Customize your Clothing with Trim

by Gael Stirler
Plain to Fancy in just a few hours

Figure 1 English Lace-up Doublet	Figure 2 Customized English Lace-up Doublet

Here are instructions on how to take a plain English Lace-up Doublet and make it into a nobleman's vest (Figure 2). Once you know the tricks for adding trim to finished garments you can easily customize all of your wardrobe.
Materials and Tools:

• English Lace-up Doublet (Figure 1)
• 5 yards of wide metallic trim
• 2-1/2 yards of 1/2-inch velvet ribbon.
• Tailor's chalk
• Straight edge
• Straight pins
• Sewing machine and serger (optional)
• or, needle and thread if you choose to sew the trim on by hand.

Wide trim looks best when used on straight lines. For curves, use narrow trim, ribbon, or braid trim. Braid or gump is made from cords, woven or knotted in various ways to make decorative trim. Braid bends easily around curves; however, the ends are difficult to finish and hide. Tailor's chalk contains a small amount of wax to keep the chalk from brushing off the fabric too easily. It comes in squares of blue and white chalk for dark and light fabrics. You can use small pieces of soap as a substitute. You can use a yardstick, t-square, or any other straight, flat object for the straight edge. A measuring tape will not work.

Figure 3 Draw guidelines on the back

Step 1: The secret to adding trim successfully is drawing guidelines first. To trim the doublet in a pattern of large "Vs" mark the midpoint of the back with the tailor's chalk. Make a mark on each of the shoulders 1/2 inch from the seam. Using the straight edge, draw a chalk line to connect these marks (Figure 3). Draw lines for the lower "V" from the waistline center back to the armholes parallel to the upper "V".

Step 2: Turn the doublet over and remove the laces. Draw a verticle guideline 1/4 inch from the grommets, parallel to the front edge (Figure 4). This is the guideline for the velvet trim. It also defines where the wide trim will end on the front. Do not draw the line too close to the grommets or you may break your sewing machine needle when sewing down the trim.

Figure 4 Guidelines on the front

Step 3: Make a small mark halfway down the front, next to the grommets, on each side. Connect these to the marks on the shoulders with a chalk line to form the upper "V" on the front. Make small mark on each side of the grommet line at the lowest point on the center front where it meets the peplum (vest skirt) at the bottom. Draw lines parallel to the upper "V" from these marks to the armholes, as you did on the back.

Step 4: Starting at the midpoint on the front, measure the guideline from center front, over the shoulder, to center back. Multiply this distance by 2 and add 4 extra inches for insurance. Cut the wide trim to the calculated length.

Step 5: Match the pattern and fold the wide trim in half with right sides of the trim together. Cut from one corner of the fold to the edge at a 45° angle (Figure 5). Sew or serge the cut edge. Open the trim and pin to the midpoint of the back with the guidelines at the bottom edge of the trim (Figure 6).

Figure 5 How to make mitered corner	Figure 6 Mitered Corner

Depending on the angle of the "V" you may need to make some adjustments to the sewing line angle.
If you match up your pattern when you fold the trim, your mitered corners will be symmetrical.

Figure 7 Pin trim to back

Step 6: Finish pinning the trim over the shoulders (Figure 7). You may need to take a small tuck as you change angle at the shoulder line.

Step 7: Measure the lines on the lower back "V" and cut trim 3 inches longer. Serge or zigzag ends to prevent fraying. Match the pattern and fold in half with right sides together. Cut and sew a 45 ° angle as before. Pin the lower "V" in place using the guidelines. Fold the excess trim into the armhole and pin.

Step 8: Turn the garment to the front and lay the trim on the guidelines on the front. Mark where the trim crosses the guideline next to the grommets. Cut the end at that angle and serge or zigzag the edge to prevent fraying. Do not go over the line or fall short of it by more than 1/4 of an inch (Figure 8).

Figure 8 Cut and serge ends of trim

Step 9: Pin all the trim in place on the front. Sew the trim down with the same color as the background of the trim. Sew very close to the edge starting at the lowest point in the front, next to the guideline. Follow the guidelines closely as you sew. When you get to the armhole, turn and sew across the end trim so that you sew down the folded part of the trim on the inside. Then turn and proceed back to the beginning on the other side of the trim to fully attach it to the garment. At all times be careful to keep the garment from puckering under the trim. Repeat on the other side of the front.

