The Royal Fusiliers in Canada, 1774

Here is the finished bearskin compared to a 1778 drawing of a grenadier by Philip James de Loutherbourg. The height difference is apparent, as is the grenadier's badge at center back. The cord pattern on the 7th Foot cap is completely conjectural, but is similar to surviving examples. Insanely talented Alexa embroidered the Regiment's badge on the madder wool bag. It includes the motto: Honi soit mal y pense. Perhaps some bear hair gel is in order.

Another de Loutherbourg comparison makes the cap height difference clear between grenadiers and fusiliers. The frontlet plate proclaims: Nec Aspera Terrent. Sadly, all the 7th's dress headgear was captured with their colors and a year's worth of clothing at Fort Chambly in October of 1775. Simple cocked hats were worn after that.

The mock "Present" position, with the musket at half-cock. Remarkable that the crease the tin shaping plate puts in the bear hide shows up in the drawing as well. The cap is light and surprisingly comfortable. Best of all, it half folds for storage. It's the perfect balance of intimidating and impractical.

A Perfect Day

Mrs. Delaplace (her name is lost to history) is worried. Strange people appear from the woods and ask pointed questions about the fort. Ticonderoga was more  "composed of decayed wood and earth" than a fortification in 1775. Fortunately, the stone barracks are serviceable.

Captain Delaplace worked his 23-man guard hard. He acquired livestock, and made his family comfortable by hiring servants.  

A middle-aged enlisted man and his wife cook and clean for them. The woman cooks, scrubs, and tends livestock while the man mends and cleans the captain's clothes, helps him dress and sees to his shoes. The battle against rust on fuzee and sword never ends.

Captain Delaplace has written to his superiors with concerns about the post, requesting more men, but it is already too late.

While late, his Drunkenness managed to combine forces with Kitty to deploy a servant team at Fort Ticonderoga this past weekend. The work was pretty constant, and surprisingly pleasurable to toss dirty water and the occasional chicken bone down onto the parade.  Captain Delaplace's gaiters were very tight continuing to lose buttons throughout the day.

Kitty's chicken was a hit, and we actually heated water and washed dishes at table. Note to self: must learn how to tie a sash properly. Also try to attend at least ONE drill with garrison to say hello.

Someone got their frontlet plate. While slightly shorter than surviving examples, it still looks incredibly badass. Both the plated copper and the tin inner plate have a nasty habit of cutting thread, so caution is required. Pull gently.

Next time the leather sweatband and the tin stiffening plate. Sewing through hair can be fun, and cut threads begin in earnest.

Bag It

So THIS happened. Miss Kitty talked me into it. Honestly, I don't feel like I have much to say, but together we could be helpful. We're both obsessed with excruciating little details that most folks ignore. Speaking of which, thanks to Kitty and Alexa for lending their special brand of insanity to the bearskin project.

The cord machine was a huge success, which is great because there is no twisted cord on bearskin caps. Oh well. It works fine on 18th century hats, so it won't go to waste. Here is some braided wool cord in a Monkey Chain for the top. It's upside down and needs to be trimmed. The whitening is obvious, per regulation.

Kitty's tassels have a net stitch over the head. I am still paying for the one I cut accidentally, which required her to make a replacement. Jason kept the cord pattern simple. The tassels finish the ends on the right side.

 Here is the cap, inside out, with the bag partially stitched in. Historic bag examples have three layers: red cloth, rough hemp, and canvas.  Wrangling all that hair is a challenge. It needs to stay out of the seam. Secured at the top and bottom, it's clear easing is required around the sides. At the lower left is the patch to fix the bald spot. The whole cap is still remarkably light.

Next time, the frontlet plate goes on, the leather sweatband starts, and the tin plate goes in.

Give 'Em Enough Rope

Last post of the year. Hoping for more next year. Slightly taller than the originals, the boots now need stretching and finishing. These things are crying out for some pantaloons or stretch pants. Very happy with the finished product. Somehow there are now twice as many Federal Era shoes as 18th century.

Where the boots were simple, the bearskin has spawned a cottage industry. The old Royal regiments were allowed to have their badge embroidered on the cap's wool top. The 7th's device includes a crown, rose, and the Order of the Garter's motto. A delightful woman is willing to take this on. There is plenty left to do.

The cut hide is nearly perfect, with a small hair club for bears problem on the back. As with the period items, the bald spot is patched and the top sewn together into a point. The small triangular patch of soft leather reduces hair bulk behind the frontlet plate. It's also damn comfy.

The seam allowances are all tiny (1/8") with hair trimmed out.  The cap is slightly large to allow for all the metal and lining to come.

As if all that isn't enough, the cap is finished with knotted wool cord arranged in an elaborate pattern with two tassels. Wool cord is hard to find in the correct thickness. Fortunately, machines to make cord are cheap and fun to use. At left is a test batch of 24 strands of lace weight. It came damn close to the 3/16" cord required.

