Sewing the Text On The Back!!!!

The Pearly Kings and Queens always sew buttons onto the back of the jacket which often describes what sort of Pearly they are and where they are from. During my time with the Pearlys I asked them questions about their costumes including whether they used a technique when sewing the buttons onto the costume. I thought maybe by using a sewing machine or something, Anything to make their lives quicker and easier. It was explained that the sewing machine can't be used because it got caught up in the creasing of the jacket and the button itself so everything had to be done by hand. They wanted to stick with old tradition of creating the costume so it didn't seem to matter anyway. However, they did happen to mention something about templates, saying that they have often cut out a template to sew over. This helps make the text appear more evenly in a straight line than if it was done without one at all. They said that you can never achieve a completely straight line because of the shape, cut and stitching of the jacket but a template helps to tackle this issue.

So I have decided to apply these tips to my own design by creating individual templates as a guide before sewing each button onto them. I decided I would write "Pearly King" otherwise it would take up far too many buttons. After drawing each letter out individually I pinned them onto the back before sewing each button within the guide. It was really important to choose the correct type of button, As the letter forms had to be defined enough so the text could be read easily. The smaller buttons were best for this job as the larger ones. After the letter was sewn onto it the template was torn away revealing the completed letter. It turned out to be the most difficult part of the jacket to sew as I was sewing within the center of the jacket, therefore the jacket would crease or the lining would be sewn into the jacket itself. At times the thread would snap and so I had to start all over again. However, After the first several letters it became easier as you worked across the jacket and you had more space to sew.

The template is cut out and placed on the jacket.

The buttons are sewn onto the template.

Then the template is removed to reveal each letter.