Step 10: Repeat the procedure to sew down the upper "V".
When you reach the shoulder keep going, following the guideline. Sew the back "V", then sew over the other shoulder to the front grommet guideline. Sew down the angled end of the trim, and then sew down the other side of the trim all the way around until you reach the beginning.

Figure 9 Add black velvet ribbon

Step 11: Cut a piece of trim a little longer than the collar. Match the pattern and fold in half. Pin the center of the fold to the center of the back of the collar. Pin the rest of the trim on the collar. Cut the trim to match up with the guideline and the curve of the collar.

Step 12: Sew the trim to the collar as before. Use the collar seam for a guideline

Step 13: Sew black velvet ribbon over the front verticle guideline and the edges of the trim to give a finished look to the garment (Figure 9). Turn the end of the ribbon under at an angle to make it look neat (Figure 10). Sew across the end, then sew close to the edge of the ribbon up the front of the doublet, around the neck, and down the other side. Sew both sides of the ribbon close to the edge, making sure that you cover the ends of the wide trim.

Figure 10 Turn under ends of velvet ribbon	Figure 11 View of back with collar

Washing instructions:
Use only washable trims. Prewash and iron the garment before attaching trim. If the garment is machine washable, like this doublet, turn the garment inside out and button or lace-up before washing. This will protect the trim from abrasion on other garments. Wash in cold water and hang to dry. Unbutton and iron from the wrong side. Touch up ironing on the right side but avoid ironing metallic trim.

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Variations:
Other examples of how you can customize garments with metallic trim and velvet ribbon. Click on image to go to product.


Knightly Fighting Surcoat




Lord's Coathardie





Royal Tunic





Irish Dress




Barmaid's Bodice

Originally published November 2005 by Gael Stirler

Make a Celtic Coat

by Gael Stirler

Make this into this!

Here are instructions on how to make your own Celtic Coat. You will need about four yards of 45" cotton broadcloth for the lining and a full-size (88" by 106") printed cotton tapestry throw with a Celtic knotwork border. The one used here is Celtic Unicorn Tapestry. Wash and dry the lining and the printed tapestry throw to stabilize shrinkage.

Cut the hemmed edge off the throw or use a seam ripper and open the hem. IMPORTANT: Fold the throw in half length-wise, along the vertical axis. Then fold it again across the horizontal axis. Smooth out the wrinkles in all four layers.

Fold 3 yards of the 45" broadcloth in half length-wise, then width-wise and lay on top of the throw, lining it up on the selvedge side, not the fold side. Using the edge of the folded broadcloth as a guide cut the center strip of fabric off the throw. The extra yard of broadcloth and this center strip will be used for making the sash, gores and cuffs. When opened up, the center strip should measure about 108" by 40". Cut two cuffs, 20" by about 6" or the width of the fancy border, from one end of the centerstrip and two more from the broadcloth for lining the cuffs. Set the rest aside for now. The other stack of folded fabric will be used for the body section and its folded width should be between 22" and 23".

• "A" equals the measurement from your waistline in the back, up and over your shoulder, to your waistline in the front, divided by 2.
• "B" equals your waist measurement divided by 4, plus 1".
• "C" equals your hip measurement taken 5" below your waistline divided by 4, plus 1.5".

This pattern is so simple that you can just mark it on the top layer of the broadcloth with chalk, cut through all four layers of broadcloth, remove the excess cloth, then use the broadcloth as the pattern for the printed fabric. The top of the diagram to the left indicates the shoulder fold, the left side is the selvedge of the broadcloth, and the bottom of the diagram is the hem. Measure 1" down from the top fold along the selvedge of the broadcloth and 3" across. Connect these two marks with a curved line. Cut through the four layers of the broadcloth to create the neck. To refine the shape of the front of the neckline, measure 3" down from the cut on the selvedge. Draw a curved line from this mark to the shoulder mark. This time, when you cut the curve, only cut through the top two layers. This will make the neckline lower in the front than in the back.

