My son has been wanting some wool breeches and waistcoat to go with his Lafayette coat.
FABRIC
We found the perfect wool sample through one supplier that wanted $60 a yard. (faint)
Bypassing perfection for economy, I requested samples from three other suppliers.
When my son settled on the buff broadcloth wool he wanted, I ordered the fabric for his birthday, to give me time to sew them before Grand Illumination in early December.
Alas…
BURNLEY AND TROWBRIDGE BREECHES WORKSHOP WITH COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG TAILORS
Arriving in November, the wool sat in the sewing basket while I took a Burnley and Trowbridge breeches workshop with the Colonial Williamsburg tailors.
Since I learned a lot, I couldn’t wait to incorporate a lot of new techniques to the new wool breeches.
PATTERN
The night before we left for Grand Illumination weekend, I finally laid out my JP Ryan breeches pattern on the wool fabric and cut it out, to stitch while away.
HAND STITCHING IN CW EARLY DECEMBER
In between 1774 holiday programs, I sat on lovely benches in the warm weather to stitch away.
After sewing 3 breeches, I have the process memorized. 😉
Time was of the essence because my son had only the linen pair that originally erupted during Prelude to Victory.
Continued minor explosions filled the weekend due to the weakening fibers in the garment.
When not sewing his new wool breeches, I was likely mending his old linen breeches.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed stitching in between programs.
Since I’m easily bored, I’m thinking of packing a bit of sewing into my tote bag on future trips, just for those quiet moments between programming. 😉
After four wonderful days of holiday entertainments with interludes of historic sewing, I had a recognizable pair of breeches nearly completely handstitched!
WEARING THEM BEFORE COMPLETION
Trying to conquer these before special programming in mid-December at Colonial Williamsburg, I only managed to sew on the waistband, create the eyelets, cut the buttonholes, and sew on the buttons.
With only the buttonhole stitches and other reinforcement stitches left to sew in the new wool breeches, we decommissioned the old patched linen breeches.
Well aware the fabric would stretch where I hadn’t yet sewed reinforcements, we enjoyed our time without daily one-hour emergency patch jobs on the old linen pair, like we did during Grand Illumination.
FINIS
While playing our traditional board games on New Year’s Eve yesterday, I finally finished the breeches completely! (see header photo)
Greatly improved are my hand worked buttonholes that I first learned in a Costume Design Center sewing class two years ago!
A reinforcement stitch here…
A reinforcement stitch there…
I used linen tape from Burnley and Trowbridge.
