Searching for instructions on adding woven tape to a RD jacket

[High-Private]

Hi,

I was hoping someone could point me at a location where I could find instructions for sewing on the woven tape to a RD jacket?

Thanks,

Kevin Coyle, Pvt
4th Texas Co. B

[Prodical Reb]

Re: Searching for instructions on adding woven tape to a RD jacket

Plan A

1. find a seamstress.
2. tell her your desires
3. pay what she tells you when she is done.

OR Plan B

1. drink beer
2. try to thread needle. Drink a beer to staedy the hand
3. drink more beer because the d@** tread won't go thru the eye; might just as well be a camel! It eases the stress.
4. after almost breaking the pakage of needles trying to thread them you finally have your needle threaded...drink more beer to cebrate!
5. After sticking yourself enumerous times, go to Urgent Care clinic to stop the everflowing stream of blood coming from your fingertips because you knew nothing about thimbles or sewing. Drink another beer, helps numb the pain!

Seriously, I find it much cheaper to do A because the insurance co-pays are more than the cost of A.

[marktaylor]

Re: Searching for instructions on adding woven tape to a RD jacket

Adding tape trim is not difficult to do. It is best done during the construction of the garment but can be done and made to look good afterwards. First, I would examine original photos and find a style/pattern of trim you would like. The trim can be purchased from various sources. You can attach the trim using a whip stitch, just take your time and make sure the trim is straight and not bunched up. Good luck!

[Minieball577]

Re: Searching for instructions on adding woven tape to a RD jacket

I agree that applying trim tape is easy enough to do. However, I don't find it any more difficult to put on after the fact, and don't see much advantage to applying it during construction. The only time it is really necessary to put trim on during construction is when piping is used, but since you are asking about applying trim tape, there is no reason why it needs to be done beforehand.

I would apply trim tape either with a very fine back stitch, or a very fine hem stitch where the visible stitches end up perpendicular to the outside edge of the tape rather than a whip stitch that would leave a diagonal visible stitch. Of the original items I have seen with trim tape or edge binding applied I have not seen any with the whip stitch, and several as I have described. As Mark has noted, be sure to just take your time and make sure the trim is straight and not bunched up. One thing I have found that helps with this is pinning the trim in place for several inches in front of where I am sewing. Also it is easier to sew the outside edge of the trim around any curves first, and then go back and do the inside edge. This will allow you to "tuck" the inside edges as needed to prevent it from becoming bunched up.

In terms to where to put the trim on a Richmond jacket, start with Jensen's article on Confederate jackets. Part II of that article shows several examples, of which "Figure 8" is probably the most illustrative. http://www.military-historians.org/c...federate-2.htm

As far as finding worsted wool trim, try Needle and Thread in Gettysburg or their on-line presence "Wooded Hamlet" http://www.woodedhamlet.com/tapes_br...ted_twill.html
Of course there are other sources available, and other trims that would be appropriate.

[Ian McWherter]

Re: Searching for instructions on adding woven tape to a RD jacket

As an aside, what reason is there to believe (besides Pvt. E. Courtney Jenkins jacket produced by Kent, Paine & Co.) that black tape trim on early RD "Type I" or "Type I Transitional" jackets was more prevalent? Almost every example I see of these jackets at living history events are trimmed in black. Certainly, if time and resources were devoted to producing original jackets with red branch of service trim, then why wouldn't regulation blue trim be used on infantry examples, instead of the current de facto black? Photographs are hardly any help in determining this either, because other than photographs tinted with the branch of service color both red and yellow will turn black in period photography, dark blue too will appear dark.

Just curious as to what evidence there is indicating which would've originally been more common on early examples of RD infantry jackets, blue or black?

[Minieball577]

Re: Searching for instructions on adding woven tape to a RD jacket

Great point Ian! The notes in the Jensen article I posted say that the jacket in Figure 8 is trimmed in dark blue tape. The tape also is noted as being cotton and not "worsted wool."

[High-Private]

Re: Searching for instructions on adding woven tape to a RD jacket

Hi,

I do not mind sewing myself, I am almost done sewing my 1778 contract regiment coat for Rev War by hand, so adding tape to a RD 2 will be no problem. Thank you for the information.

Kevin Coyle, Pvt
4th Texas Co. B