On the right side, measure 10" from the fold and draw a straight line parallel to the shoulder fold about 9" long. Measure from the shoulder fold "A" inches and mark the level of your waistline. Measure from the selvedge "B" inches along your waistline level and mark the end of the waistline. Draw a line parallel to the selvedge from this waistline point toward the shoulder until it meets the sleeve line. Since you don't want to cut this out with a 90°ree; angle you must modify the angle by connecting the bodyline and the sleeve line with a 3" to 4" radius curve. This curve can be refined during fitting, later, if you have someone to help with the fitting. The tighter the curve the more fitted the bust will be. 10" is a rule of thumb for a sizes X on the folded sleeve width. For other sizes it should be half your upper arm circumference plus 1.5". Next draw the skirt line from the waist point to 1" above the corner of the fabric at the hemline. Measure down from the waist line 5" and "C" inches horizontally from the selvedge and mark the hip point. If this point falls to the right of the skirt line you will need to add side gores. If it falls to the left of the skirt line, you don't need side gores and can skip the next step.

If you need side gores, pin or tape paper under the right side of the broadcloth to make a pattern for your side gore. Angle your skirt line so that the hip point falls to the left of the skirt line and continue the line off the end of the fabric onto the paper. Measure the broadcloth on the folded edge from the skirt line to the hemline. Mark this side gore length on the paper 1/2" under the edge of the fabric . Mark the side gore length on the skirtline as well. Connect these two end points with a curved line to form a pie wedge. Unpin the pattern and use it to cut your gores out of the center scrap fabric where the pattern matches best.

Now that you have the pattern drawn on the broadcloth you can cut out the coat. If you have side gores, slip your scissors into the right side fold and cut it open. Cut open the sleeves at the cuff line, too. Leave the shoulder fold uncut. Remove the excess fabric and use the broadcloth as a pattern to mark the printed tapestry fabric. After marking the outline, remove the broadcloth lining and cut the tapestry fabric. Warning: If you try to cut through all eight layers at once with normal scissors, you will have problems.

Measure the distance from the hem to the waistline on the selvedge. This is your back gore height. The width of the gore should be between 10" and 20" depending on your size and how much fabric you have. Cut one back gore from both the tapestry fabric and the broadcloth. If you are very thin, you can do without the back gore.

Assembly

Cut the last long piece of the center fabric in half length-wise for a sash if you want one. Sew the middle together so that the fancy borders are on the ends of the sash. If it is too long, take the excess out of the middle and re-sew. Sew together length-wise and across one end. Turn and sew the other end.

Completely assemble the outside of the coat first before the lining. Assume that you always put right sides together and serge the seams or sew with a straight stitch at 1/2" then zig zag the edges to finish them. Sew the back gore to one side of the back seam from hem to waist. Pin the other side of the back to the back gore and pin the rest of the back seam to the other back. Sew the back seam from neck to hem.

Pin the cuffs to the sleeves and pin the side seams from the cuffs to the waistline, then try the coat on. You may need to remove a little of the sleeve before attaching the cuff if the sleeves are too long. Remove the same amount from the lining sleeves. Refine the fit as necessary. If you have side gores, sew the side seams the same way as the back. Otherwise, just sew the side seams together from cuff to hem.

Assemble the broadcloth lining the same way except for the cuffs. Sew a lining cuff into a tube and slip it over the tapestry sleeves with right sides together and sew around the end of the sleeve. Repeat on the other sleeve. Put the coat and lining together. Have someone help you even up the hem keeping as much of the border in tact as you can. Pin lining to coat and sew up one side of the front, around the neck and down the other side of the front opening. Then sew all around the hem.

Turn the garment right-side-out through one sleeve opening and press. Top-stitch front opening and neck line. Sew lining cuffs to lining sleeves and finish with a French seam, serged seam, or bias tape. Top-stitch around the cuffs. The outer fabric should turn in a little. You can do without buttons in the front if you made a sash to close the coat. Otherwise, add frogs, clasps, or buttons to the front and you are done!

Variations

Click on the pictures to go shopping for the tapestries

Open a printable version in a new window.