Indie Sew was on the ball this January (as per usual!) and ushered in the first days of January with the proclamation that it is Coat Sewing Month! As I’m sure is the case with many other sewists, coat sewing has been on my mind of late. I have a new Goldstream Peacoat in the works for Matt and today is an exciting launch day that is very relevant to sewing coats.
Let me introduce to you the newest item in the Thread Theory shop: Fouled Anchor Buttons!
These incredibly detailed, especially strong buttons with a soft sheen were custom manufactured for me by a button carving company in Panama City. They are made from Tagua Nuts (otherwise known as Corozo) which have been sustainably harvested by members of high altitude South American villages. The nuts fall from the trees naturally and are collected from the ground which allows harvesting to have a very low environmental impact. The work allows members of these communities to stay in their traditional locations rather than migrate to the cities to find income.
Tagua nut buttons are often referred to as ‘vegetable ivory’ buttons in notions shops. They are not commonly found in chain fabric stores but I have come across them a few times in boutique fabric or button stores. If you have never handled a Tagua nut button in person, you are probably wondering how they differ in feel from plastic or wood buttons. Tagua Nuts are incredibly dense which results in a button that has a satisfying weight to it (similar to the weight of a bone button). Their density also means that they are especially strong – they won’t crack like plastic or wood buttons and they can be carved with awe-inspiring detail.
When choosing the button design I wanted a button that would nod to the historic use of a fouled anchor design on British and American navy Peacoats. As you can see, the carving is very similar to the design used by the American Federal navy during the civil war:
These buttons include a shallow shank so that they will sit flush against your wool coat when buttoned. They are a pure jet black so that they are not too flashy for menswear (or women’s coats for that matter) and will allow your fabric or coat design to be the main statement.
As far as high quality Corozo Buttons go, we were able to price these very reasonably. I ordered a huge number of buttons so that we could make these as affordable as possible for you! A boxed set of six 1″ buttons is $18 CAD.
I’m really thrilled with how these buttons turned out and I found the design and ordering process to be loads of fun! I hope that you guys will love these buttons for your various coat projects as much as I do. If feedback is enthusiastic I look forward to working with the same button manufacturer in the future – the combination of ethical manufacturing and the high quality buttons that result certainly gets me pretty excited about buttons!
Now, to continue on with this post all about sewing coats, here is a compendium of all things ‘coat’!
The latest Goldstream Peacoats sewn by you:
A very dressy and classy Golstream with contrast epaulets and sleeve tabs on the blog Par Issy.
A beautifully customized and color coordinated royal blue Goldstream on the blog P’tits Monstres. Check out the love message on the pocket flap lining!
Coat Making around the Internet
Coat celebrations over at Indie Sew:
Lots of sewing is taking place at Fancy Tiger Crafts this month:
Rachel of House of Pinheiro finished this Peacoat sew along last year – it is an excellent reference:
Of course, the Cascade Duffle Coat Sew-Along by Grainline Studio is a valuable series for anyone interested in sewing a coat:
Our Tailored Peacoat Series is a great way to delve deep into adding structure to your coat. Pick and choose the elements that you feel you can achieve!
Coat Making in the Thread Theory shop:
Goldstream Peacoat Sewing Pattern: This features a slim fit and a simplified construction process making it an excellent ‘first coat’ pattern.
The Goldstream Peacoat Tailoring Supplies Kit: The materials included within this kit are suited to any double breasted coat pattern whether it be designed for men or women!
Wool Shoulder Pads: These shoulder pads add a modern amount of subtle structure to the shoulders – don’t worry, you won’t be left with bulky shoulders reminiscent of the 80’s! These pads are suited to both males or females.
Fouled Anchor Buttons: I don’t think these need any more glowing introduction than I already gave! 😛
Sleeve Heads: Sleeve heads help prevent the dimple common at the very top of the sleeve. These are suitable for men’s and women’s coats
Bemberg Lining: This lining feels so dreamy! The rich wine color pairs nicely with both brown or black wools.
One Savile Row: This visually stunning book is all about Gieves & Hawkes of Savile Row and is absolutely chock full of the most beautiful coats I have ever seen!
