buttons down tight to the fabric, rather than having them sit proud of the surface and wobble around. I don't know whether or not the various retailers sell buttons with washers and rings available, but if you can find them, it's a pretty clever system for stabilizing these decorative buttons.

[Kanati]

I have a jacket from JHiggins that is the same way. I think it is common.

http://www.jhiggins.net/replacement-...s-for-jackets/.

I remember seeing the buttons and clips for sale somewhere. I was sure it was JHiggins but i do not see the clips now.

[brewerpaul]

I'm a professional Seamstress and this is my first attempt at making a Prince Charlie. I've made a kilt before, as well as vests, and suit coats but nothing like this. I will be using the folklore pattern to make it. I've got two clients who are interested in having one made.

Your encouragement and assistance would be greatly appreciated. BTW I have yet to see a good Pattern review on the Folklore pattern, if know of one, please send it my way. Thank you.

Below is a link to a 2007 review of the Folkwear Prince Charlie on sewing pattern review forum. I am a member of that forum and find all kinds of reviews on items I'm sewing, most from vintage patterns.

http://sewing.patternreview.com/review/pattern/23515

[Dileasgubas]

Also useful for dry cleaning.

Something you might find interesting.... I recently pulled the silver buttons off of an Argyll jacket made by one of the well known, good quality Scottish tailoring companies. I never go anywhere fancy enough to need silver buttons and will replace them with something a bit more tame. Anyway, the epaulet buttons and front single button were typical shanked metal buttons, sewn on in the normal fashion to go through the corresponding button holes.

However, those on the cuffs and pocket flaps (just surface decoration with no button holes present) were the same type of shanked button, but installed differently. They were installed through a small hole in the fabric with washers and split rings on the back side. The lining on the back side of the pocket flaps was sewn around the sides and bottom of the flaps, but not along the top, allowing access to the split rings. The button backing washers and rings on the cuffs were installed through a small hole in the sleeve lining's seam, which was later closed by hand.

Though it seems like a curious way to install buttons on a relatively expensive jacket, it does do something of value. Since the silver buttons have a raised shank on their back sides, the system pulls the decorative buttons down tight to the fabric, rather than having them sit proud of the surface and wobble around. I don't know whether or not the various retailers sell buttons with washers and rings available, but if you can find them, it's a pretty clever system for stabilizing these decorative buttons.

[MacLowlife]

Ladystitch, I think you can do a good job, but I am sure you'll do a better job if you have a look at a few quality PCs. Being an open jacket, the PC needs a canvas front to hold its shape. Aside from its tails and its length, it's a suit coat, otherwise. Like most formal wear- and most highland tailoring- what seems at a glace to be a uniform standard design quickly becomes a tribe of similar but distinctive individuals. Your choices and your influences will dictate exactly where these jackets fall on the continuum.

[LadyStitch]

We are planning on using high quality hair canvas as the interfacing from B. Black and Sons. I follow and post on patternreview.com , and have seen that review. I would love to read a blog of someone doing the project. I already know that for one of jackets I will need to do a "bay window" adjustment to it in order to fit properly. I do that all the time for his custom work.

Thank you for the recommendation on Tartantown. I was concerned on the quality of the buttons. While I can request a swatch of the fabrics, that is not exactly possible or cost effective to get samples of buttons.