Do I Have Enough Velvet to Finish This 1895 Victorian Opera Coat?

I’m recreating an extraordinary Victorian opera coat from around 1895, using silk velvet, lace from antique looms, and hand embroidery. This month I’m cutting into the precious velvet I have left, and working out whether there’s enough to finish the coat. This long-term historical sewing project is based on an original embroidered velvet opera coat in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. After four and a half years of work, I’m now past the halfway point and preparing the fifth embroidered panel. After cutting the next two velvet pieces, I’m pressing the silk velvet without crushing the pile, solving some of the little construction puzzles hidden in the original coat, and preparing the next piece of velvet for the embroidery frame. It’s deeply satisfying to take the time to work through these small problems one by one. This coat has never been a project to rush. Thank you for coming along with me. If you enjoy historical sewing, embroidery, slow craft and the pleasure of making something carefully, I'd love to welcome you into this little community of subscribers. Chapters 0:00 Re-introducing the Victorian velvet coat 0:51 Do I have enough velvet? 4:30 Cutting silk velvet 4:57 Pressing silk velvet 7:37 Pinning velvet to the embroidery frame 8:29 Cutting and sewing lace and satin panels 10:24 Problem solving in historical sewing of a Victorian recreation 12:27 Topstitching the embroidered panels 13:22 Basting the pattern piece onto the velvet 16:09