Kitty promised to help make three or four yards of this in January, channelling all those old New England rope walkers. We will need her help with the tassels as well. Once the cord is made it's time to braid. Some surviving caps have a Monkey Braid pattern sewn around the crown. Jason decided to have both tassels behind the right ear as seen in the 1778 de Loutherbourg drawings. More next year.

Hides

With the boot toe up, pressed flat on the floor, here is the cardboard template for the front. The pin marks the center, and the scratch awl is used to trace the new edge. A cut down Teflon cutting board inserted into the boot makes this job easier.

Nearly two inches need to come off the back of the boot, so the canvas pull straps are removed, and their stitch holes made further down. Cutting was nerve-wracking at first, but not difficult.

This is not one of the Frenchmen's helmets from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The secret of 18th century British bearskin caps is a mitre-shaped tin plate. Bent into a curve, it is drilled with holes for stitching. It is sandwiched between the hide and the linen lining, with the front plate over the hair.

The front cutout makes it lighter, more comfortable and it is matched to a small triangle of calf skin sewn into the bear hide. The whole mess at the edge is wrapped with a leather sweatband (velvet for NCOs on up.) One of the Royal Marine caps has holes drilled around the cutout. Since there are no known Fusilier bearskins, the height of the plate was determined by surviving German Fusilier mitre caps.

Here is our legally taken bear hide. Check your local laws before you buy one online. Some states have strict controls on bear parts. The pattern is sketched to take advantage of the hair crown on the back. All the hair should lay up on the cap. The very top of the pattern is cut in a shallow V-shape, for a nice tight seam over the point of the plate. The gradual curve is where the wool bag goes.

Boots and Bearskins

Well that didn't go well. Making two coats at once was a huge mistake. Too many distractions. The regimental coat looks good, but doesn't fit worth a damn. Snug WITH constraint. Perhaps Kitty can make it into a riding habit. The lesson here is patterns need to be revisited and fitting patterns made for everything. Don't rush.

Time to shift gears a bit. This beautiful thing was found during Big Dig construction in Boston's North End. Boots have been around forever. At the start of the 19th century they became fashionable everyday wear for men. High-front "Hessians" and "Suwarrows" copied Central and Eastern European military styles. They were replaced soon after by "Wellingtons" (not the rubber kind.)

No we aren't making boots. We are taking advantage of an excellent boot maker who is flexible. The design is not unlike mid-19th century boots, with changes to the toe and heel. The canvas tabs need to be removed and replaced after the tops are cut.

Another good winter/Apocalypse project is at right. The 1768 British Army clothing warrant gives grenadiers, fifers, drummers, pioneers, and fusiliers the authorization to wear bear skin caps. The fusiliers cap is "not so high," as the others, which are to be twelve inches tall. This fearsome headgear cost over ten times as much as the standard hat. No wonder many regiments (including the 7th Foot,) gave them up as the American War progressed.

The Royal Fusiliers DID arrive in American with them, though none survive. Construction of surviving caps was a bit of a mystery until the 1990s, when the Scottish United Services Museum started conserving the Seafield Collection. These are post-Revolution, but still follow the 1768 warrant. Pioneer, musician and grenadier caps are remarkably similiar, but for some details. Good friend Jason is using this as the basis for a fusilier version and so shall we. Trade in bear parts is legally complex, so stay tuned.

Drunk

Helyar's Company of the 7th Regiment of Foot waits. Smoke and shouts drift up the hill towards them. The crash of hundreds of muskets and a ball buzzing off a tree make them forget momentarily how hungry they are. If only the liquor had not run out.

General Cornwallis is concerned, desertions are up, and men are being captured as they forage for whiskey. He knows Greene's army is huge and he needs every man to attack the rebels.

We're on the home stretch of the mid-century waistcoat, there are enough buttons to close it and work on the side seams. Apparently, the back piece was cut for a POW or child. No idea why it is so small. Oh well. Thankfully, there are surviving period waistcoats with pieced side seams. Wearers gain weight, cloth runs short, tailors drink. Since it's not lined there are more seams to whip, but... All of this will be hidden by the coat anyway.

 More potential drunkenness. As with coats, a good deal of fitting happens in the shoulder seams. Since this garment is double-breasted, with lapel linings it is temping to finish the neck seam before assembly. It should work. Sometimes the neck opening humps as seen in the left of this picture. The trick is to remember.

Best to open the turned bits of the neck seam, sew the shoulder seams together, THEN roll the neck seam as one piece, as shown on the right. All that is left is to do up the arm holes and hem the bottom.

For something completely different, it's time to be an officer's servant for an event. Not enough gentlemen with servants.

Legs And Linen

Linings are a great way to check fit one last time. Breeches should be tight. Make sure that the crouch seam is snug against the nether regions. Whip or tack the linings with big (one inch) stitches. If everything looks good, transfer any changes to the body and cut the lining back open.

Turn the breeches inside out and back stitch the inner seams and press them open.  Pull the linings together and line up their folded edges. Whip these closed. Make sure the outer and inner seams line up. If the leg seams start twisting use this to help resolve the problem.

