Wednesday 21 September 2011

Ultimate Six Frock Coat: the easy fabrics -
colour matching round six

I’m still plodding away at my fabric matching on my Six Frock Coat, and I’m determined to get to the end – and still have my sanity!

Just to remind you, so far I’ve been able to sign off the Purple Felt (Fabric 2); the Peach Wool (Fabric 4); the Red Felt (Fabric 5); the Yellow Lapel (Fabric 7);  and the Pink Felt (Fabric 11).

This now ONLY leaves the Green Felt (Fabric 3).
Fabric 3

We’ve now done four rounds of lab dye tests on this green – and it’s still not quite right. If it wasn’t for the fact that it is quite a prominent colour I might be tempted to let it go, within a tolerance – but we’ve come so far, it would be disappointing to fall at the last round.

Well my friends who own the original coat are not without compassion, and to my surprise they agreed to me clipping the tiniest amount of the green from inside the coat, where part of the hem had come adrift.
This meant I could send the dyers a real-world sample for them to match and show their worth.

Today the latest swatches arrived – and they have come up trumps!


WE HAVE A WINNER!

I see this as the first major landmark reached, and a turning point in this project. I have now definitively matched six of the fourteen fabrics I need – just under half.

Okay I’ve got some work to go yet – least of all the woven fabrics and the lining from hell – but reaching this point gives me a boost that this can be done, so long as I keep at it and remember my goal.

I’m going to start ordering the bolts of dyed fabric I now need for these six colours, in preparation for finally cutting and sewing my Six Frock Coat.
I can’t wait!