Lastly, here is how I will be involved in Coat Month – I will be tucked away in my sewing room working on this:
This is a picture from mid December…I am farther along on the coat making process but not by much! I hope to have Matt’s Goldstream Peacoat finished by the end of January. Thanks, Indiesew, for encouraging me to get sewing this month!
Please check out the new Fouled Anchor Buttons and consider adding them to your current favorite coat or to your future coat project – you can find them in the shop here.
February 2, 2016 at 9:51 am
Love the twist on some of these.. will we be seeing any new men’s sewing patterns this year? Would love some new fresh things to sew and add to my wardrobe. 🙂 Also, how come the blog is no longer linked to from the site? I thought it had been closed down until I decided to randomly google it.
February 2, 2016 at 12:33 pm
Yes! Expect new menswear from us this year! I am working hard on a button up shirt pattern at the moment so this will be our next release. We moved the link to the blog to a button placed below the banner. It reads: Visit our blog. Thanks for pointing out that it is not readily visible to you and caused confusion! Can you find it easily now that I’ve pointed it out or should we consider moving it back up to the top navigation? Thanks for your advice!
February 2, 2016 at 1:12 pm
Awesome to hear because I have not found a button down pattern that I have liked and I’ve tried quite a few lol. Had to mix them at some points in order to get something even close to what I liked. But maybe I’m just blind but I do not see any button below the banner that reads that. I could send you a screenshot if you wanted. But perhaps I’m just missing it somehow
February 2, 2016 at 2:44 pm
Very strange! There should be three visible images/buttons: Visit our blog, our story and Be Inspired #makemenswear
How are you viewing our website? On a computer, phone or tablet? At first I thought the problem was that the buttons don’t show on the mobile view but I just had a look at our website on my phone and they show up for me.
February 2, 2016 at 2:51 pm
I am such a fool it’ right there in a big box lol I don’t know why I missed it. I must have been looking for it while on other pages of the site and I think the link used to be visible from any.. I apologize for that confusion, very foolish of me. Thank you though. I appreciate the responses
February 2, 2016 at 2:56 pm
No apology necessary! You raise a very valid point that the link isn’t accessible from other pages – I hadn’t thought of that! I’ll get Matt to brainstorm some alternative link placement points 😀
January 14, 2016 at 7:45 pm
Great buttons ! It is so satisfying to have those perfect little bits to complete a special project. Also unrelated, Congrats!! On the Jutland review in Threads.
January 10, 2016 at 8:42 am
This buttons are beautiful! I love the story behind them too 🙂
January 9, 2016 at 5:01 pm
Very cool. I love that you would know where your buttons came from. Are the buttons an item that you will have in stock for the foreseeable future or was it a one time manufacturing deal?
January 9, 2016 at 9:44 pm
Here is the company that we are working with: http://www.corozobuttons.com/ Their history and community impact pages are really worth a read! We ordered a very large amount of buttons and can easily reorder if they sell well so, yes, we will be having these in the shop for the foreseeable future! You will be able to find them when your future coat projects are ready for buttons. We also had some shirt buttons made which will be up in the shop when our next sewing pattern is ready for release.
January 9, 2016 at 5:54 am
These buttons are so beautiful and I love hearing about how they are made. I never knew about Tagua nut buttons. I love seeing the coats others are making. My goal is to finally make my husband the pants and Henley patterns of yours that I bought last year. 🙂
January 9, 2016 at 9:41 pm
Great goals :). I hope you have fun sewing them!
January 9, 2016 at 2:33 am
Oh, the buttons are beautiful! I’m so happy to hear you found a source like the one you describe. Well done!
January 9, 2016 at 9:39 pm
Thanks! I try very hard to find manufacturers I feel confident in supporting…it is much easier to assess when I stick with local suppliers that I can meet in person but, since I had my heart set on tagua nut buttons, I’m very glad to have made this connection. The design team based in Panama City is very nice to work with by phone and email too which is a big bonus!
January 8, 2016 at 1:35 pm
Such good timing! I just picked up your pattern on New Year’s Eve at District Fabric in Seattle. I am hoping to make a coat for my brother and my husband this year. I’ll be stocking up on supplies until my brother sends me his measurements. Looking forward to the pattern!
January 9, 2016 at 9:36 pm
That’s great that you found our patterns at District Fabric :). Have fun sewing your peacoats! It sounds like you have a busy sewing year ahead of you.