Paletot facing & hems

[Beth Chamberlain]

I have dug through our many conversation about paletots as best I can but didn't find answers to two questions....

If a paletot was lined how common was a facing from the fashion fabric? I seem to be seeing things lined to the edge but I have a bad habit of wandering around with my coat flapping open which means my lining would be showing a whole lot.  If the front was faced @ how wide? Just past the buttons as a modern coat? If the front is faced is there also a back neck facing, or just a binding? Beadle's Dime Guide lines all the way to the edge, am I just thinking too modern?

What was the most common hem treatment? I would rather not attach the layers at the hem. On a modern coat I would use hem tape to finish and do a catch stitch but lacking hem tape what? Leave it raw? Was catch stitch the usual or running stitch as with dresses?

Beth

[Joanna Jones]

The Homespun Paletot that I am working on has a 2 1/2" facing down the front only, and none at the neck.

The lining and fabric in this pattern are sewn right sides together at the bottom, then turned to form a bag lining - I understand this is one the exceptions to the general rule of flatlining women's clothes. 

This one: http://www.thegracefullady.com/civilwargowns/images/cdvs/winterwear/newimages/paletoverynice.jpg  appears to have a hem tape, though many of the other ones from the Graceful Lady site seem to have either evidence of a hem or topstitching - hard to tell for sure.

[Beth Chamberlain]

Thanks Joanna. I'm leaning towards using a facing. Even though every image I can find of a lined original doesn't have one....  AFAIK bag lining was the norm, I haven't seen any references to flat lining outerwear. But, bag linings don't need to be attached at the hem, leaving them loose avoids problems if the fabrics move differently or stretch some through use. I may just be thinking too modern there, in modern tailoring the longer the item the less likely the hems are to be attached because they hang better loose. 

I think the image from the Graceful Lady is either "just" trim or a braid folded over the edge to both finish off (What Beadles says to do for unlined paletots).

Beth

[Jessamyn]

I concur that your thinking is too modern. I have a lot of midcentury outerwear interior images saved from eBay, and while many have facings, they are all facings of better lining material than what's used in the body - not the fashion fabric. And they are all firmly attached. Remember that modern coats are made of much heavier wool than period ones, and modern linings much flimsier; you're much less likely to need the "relief" of an unattached lining hem.