An Arming Coat of the Albigensian Crusade
   Assembly

The quilting on the extant garments

Well step one was obviously to go and look at how the extant garments were made. This is where I ran across the tidbit on the pad stitching debate on the Charles of Blois garment. So I found myself relying on, and studying intensely the Lubeck garment and the English garment.

What I deduced from my study is that this was a multiple step process. The Lubeck garment was particularly helpful in being able to see the development of the layers of the inner padding and then the addition of the exterior fabric and decoration. This is how I think it was done:

A central padded layer was created first, using either a pattern that was scaled up to be large enough to allow for the loss of size in quilting, or by creating a padded fabric that could then be used for the pattern pieces.

Then after the inner padding was prepared, the external fabric was applied to the inner padding. by cutting a pattern piece that was large enough to allow for the loss of size in quilting, or by basting the exterior fabric into place (perhaps this was even the final quilting) and then cutting the exterior cloth.

The method used here:

I didn’t really trust my ability to estimate the shrinkage that would occur in the pattern pieces, and information I found on quilting (modern) didn’t really address the shrinkage of a garment in the quilting process. I don’t know if I was looking in the wrong place, or what. But since I couldn’t pursue a mathematical solution I opted for a different method. I chose to prepare a quilted inner material and then cut my pattern pieces from that.

I started with two layers of a medium weight linen. At first I experimented with using wool as a batting. And for me, at the time, that didn’t seem to be working. I was getting lumps and uneven padding all over the surface of the fabric. Since then I have come to think that the wool used in the batting of the extant garments was probably combed or carded first, to get it to that lovely fluffy phase. Or perhaps the wool was partially felted to create a sheet of batting that wasn’t overly dense.

(I smell an experiment in the future)

But at the time, since I wasn’t succeeding with the wool, I changed to use a modern cotton sheet style of batting. It worked very well, but I’m determined to try the wool batting again. Next time I’ll give myself the time to try a variety of preparation methods to see which works best.

So with the two layers of linen and the cotton batting between I proceeded to make a quilted fabric. I marked off parallel lines on the surface of the linen with a pencil, using the width of a ruler. The lines looked about right compared to the extant pieces, approximately 2” apart. After the fabric was marked I started to hand quilt the inner fabric. I used a quilting needle with a doubled linen thread of 80/2 twist. I did about 3 rows of the inner fabric before I thought, “geez this is taking FOREVER… better speed this process up.”

And the remainder of the inner padding was stitched on the sewing machine with a cotton thread. (NOTE: This was the only time that I turned to a modern method for this project, I wish I had been able to construct it entirely by hand, but at the same time I’m glad that it is finished for today’s event.)

Then I placed the pattern pieces on the prepared fabric and cut out the pieces. I was being very economical of the fabric, I knew this was going to be tight. In the end, for one of the back pieces there was some pretty creative piecing of the padding, but there was just enough of the padded lining to get the job done.

Adding the exterior fabric:

I chose for the exterior of my coat a rich velvet. The historical use of a velvet is demonstrated in the extant arming coat of the Black Prince. Black as the color for a coat is implied in the “Chronicle’s” of Froissart. (Figure 3)

Once I had my pieces out of the padded inner fabric I basted them to the exterior fabric by hand. Only after they were all in place, and I knew they would fit on the cloth, did I cut out each individual piece. And getting the nap of the fabric to all go in one direction was part planning, part luck.

The actual cloth used for the exterior of this jacket is a velvet with a silk backing and a rayon pile. Better than cotton, but not 100% the real thing. If this is a tremendous problem to you, dear reader, then financial contributions to rectify the situation may be made to the artist. Please earmark your funds with “for purchase of silk velvet” Thank you.

(Just in case you didn’t get it… the contribution thing… that was a joke. ; > )

Finally – the Quilting:

Ok… this is the process that dragged on for farking ever.

Not only did I have issues with securing enough silk thread (that’s a saga in itself… ask me later) I also realized that black on black is “not” a good way to go. Looks pretty, but absolutely blinding - UNTIL I FIGURED IT OUT!!!

As you can tell, initially this didn’t go so well. I was having problems seeing where I was supposed to be quilting, I was constantly flipping my fabric over to see my lines, and the sheer bulk of the individual pieces was maddening.

