Pattern for DIY Prince Charles

[Shanntarra]

Since I'm a professional seamstress I like to make things, and since I'm also a theatical costumer my scope of making things is pretty wide. (From 6 foot sock puppet killer mutant leaches to historically accurate Elizabethian court gowns w/ under pinnings)
Last week I made my rogue his first X kilt. He already had a McDonald Knife pleated kilt he got in 2007, but he can wear his X-kilt out and about a little more than his expensive wool one. He is loving it.

As a tradition he wears his full kilt kit to my opening nights. At the momment he has to wear a store bought tux vest which sits too low, and doesn't have a proper jacket or sporan. I'm trying to get him a nice sporan for a surprise, but I would also like to make him a nice Prince charles coat to go with his formal kilt. The problem is that I don't have a proper pattern. I know folkwear makes one but the reviews on it were terrible.

Unless any of you know of another pattern I have two options.
1) Using my nice men's suit pattern alter it to turn it into a prince charles jacket. (Cost $4)

2) Buy the Folkwear pattern and try to fix it's issues (IE not enough room in the shoulders , and other tweaks) (Cost $25-30)

Anyone have any better ideas? I just want to make a nice jacket to go with the rogue's formal kilt.

[BEEDEE]

Do a search on the DIY forum for Prince Charlie Jackets. There have been several done by converting formal tail coats. You should be able to do the conversion without a pattern.

Brian

:ootd:

[Shanntarra]

It is very difficult to find a suit coat that fits him, but I wouldn't be adverse to doing a conversion.

[bentneedle]

http://www.myowntuxedo.com/default.aspx

This website several of my male dancers have used. It takes patience, but a tux/tail coat can be picked up there for quite reasonable and make a nice conversion to a PC or Argyle, etc.

I have also suffered the abuse of the PC Folkwear pattern (the knitting hose pattern is just as bad). There was a Vogue sewing pattern put out a few years ago (OK maybe it was the '90s!)for a tailcoat and waistcoat set, try to scour ebay and see if you can get your hands on it in the appropriate size.

Let me know what route you take, post a pic.

[sydnie7]

Here is Alan H's thread on creating a formal look from uniform jackets:

Link

I did a tuxedo jacket conversion but that assumes the luck of finding a proper base garment for the project.

[billmcc]

Anyone have any better ideas? I just want to make a nice jacket to go with the rogue's formal kilt.

I have seen several attempts to convert or replicate a PC and most come out looking very odd at best.

If I needed a formal jacket, I would buy an Eton jacket. This relatively inexpensive jacket needs no modification to be worn with a kilt and looks good. Its style is simple yet elegant. Forget about all the bells and whistles of a PC.

If you really want to make the Rogue a jacket, perhaps you can find a good pattern for an Eton jacket.

[The Wizard of BC]

Simplicity used to have a pattern for a Kilt & Jackets. It was no. 5029 but is long out of print. I have a couple of copies of the original that I used to re-design into my Jacket but it may take me a few days to find them.

Another option is to use a pattern for a Military Mess Dress Jacket or Coatee. Simply add tails, fancy cuffs, and the buttons and you have a Prince Charlie. That is where the Prince Charlie originally came from.

[Bugbear]

You would know all about the interfacing and all the internal structures of a jacket, so I think you would do fine modifying a jacket pattern and going that way.

[Shanntarra]

I looked up getting a pattern and I'm running into the the sample problem I had when I costumed an actor as a police officer. You can't get a pattern for uniforms because they are only sold to licenced makers of the uniforms. In other words, if you don't have a contract with the govenment to make a mess uniform you aren't getting the pattern. It would be too easy to impersenate an officer.

It looks like I'm just going to have to alter a regualr pattern using a line drawing of an actual Prince charles to make the alterations. Wish me luck. I won't get to this until at least August. The whole making 17 pirate coats by July 4th is going to take up a bit of my time. I wonder if I can't sneak one of the pirates into a kilt...... / plots

[piperdbh]

Is there someone in your area whose PC you could borrow to model yours from? If not, the tail coat option might be a good route.