US Frockcoat Pattern

[Charles Kaiser]

Re: US Froccoat Pattern

Thanks to all for your answers!
And another Questions: I am looking for pictures of an original with Black polished Cotton for the pockets.They wrote in CRRC II about it. I've only seen those with brown.
Did they use the black one at SA Frocks?
Did deatiled Photos from an SA Frock exist? I want to know which stitchings they use at the different places.
What are the differences between SA and Contractor Frocks by the pattern?

@ Christopher: Which kind of material is the front facing on the private purchased Frock?

[LibertyHallVols]

Re: US Froccoat Pattern

Charles,

If you would be willing, it would be great if you could take notes and photographs of your project, as well as the finished frock! These projects take on a life of their own sometimes... it is interesting to see the challenges and issues that come up and how folks deal with them.

Best of Luck!

[PanzerJager]

Re: US Froccoat Pattern

The John Henry auction had an artillery SA frock in it, you may want to look at the heritage auction website as they had photos of both the interior and exterior. As mentioned before, being in Europe, your best bet is to try and see the Danish Exchange frock coat, it was also made at the SA. If you really want to get it right you are going to need to see an original, in your hands. From my experience you will never be able to decipher all the little construction intricacies from photos alone.

Regards,

[Charles Kaiser]

Re: US Froccoat Pattern

From my experience you will never be able to decipher all the little construction intricacies from photos alone.

Thats my Intention, I learned it by copying an original Knapsack. With only one measurement and some Photos it doesn' work, so I had to take the Original on and on to see the smal little details. Last week I said to a Friend" The best way to made a SA Frockcoat is to buy one, and if the Reproduction is finished, sell him. So this is not possible I am happy about every ltttle Detail that helps me to come clother to an Original.

I will ask the Danish Museum for help.

@LibertyHallVols: When I start I will do that Documentation. A Friend of mine will make an SA Frock too.

[LibertyHallVols]

Re: US Froccoat Pattern

Thanks, Charles! I may be starting one myself sometime this winter. If so, it will be the 4th frock I've made, but my first US frock.

[Stephan]

Re: US Froccoat Pattern

Dear ACers,

I am planning to sew a Federal frock coat. It should be of the Schuylkill Arsenal pattern. Unfortunately, the only commercially available pattern I have found so far is the Boylan Contract one.

I would be more than grateful if anybody could point out which corrections I would need to undertake in order to make the Boylan pattern a Schuylkill pattern.

Thank you!

King regards
Stephan Brachmann

German Mess


P.S.: I am from Germany, so examining originals is, unfortunately, out of the question for me.

[GreencoatCross]

Re: US Froccoat Pattern

I'm putting together several this year, I hope. A U.S.S.S. frock (S.A.), infantry frock (Devlin contract), and probably an artillery frock (S.A.) for the Ft. Sumter event next year. Frock coats...oh boy.

Of the four original S.A. frocks I've been able to study I can say that they had a wider variety of differences than similarities. Cuff facing shapes, different collar heights, width of cuff and elbow, piping or welting, some with squared top front margins and some with rounded margins, some with separate front skirt facings and others with integral facings, buttons sewn on before or after the interior facing was applied, cheap muslin or cotton drill sleeve linings, key-hole buttonholes or square buttonholes, logwood or indigo dyed thread, and the list goes on and on. None of this is really surprising given that each coat was cut and sewn by different people at different points of the war. And some of these frocks were very, very skillfully made while others were practically falling apart; one showed evidence of having been heavily repaired during the war.

The one constant among these coats aside from being 100% hand-sewn is that the lower buttonhole was placed directly on the body/skirt seam.