I realized yesterday that there are many garments I've never posted. Even some that I had shown or talked about progress with! I'm still in the process of taking pictures of everything I've made, so here are a few different styles of jackets that I've created over the last three years: Caraco Jacket, based on this original in the V&A. The fabric is a cotton chintz from the Williamsburg collection that came out a few years ago. My biggest issue was the unusual shape of this garment. It was clearly made from either wide fabric, or was short enough to use it lengthwise. Unfortunately not the case with mine, so there are some hidden seams in the back. The fronts are fairly normal. The bodice and skirt are one piece. The facing is folded back and opens up below the waist. The side seams have pleats inside of them as well. There is a separate stomacher which is pinned on, then three sets of tabs extend across it. I wove the kerchief between them. The sleeve cuffs are pulled up by a cord over a button, with a small pleated trim. The back is the unusual part. I must admit I spent hours looking at the photos of the original, mapping out the chintz they used to see angles and possible seams. The center back pleat is just like a Robe a l'Anglaise, but just one instead of the normal two. What gets weird is that the sleeves are of the same piece as the back. Why? I have no clue, but it was a fun challenge to drape. There's no center back seam, and a small tuck is taken at the waist to shape it. I need to make a few alterations to the petticoat, it being too short and a little narrow for my taste. Bedgown, patterned from Diderot. I know there is a commercial pattern based on this, but I was curious to see what alterations had been made from the original. If you've ever seen it, the most obvious thing is that mine is a great deal shorter. The exterior is a worsted wool with a heavy linen lining. I wish the sleeves were longer, but I was using leftovers and ran out of fabric for that. The front ties with linen tape, and you would usually wear an apron over it. It's really all one piece with the seams up the sides, very geometric design. The back has a very deep box pleat that opens at the waist. I'm still struggling on how to make the collar part of the main garment and get it to lay correctly. The longer you cut the collar in back, the further down you're cutting into the back neckline. The modern patterns fix this with an added collar piece, but I wanted to see if I could follow the instructions exactly. It works, but pulls a little funny. Would probably fit a woman with 18th century posture better since their shoulders sit further back. Fitted jacket, from the Snowshill collection in Janet Arnolds book. I did make the cuffs a little smaller. The front pieces have gores put in to allow for the hips. I think mine needed to be a little larger and definitely taller. The cuffs are simple pleated bands, whipped on. The front pins closed. It's just a light weight linen, meant to be a good summer weight. The back has excess in the skirts at the seams, cut with extra "pie" wedges to create the fullness at the hem and not the waist. I'm still struggling to keep them looking decent, but I think it's the fabric. Short gown, which I don't really know provenance for. I've made dozens like it for where I used to work, and it's one of their fairly recent designs (so it's well researched I'm sure). It's very simple though, being a singular piece and unlined. There are facings on the sleeves to allow them to fold back. The center front laps over and pins shut. Edges are simply rolled to be finished. This is my lightest garment, made out of complete necessity for a Virginia summer. The back has pleats sewn in similar to a Robe a l'Anglaise to fit the garment to the body. There is a small piece used inside the back neckline to face it, rather than rolling the pleated edge. By far one of the easiest things I've made. I cut one out for my mother and handed her this as an example, which she completed easily in a weekend. She's a beginner to historical costumes, only having made a petticoat and apron prior to it. A quilted waistcoat isn't quite a jacket, I know. I did a post on this a while back, but these are much better images. Based on an original at the Atwater Kent Museum. Sharon Ann Burnston wrote an article about it here. Mine is a cotton chintz with linen lining, bamboo batting, and linen tape binding. A very simple design, it could be worn around the house for lounging, or along with stays for warmth. I sometimes wear it under a gown, occasionally over if the gown is not large enough to accommodate the added width. It isn't meant to be worn on it's own however. Namely, it's not a bodice!! I wouldn't wear it as the image shows in public.