Then I got smart. I stopped looking at it and suddenly I was making real progress. What I discovered was that I could use the index finger of my left hand to feel for the stitches of the quilting in the padded core. I would pass the needle with its silk thread from my right hand – above the fabric, to my left hand – below the fabric. And then from my left hand… using my index finger to find the right spot, through the fabric back to my right hand. That is stab stitch a variation of running stitch. (Crowfoot, 156)

After that little epiphany, I managed to finish the remainder of the quilting in under 20 hours. I quilted all the individual pieces separately, and just up to ½ inch away from the edge. It may not sound like a speed breakthrough, but trust me… it was.

Assembly - the lining:

Now that I had all my exterior pieces ready to assemble I needed to stop, go back and find a fabric in my stash for the lining. Extant examples sported satin linings, and that made good sense for my effort. The smooth quality of the satin would help the jacket to slip on over other clothes. So – looking through my collection of fabrics I found a wonderfully rich gold satin. I didn’t remember where I had purchased it, and so I didn’t know its fiber content. Hmmm… is this silk? Is this poly? Let’s light a match an find out! <poof>

Well, judging from the plastic nasty residue that is now stuck to my bathroom sink, I’d say that was a polyester of some sort.

Ok, so the lining isn’t silk… but you have to admit, the color is perfect.

So with my found satin I cut out the pattern pieces. I even pinked the edges to deter fraying. And then it was on to the assembly of both interior and exterior.

The lining was assembled with a running stitch, with a backstitch every 3 or 4 stitches to add a bit more stability. This method is a good compromise of speed and stability for areas of a garment that will not see a great deal of stress. (Crowfoot, 156)

Assembly - the exterior:

The exterior could not be assembled so quickly.

Every seam where exterior pieces met was sewn together with backstitch (Crowfoot, p. 156) using a heavy cotton buttonhole twist thread. Only the exterior velvet and the first linen layer of the interior padding were included in these seams. Once the seam was sewn it was opened up, pinked and flattened. Then the excess padding was trimmed away, so that the seam would lie smoothly. The final linen layers of the interior padding were then overlapped, the exposed edge folded under, and whip stitched in place. (Crowfoot, 155)

Sequence of Assembly:

In the case of both the lining and the exterior the body was assembled first. The back seam was first, then the two side seams. Then the collar was added to the exterior and faced with the satin lining.

The sleeves were completed and lined separately and then added to the body of the coat. The shoulder seam was handled in the same manner as all the exterior seams. And then the lining was joined on the inside with a overcast stitch. (Crowfoot, 155)

Finishing the edges:

As you can see I chose to bind the edges of this coat with a satin ribbon, as found in some of the archeological examples of the Museum of London. (Crowfoot, 174) I chose this finishing treatment because I wanted something a bit more finished looking than the simple cast over edges of the Lubeck arming coat.

A Quick Note on Gum Arabic:

I am aware that gum Arabic was used on velvet as an edge treatment. However, I chose not to use it on this garment for two reasons. Firstly, I could not find reference to it in Crowfoot. Secondly, the use of gun Arabic seems to me to be primarily as a treatment for raw edges, and as I did not have any exposed edges I chose not to use it.

Closures: a little debate:

Many of the extant coats and examples show that they were closed with buttons. In many cases the buttons were of the drawn-up and stuffed variety. The closure of the Black Prince’s coat is currently unknown to me, but it may be either buttons, ties, or hooks.

Currently this coat has no closures. In progress are the stuffed buttons in black velvet to complete the coat. And then the button holes… sigh. The use of the buttons and button holes prompted the addition of the twill tape at the inside edge of the front opening. Given that the materials I had used were all prone to fraying, I wanted something a bit more robust at the edge. Examples in Crowfoot demonstrate the use of a bias silk tape as an edge reinforcement at the closures and openings. They are applied with running stitch. (Crowfoot, 160, 164)

I chose buttons as the method of closure following the example of the arming coat of Charles de Blois.In this photo of the coat you can clearly see the rounded buttons, which are made by stuffing a circle of cloth. (Crowfoot, 160, 164)