1745 Highlander Frock Coat

Here's the frock coat I made inspired by Colum MacKenzie's gathering coat.

I started with J.P. Ryan's 1750’s Coat with Military Variations for the Officer or Enlisted Man. I used the civilian coat cut a bit shorter than the length of the enlisted coat. The shorter length is made for riding horseback (unlikely in reality) and also to give enough room for my great kilt. I like the instructions provided with the pattern and the illustrations are good. It would be nice if there were videos to go with it, but I figured it out eventually.

As this is my first coat, I didn't want to spend a lot of money, so I used a 50/50 wool blend Melton fabric and cotton lining. The buttons are inexpensive ones found online from China. Instead of horsehair interfacing, I used a medium weight synthetic. I also saved money by using polyester buttonhole thread instead of silk twist and waxed cord instead of gimp. There is also none of the lace found on Colin's coat. The next coat will be tartan with silk or linen for the lining.

Machine stitched where it can be hidden and by hand wherever visible. The buttonholes are cut with a chisel and hand stitched with gimp cord and heavy polyester thread.

The buttons are pushed through holes for the button shaft made with an awl and held in place with twill tape. The tape is threaded through the shafts and sewn at each end inside the coat, between the outer layer and the lining.

Updated OS X instructions for creating a floppy disk image

My old post for making a floppy disk image didn't work as described when I tried it recently. Here's an update.

The hdiutil command can be used to create the image.

$ hdiutil create -layout NONE -fs MS-DOS -sectors 2880 floppy

Then use hdid to output the name of the device file created.

$ hdid -nomount ./floppy.dmg

Use the output from hdid to create a mount point and mount the image.

$ mkdir /Volumes/mnt
$ mount -t msdos /dev/disk2 /Volumes/mnt

Now you can copy your files to the disk image. Use the usual disk "eject" to unmount if you like.

State of the 'Stache: Five Months Later...

I've been pretty busy with a new job and our recent adventure into Steampunk (more about that later). The beard and moustache are coming along.

The 'stache requires quite a quantity of wax. I've settled on the dark version of Firehouse wax. The middle of the road as it were.

Switched from my barber to our friend who styles my wife's hair. She has more experience with long hair. Oh, I forgot to mention that I'm growing my hair long enough to queue and club. I'd like to venture into 18th century reenacting. In a kilt of course.

Well, here's the current look. The photo was taken at the second annual Gears, Beards, and Beers a Steampunk themed Beard & Moustache Competition hosted by Capital Steam and the Jackson Beard & Moustache Club (more about that later). On my left is my sister Lori and on my right is my wife Stacey.

I made the double breasted jacket from a modified McCall's Men's Civil War Costumes pattern M4745. I'll post construction instructions later.

State of the 'Stache: The curl

The mustache is finally long enough to attempt a curl. A "tacky" mustache wax is essential. Firehouse* sets in just a minute.

Next week I'll see my barber to shape the beard.

* Turn your sound volume down before visiting the Firehouse website. The 90's called, they want their "play audio on load" web page back.

State of the 'Stache: November 22, 2014

The "State of the 'Stache" is a series of posts exploring the current state of my beard and mustache as I attempt to create something worthy of a Steampunk outfit. 

I'll describe the products I use and any challenges as they present themselves. 

Yes, probably not the most exciting blog series but, it's my blog after all. 

The beard and mustache

Stacey and I are attending a Steampunk event in the spring. Along with preparing our wardrobe, I've decided to grow out my beard and mustache. I've always had a full beard, but usually have it clipped short each time I visit the barber. 

I knew with the longer hair I'd need some help controlling the beast. If there's one thing the Miller family is good at, it's growing hair. 

I checked a few websites and asked a good friend of mine with a handlebar mustache for advice. I decided to use Firehouse Mustache Wax. 

Not knowing how much hold I would need I started with their "Light" style. It proved to be unable to control my gray bristles. However, the "Tacky" was up to the task. 

I usually keep my hair short but with the full beard my barber suggested I keep it longer. I find that my longer greying hair requires conditioner too. I thought about beard balm or oil but decided to start with some inexpensive hair conditioner. 

The 'stach and beard are coming along. Not sure how long I'll let it grow. 

Kilts and Such: Knitting Kilt Hose Garter Ties

Found a description of knit kilt hose garter ties in an old knitting book. After three sets of ties I have a usable pattern.


Mark I
Lion Brand Fishermen's worsted weight wool
Pair of US 5 - 3.75 mm needles

Long tail cast on eight stitches. Garter stitch until about 30 to 36 inches long or until they can go around your leg twice above the calf and below the knee. Finish with fringe of three strands of yarn at each end.

These were too wide and bulky but worked great. Didn't need to stretch them much to hold up the hose.

Mark I

Mark II
Cascade Yarns Cascade 220 worsted weight wool
Pair of US 4 - 3.5 mm needles

Same as above except cast on six stitches.

Better, but too stretchy.

Mark II

Mark III
Cascade Yarns Cascade 220® Heathers worsted weight wool
Pair of US 3 - 3.25 mm needles

Long tail cast on seven stitches. Knit seven first row. Slip one, knit six remaining rows until 36 inches long.

The slip stitch gives a smoother and tighter edge to the garter making it a little less stretchy. Works better than the first two by far.

Mark III

How to wear garter ties
To tie, wrap around kilt hose twice so that both ends are on the outside of your leg. Cross and tie with a simple knot. Take remaining ends and tuck up under garter around leg, pull through and drape over top of garter. See the following video for a demonstration using woven garter ties.