Federal Knit Blouses

[NJ Sekela]

I am very excited to annouce an upcoming run of Knit Federal Blouses. The color will be very close the color we currently use for our standard blouses.



This will be an extremely limited run, and I am excited, because I have always wanted to own one myself!!

I am, &c,

NJ Sekela,
Manf'r.
N.Jers'y.

http://www.njsekela.com

[Girty]

Knit blouses! Cool. I didn't know anyone was thinking of making these. Did you find an original somewhere to use as a pattern? Is this a lined coat? I eagerly await your production. Sounds interesting. There are plenty of these listed on contracts to warrant a repro.

[SmellyFed]

That's great - I've always wanted one of those myself. Will it have a Hunt & Tillinghurst stamp or another knit contractor stamp?

[NJ Sekela]

Sir:

The method I am employed in this project is much more of a forensic retracing, than trying to find one garment. After finding a mill that was wililng to knit the fabric, I brought the photograph that was published in the Company Military Historians Journal. It was obvious to them that it was a rib knit, in fact a 2X2 Rib knit. I should point out that the mill is using old equipment, and is the fourth generation running it. The great grandfather of the current owner repaired the machines in the 19th century.

As much as the world of "type I's" and "type II's" want to overcomplicate things, enlisted issue sack coats are pretty much the same. You find 2, 3 and 4 piece bodies, sometimes all from the same contractor. (This of course is based on the width of the goods, not a "pattern" difference. Enlisted sack coats are not fitted in the waist, and have slightly different shapes of collar, but not different STYLES.

There are those who have gone out of their way to let me know that they ONLY way to make uniforms is to find a garment to base it on. I have seen three garments made by a highly vaunted maker of an ostentatious unit. They included a Confederate frock coat from a museum in South Carolina, an enlisted Federal Frock coat from a private collection and today, a copy of the David Gilbert Myers shirt. Despite the fact that all three garments HAVE existing garments to use as references, ALL THREE of those garments were made with major mistakes and omissions. I can guarantee that it will be much closer representation of what the knit blouse looked like, than those three garments were.

This will utilize period constructions and patterns, 100% wool in the correct color. It will be unlined, with hand buttonholes.

This is really a project for a much more sophisticated living historian, especially those who do interpretation for the public. The knit goods industry was HUGE at the time, and, as you note, really needs to be represented. (One possible reason for their production is that it was an early war "expedient", since there was a tremendous shortage of woven blue fabric. There was such a shortage that federal agents were buying blue fabric woven in europe.)

I am going to post pictures of the coat in the next two weeks.

I am, &c,

NJ Sekela,
Manf'r.
N. Jers'y.

[Cpt Boone]

Mr. Sekela,

Have you decided what the price will be yet? Looking forward to the finished product.

[NJ Sekela]

Wow, time really flies by.

Well, the sample yardage rolled in, so I should have an idea of cost within the next week or so, as well as a prototype or two.

This is not going to be a big ongoing project, owing to the limited amount of time the mill can allocate to the project.

Within the next few days, I will post a picture of the prototype.

I am, &c,

NJ Sekela
Manf'r.
N. Jers'y.