Doctor Who - Tom Baker's S17 Frock Coat/Costume

I've pinned the other sleeve on rotated back a bit. The low points don't match up on the pattern any more, but damn it looks a lot better.



I'm also spreading the collar. I haven't gotten there yet, but it stands up a lot better than it used to. Almost done with this test coat.
 
After being sick and working long hours for the last couple weeks, I finally got back to this today. Tomorrow I'll be back on paper, and by the end of the weekend, with a little luck, I'll have the pattern finished and the wool parts cut out. On Monday I'm heading up to LA to get some new lining, pocket, and collar fabrics. The velvet at Jo-Ann is too dark for the new fabric and I'm out of the other stuff. About 2 and a half weeks to go, it's probably going to come down to the wire. Wishing I didn't procrastinate so much right about now.
 
Here's a picture of how the test coat ended up. I'm a little behind schedule, but if I finish drafting the new pattern this weekend I should be able to catch up.

 
Been working all week and made a lot of progress. I drafted the new pattern, cut out all the wool parts and interfacing, and tonight I plan to cut out all the lining pieces. I also sewed up the sleeves, complete with trim.

Fronts ready to pad stitch, collar canvas, and back shoulder support.


Wool pieces with nearly finished sleeves.


And the first pocket flap. It's a little dodgy because I was learning how to work the trim as I did it. About 3/4 of the back is pretty ugly, but I'll rarely lift the small flaps, and all the other trim should go on very well.


I meant to pad stitch the fronts over the weekend, but it didn't work out. I should be able to stitch one side per night after work this week and then maybe even assemble the top half of the coat by the weekend. Maybe set in the rear welt pockets, too. Lots of little hiccups like the trim, but it's all coming together finally.

Oh, and I made a new and improved belt today, I'm just letting it dry for a week before I set the buckle. The back of the buckle isn't as rounded as it should be and gouges the belt if it's not completely dry. I had to kind of custom make the buckle because I couldn't find anything like the original, more on that in an upcoming post.
 
Tonight I pad stitched the right front of the coat, took about 4 hours. It's currently drying after steaming the lapel. I didn't expect it to take quite so long, so I'm going to have to put in some long hours this weekend. I have got the hang of the trim, though, so I'm not nearly as worried about the time it'll take to stitch all the trim on, and if it's really getting close, I can probably forget about blind stitching the hems until after the con. And if necessary I can always take a day off from work next Wednesday to finish up whatever is left.

As for the new belt and buckle, here are some pictures. I made the buckle "functionally accurate", as long as nobody sees it from the back, it's just fine.





I used the same crappy stamped, brass plated buckle as last time, but instead of doing the whole collar stud thing, this time I cut down a steel dowel pin and sank it into some JB Weld before filling the whole back of the buckle with the stuff and sanding all the edges a little smoother. It still digs in to the belt, but it doesn't actually cut anymore.
 
So the top half of the coat is all together, and I've actually just finished the welt pockets on the skirt but I don't have a picture of those. Here's the back of the coat.



By the end of the day, I'm hoping to get the lining cut out and sewn together, the collars attached, the skirt attached (with the waist pockets), and the sleeves set.
 
Pockets took a lot longer than expected. Head's been cloudy all weekend with a cold. Ended up sleeping through half the weekend. Looking pretty good from the back.



I got the lining cut out, but not sewn together. I'll definitely be taking Wednesday off of work to get this done, but it's definitely still on schedule to finish.
 
You're doing a fantastic job, Risu. I definitely love making cosplays, but I've never taken on a project quite as daunting as this one! You've definitely given me some inspiration to buy a tailoring book and learn some proper sewing myself. I hope you feel better, and I can't wait to see the finished costume!
 
Thanks!

Small update, the lining is mostly sewn together. I just have to set the sleeves into the coat and the lining, attach the shoulder pads and sleeve heads, and then sew the two together and add trim/buttons. I should be able to do that tomorrow.
 
It turned out looking really awful, the whole collar/lapel area is just garbage. Not sure I'll post a picture, it bothers me to look at it, I don't think I care to have a permanent record of it. So that's it, sorry to disappoint. Project on hold indefinitely.
 
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After a couple months of the coat sitting on the form, I finally got a chance to talk with a friend who's a tailor and we worked out the issue with the collar. The new collar had to be completely hand stitched on, but it's finally fixed.



After Wonder Con I'll get back to work closing up the lining and putting on all the trim.
 
This thread makes me happy. Late to the game but watching the progress from 1st post to last brings a real smile to my face! Excellent work!!
 
Not a huge update, but today I did the reinforcing hand stitch that holds the inside and outside layers together along the collar seam. Basically it stops the inside layer from sliding out of the coat and up the neck and holds everything nicely in place where it's supposed to be.



It not only keeps the collar looking nice when it's folded down, but it finally stands up perfectly. The next step will be stitching up all of the hems and then closing up the lining.
 
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