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

Finding the material for the waistcoat has been my biggest hurdle at the moment. I am pretty sure that material is Stewart Fawn trade tartan in a houndstooth pattern. I am building a season 15 costume at the moment but will be looking to do a few different types I think.

Maximus
 
Then you'll want to talk to manofsteel25. I got my fabric from him, it was custom printed on velvet to match the original.

Also, got the backs of the pants cut. Getting more fabric tomorrow, as well as shirt interfacing.
 
Maximus- when you're ready, talk to me, I had a custom run of that Waistcoat fabric made because like everyone else that stuff was never going to found on the bolt - and none of the custom tartans made-to-order I saw online were close enough. I've seen the repro next to patches of the original and we got it VERY close.
 
Have you ever heard of Spoonflower.com? If someone hasn't already uploaded the correct print, you could always make a graphic of exactly what you're looking for and then just custom print it.
 
I have my own shop on Spoonflower.

risu's shop on Spoonflower: fabric, wallpaper and wall decals

I believe it was discussed as an option, but the two big drawbacks are the lack of color saturation and velvet isn't a fabric option.

Anyhow, today I picked up more pants fabric, shirt interfacing, and brown poly/acetate for the waistcoat liner. Tomorrow is going to be a big work day, I'll hopefully be able to get the shirt finished and make some progress on the pants.
 
Spoonflower is what I used to test print swatches of the pattern to make sure color and read was where I wanted it. But to get better saturation and be able to print on velvet I had to go to a local printer. A Cotton print of this will do the job though though it loses a little something - plus the pattern was just a giant headache and a half to get right which was one of the main holdups even doing the run. Spoonflower is a great resource but for some fabrics it's not quite suitable since they're limited to a range of cottons.
 
As I've suspected for a while now, my sleeves are too short. What I didn't expect is that they're also too small in diameter, at least if I want to wear a watch. Tomorrow I'm going to pick up more weaver's cloth and make new cuffs to compensate for both, and I've already added length to my pattern. I'm glad I'm making all these mistakes on $4 a yard fabric instead of the custom printed stuff or worse.
 
Yeah, I have noticed saturation issues. I posted a Hawaiian print up there and it's Tardis blue on dark blue, you can barely see the TARDIS hiding in it in real life, but it's perfectly clear in the graphic.

Also forgot that the fabric was supposed to be velvet. Cool that you found a local printer who can do it!
 
Repatterned the cuffs and finally found the perfect interfacing (assuming it stays bonded through the wash). It's plain old medium weight heat n bond from Jo-Ann's. One cuff is on now, I'll probably do the second and maybe put some buttons on tonight. Pictures soon once the shirt is done, which will hopefully be tomorrow.
 
I spent a few hours casting buttons this morning. The mold is toast, I have to sit and hold the sides together while the resin cures, which takes about half an hour each. I'm probably going to try and cast one more to replace the lighter brown one, then paint the color variations on.

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And the waistcoat pattern is 100% complete.

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I've had the waistcoat buttons for a while, but had to trade in 3 of them because the sizes are all random and I needed smaller ones. I finally got them back today. They're slices of antler.

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And my shirt is done except for buttons and button holes.

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The shirt is finished. Last thing I did was put on the collar button and I tried the whole thing on to discover that the collar was a full 1" too big. It shouldn't matter too much on this shirt because it's not buttoned and the coat collar pushes it together, but I'll definitely be fixing my pattern before I make the next shirt.

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Also, I'm starting to think I wasted money buying the wig, haha. I may cut my hair before the con, though, it's a hassle.

Also, the pants fronts are now done. And I hate plaid. The next step is putting in the rear welt pockets, then I get to deal with the joy that is assembling the fly. I might put it off for a bit to work on my Matt Smith shirt pattern or just throw the waistcoat together tomorrow. Maybe both.
 
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Thanks! So I made a waistcoat for my Jack Sparrow costume way back, so I'm more familiar with the process, which is a nice change from all the new territory. I got pretty far on it today.

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I just need to set the pockets and then I can finish it in about an hour or two. I'm thinking of cutting a 1" strip of collar canvas that I can use as a form for the belt. That first one was a pain to press and it still came out a little wiggly. If I shove the canvas in there and then iron it, it should come out nice and crisp.
 
I cut the frock coat pattern today.

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The number of pieces is kind of terrifying. Also, I still have to make all the alterations, which include:

1. Alter the felt under collar into a normal under collar pattern.
2. Bring in the waist at the side seam and the front dart (it's currently larger than the chest, don't ask me why)
3. In the process, make the front dart longer
4. Add the side dart to the skirt.
5. Remove the pleat from the back of the skirt
6. Make the shape of the lapel accurate.
7. Do the same to the collar pieces
8. Make sure the sleeves are the correct length
9. Make the pocket pattern pieces

So yea. I think I can do it.

I'll also be working on the pants and waistcoat today. I've hesitated on those because the first pocket didn't go into the vest incredibly well. The velvet is unreasonably thick, and it caused some problems. Also I hate hand stitching.
 
No new pictures just yet, but the pockets are all sewn into the pants (that was the worst thing EVER) and the waistcoat is pretty much done. I just need to clip the allowance, flip it, press, and sew up the sides. Hopefully I'll be able to do that tomorrow night. I also got word that my scarf is done, it'll be blocked out this weekend. Overall, I'd say it was a good day. It's not often I get a solid 16 hours to work. It'll probably take a whole day to make all the alterations to the frock pattern, so it's definitely crunch time.
 
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I finished the waistcoat today and tried it on with the shirt, then forgot to take a picture. I'll get one once I've finished the pants, which is happening tomorrow. My to do list is very straight forward:

Finish pants
Make alterations to the coat pattern
Cut and sew together a test coat from the leftover pants fabric

Those three things will probably take at least 12 hours though, so it's a full day.
 
I ended up working on my Smith sonic conversion, which is now a bust until after Gally, until about 4 PM, then worked on my girlfriend's Oswin belt until around midnight. Finally got to the pants, but I still have to put on the waistband/belt loops and hem/cuff them tomorrow after work. Here's a shot of what I have so far.

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And with the scarf knit by my coworker. She did a fantastic job on it, and I'm really happy with the colors, weight, and length of it.

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Colors don't show up very well in my bathroom. I'm going to get good pictures of the whole costume at the con. Still nothing done on the frock. I'll hopefully at least be able to start that tomorrow night, but I also need to build part of that Oswin belt so that I can mold and cast it before the con, and I've only got about 6 hours of work time tomorrow give or take.
 
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