Medieval knight surcoat
July 2019
inspired by the "de Diesbach" coat of arms
the "de Diesbach" coat of arms
This project was a birthday present for a friend of mine who is a descendant of the noble “de Diesbach” family. My friend already owns some medieval armour and clothes so I decided to make him a surcoat with his own coat of arms on it to complete his medieval costume. The surcoat was completed in about three weeks during July 2019.
some reference photos
Knightfall- lionsgate
Kingdom of heaven- 20th Century Fox
Since this surcoat would be worn over some medieval clothes, it had to be as authentic as possible. To recreate this medieval look I chose a rough cotton that was thick and strong enough to be worn outside and “on the battlefield”. The “de Diesbach” coat of arms is mostly black and yellow so I chose black for the main surcoat and yellow for the borders and collar. To avoid visible sewing stitches, this project was almost entirely made by hand, which took a lot more time than sewing it by machine but it looked a lot more authentic and real in the end, so it was worth the effort.
front and back panels
Because this project was a surprise gift, I wasn’t able to take my friend’s exact measurements, neither to let him try it on during the process. To solve this problem I decided to make a surcoat that was completely open at the sides so that, when worn with a belt, it could be adjusted to almost any size around the waist. I also asked another friend to try the surcoat on a couple of times to make sure the shoulder and collar measurements were alright.
collar detail
the "de Diesbach" coat of arms
The “de Diesbach” coat of arms was made separately from the surcoat and entirely by hand. I started by drawing the coat of arms in the right size on a piece of paper and then I cut out all the pieces. All these pieces were then cut out in fabric, lined with interfacing and protected from fraying with Prym fray check. First the yellow lions and other decorations were sewn onto a piece of black fabric and then the yellow borders were added around it. Finally the coat of arms was sewn onto the surcoat.
