Patterning

In working on my Morning Coat I was faced with a dilemma.  There really are no Morning Coat patterns out there commercially.  I could take a suit coat pattern and modify it, but it would need heavy modification and I didn't want to take the time.  Then I found this pattern in a 1920's German tailoring manual available online.

It was perfect,  but I didn't want to take the time to draft it all up to my size.  Enlarging patterns is time consuming.  So instead I took it to Fed Ex and had them enlarge it and print it up on their printer.  I didn't waste a lot of time trying to get it exactly the right size.  Instead I concentrated on the length, knowing it would be easier to adjust the width.  The printout cost less than $10, so it was comparable to a commercial pattern.

Once I got it home I cut it apart and worked on making it my size.  My preferred method of enlarging a pattern like this is slash-and-spread.  Trying to keep the length and shoulder seams the same size, I slashed the width of the pieces and taped them back together when they matched my measurements.

There are tons of books and tutorials that can teach you how to do this, maybe I'll look for some good online resources later this week.  To end, though, I cut the pieces, adding seam allowance, out of my mock-up fabric.  Hopefully tomorrow I'll get my coat fitted and start on the real one!