Women's Paletot

[WestTN_reb]

I'm looking into making a paletot for my girlfriend for Christmas. I'm having a tough time with finding a pattern. The one that screams out to me is the paletot offered by Blockade Runner. I was going to try to just buy, but for personal reasons decided not to. My questions to all you knowledgeable ladies out there is this: What kind of provenance does the BR style have? If of good provenance, what pattern is it based off of? What pattern could I use as a basis to modify into this style?

Thank you for any help you can provide.

[southern_belle1861]

Kay Gagney has a Paletot pattern on her site:

http://shop.originals-by-kay.com/dis...&categoryId=34

I haven't used one of her sewing patterns, but I have used her cage crinoline kit and didn't have one problem making it. I would highly reccomend her.

[morganaside]

I have used KayFig's pattern for the paletot. It works up great!!!

Kathy

[ElizabethClark]

I would also recommend going with a documented pattern, like a KayFig offering, rather than reproducing from a repro. When working with a pattern taken from extant clothing (as Kay Gnagey does), you're working with correct style lines and shaping, and have instructions on fitting the whole thing together with period techniques. You're far more likely to end up with a successful garment (meaning, it looks and functions and feels like an original would have at the time), than you will if copying a copy (as the copy may or may not have been rendered to as high a standard as Gnagey, Sandra Altman, and other historic designers hold themselves.)

[MissMaggie]

Mrs. Clark,
How do you feel about the paletot from Homespun patterns? I do plan on losing the little cape thing and redrafting the sleeve to a coat style sleeve.

[ElizabethClark]

It can be absolutely workable... most Homespun women's patterns are. I'd do a muslin test over your historic clothes, just to make sure everything sits where you want it, and then monkey with the details to your heart's content.

[MissMaggie]

Yippi! Thanks for the affirmation. I don't mind the fiddling....heck, I could in theory just drape myself a coat pattern, it is what I'm going to school for after all. I just really like the idea of skipping a step and the headache I'd get trying to figure out how to make the dress forms at school look like my corseted figure.

[ElizabethClark]

If you want to work on your corseted replica, make a duct tape dress form to partially stuff and slip over a standard dress form... you'll get the replica, and it will look funny hauling from your rooms to the studio, but it works!