What happens without a lining? Here are the bearer and the unfolded fall extension, back stitched to either side of a future fall cut. This is the front of a pair of linen Summer breeches. Seam allowance is only an eighth of an inch. More on how these go together is here at my old blog.

Fall and Bearers

Since these breeches do not have fall extensions, turning the edges of the cuts is not an option.  Make sure the fall cuts are parallel to the center front seam and slightly shorter than the height of the bearer. The fall is around eight and a half inches wide. The cut should overlap the bearer about 1/4" at side and bottom as shown here. The fall is tucked under for clarity.

Make sure the top edges of the bearer and breeches line up, and back stitch along where the pins are in the photo. Overcast the edge of the bearer to the inside of the body if desired. The lining is going to overlap, so it isn't really needed.

To protect the edge of the fall, a separate fall yoke is added. This T-shaped lining piece has it's top and side edges turned and it is back stitched right to the edge of the fall. After that is in place, the fall can be pinned closed. A short (1/2") horizontal back stitch right at the base of the cut secures the fall to the bearer underneath and prevents tearing.

After Guilford

Pity the poor Fusilier, the Carolina sun finally came out and dried him after days of being soaked. Promoted corporal (largely through attrition) he somehow avoided capture at the Cowpens, saw his tent burned, waded through chest-deep rivers, and cleaned the mud from his uniform in a horse trough. He survived the slaughter at Guilford, moved wounded men for hours, and can no longer coax the ramrod from his firelock until it dries.

There is magic in hearing Lord Cornwallis's compliments read while standing on the muddy ground where hundreds died in 1781. Keeping weapons functioning, powder dry, and cooking food in the wet is a challenge. The winter uniform fared remarkably well. Back home, it is time to assess damage and make repairs.

Starting from the top, the hat slowly uncocked itself and is now soft. It is steamed back into shape, and shellac applied to the soft spots. The coat needs little attention: mud is brushed from it with a stiff brush. The right waistcoat pocket bag tore and needs to be stitched up. Ruffles are cut from the shirt before it is hand-washed. They will be ironed and replaced when the shirt dries.

The winter trousers are still in fat configuration and need to have three inches cut from the waistband back. Eyelets will be redone, and the popped seam inside the left thigh fixed. The stirrup straps stretched and need to be cut shorter. Water and a stiff brush remove most of the mud.  Belts, sling, and shoes are cleaned with soap and water. Shoes get a healthy dose of shoe grease, and some black ball. White leather is painted with white ball and polished with a glass bottle. The brass belt plate gets a high polish.

British Army Breeches

Breeches start with the waistbands and the bearers. Turn all four sides of the waistband linings and back or overcast stitch them in place on the top and sides. If the wool is thin, turn those edges as well. Leave a 1/2" free at the bottom to turn up when attaching to the legs.

Bearers are similar, but there is no need to turn the top edges, just whip them together. Two or three eyelets finish the back of each waistband, and two or three buttons and buttonholes will close the front. If the wool stretches, add hemp or linen canvas linings to the waistbands (before buttonholes and eyelets) to stabilize them.

  If the pattern is 100% it's okay to finish the center front and back leg seams next. Make sure to leave an opening for the wedge insert at the back. If fit is an issue, leave the center front seam open for fitting over the pelvis.

Backstitch 3/4" of the side seams to get ready for attaching the waistbands. If fit is okay with the pattern, the center front and back of the lining pieces can be finished as well.  

Done

Very happy with how the old rag turned out. The fit is better, and it kept me alive once again over this past weekend. There was a minor scare on the blog today. Long story short if Google asks you if you want to save space by deleting some stuff, just say no. It took an hour to find the triple secret Picasa/Google + trash can that had ALL the photos to Drunktailor and put them back.  On to better things.

Since this post proved popular, why not knock out a quick and dirty pair of cloth breeches? The 7th Regiment of Foot didn't start out in overalls. Winter regulations originally called for a pair of white wool breeches with marked buttons, no pockets, and button closure at the knee. These will be fully lined. Ignore the pocket in the photo, we don't need it. Next time waistbands. 

Winter Soldier

After seven years of fighting, The survivors of the 7th Regiment of Foot evacuated New York in 1782. They had lost two sets of colors and left fallen comrades from Quebec to Charleston, and Savannah to Monmouth. I greatly enjoyed recreating their late-War Winter uniform.

Ignore my socks showing through the overalls. I'm thinking
about adding some tabs to hook the weskit to the
overalls in the front.

A good view of the hooked skirts on the coat. My pack straps should
probably be tighter, but the other gear is right where it should be.

The bayonet plate doubles as a belt buckle for earlier impressions. If you
look closely you can see white dust from all the pipe clay on those belts.

The two epaulettes with tape are something the unit added while I
was making the coat. A nice addition.

Rockin' the forage cap.

Obviously, the white Russia overalls are worn in Summer.