[WarumNicht]

Has anyone gotten the pattern and tried to sew your own shadbelly (or have a seamstress do it)? I have a brown outfit and when I make my PSG debut will want a brown shad... which are (nearly) impossible to find. Has anyone tried to do this already and can give advice? I know a pretty good seamstress so I'm thinking this is possible? Then I could pick my own fabric which sounds lovely...

[yaya]

I bought a used shadbelly from someone who had it made by a seamstress, but I don't know what pattern was used, sorry.

[Velvet]

Has anyone gotten the pattern and tried to sew your own shadbelly (or have a seamstress do it)? I have a brown outfit and when I make my PSG debut will want a brown shad... which are (nearly) impossible to find. Has anyone tried to do this already and can give advice? I know a pretty good seamstress so I'm thinking this is possible? Then I could pick my own fabric which sounds lovely...

I bought the pattern and fabric and realized it would require a seamstress. It's not intuitive nor clear unless you are experienced at creating things (and modifying them to fit) with very poor directions and a confusing pattern. If you're talking about the Jean Hardy pattern.

[WarumNicht]

Oh I was definitely planning on using a seamstress. I do not have ANY of the skills to create anything myself... hahahahahahaha. I could maybe pick out the fabric but that's only because I've had several coats and I would *kinda* know what I was looking for. The rest of it? Seamstress. I was hoping to take her the pattern and a Shadbelly to look at and have her tell me how much/kinds of fabric to get and then just leaving it with her and crossing my fingers.

[Melissa.Hare.Jones]

Grand Prix makes a *gorgeous* brown dressage shad in their Tech Lite fabric. $910

[WarumNicht]

Oh only $910, huh? Well I think I'll take 2! I joke, I joke. Yeah if I could somehow get a technical kind of fabric and have one made that looked as good at the Grand Prix one, or the Animo one, then I'd be super happy. Surely the reason the Grand Prix is so expensive is mostly the name and not the fabric....

[RedmondDressage]

Kingsland also has a gorgeous brown shad... It may run around the same price as the Grand Prix though... I was going to have a custom done in grey but between fabric and paying the seamstress it wad going to run about what I could buy one for. Instead I caved and went with navy. Got a gorgeous custom Adashi on eBay for an absolute steal at $250. I would still love grey but I just couldn't justify the expense

[Puddin Pie]

If you go the pattern route, the Suitability patterns make much more sense then the Jean Hardy patterns. I have made coats out of each. I have the shadbelly patterns from each (though I never braved them!) and the Suitability instructions are way easier. If you take it to a seamstress and can show them a finished shadbelly so they know what the end result needs to look like, it will help. Good luck!

[mjhco]

Fabric and pattern are going to be the cheap part of having a shadbelly made.

[Beentheredonethat]

I had a shadbelly made in Vietnam when I was there. They made it in a few days--cost about $35. They did it from just a picture. It's pretty nice. If they can do it, I'm sure you should have no problem finding a seamstress to do one.

[WarumNicht]

I thought about settling for navy if I could find a good deal on one as that would still look good with my brown boots... but then I have to buy a new helmet because I have the 2 tone brown GR8 and I don't think that would look good.... I'll be in Germany in May so maybe I'll see if the local tack store there could order a brown Cavallo and how much it would be. I won't need one until the fall so I have time. I do own a black one (an RJ Classics)... but again- brown boots. I have some black boots but they're not as nice. I like the Kingsland, too, but same pricing issue. I guess I could at least buy the pattern (and yes, it was the suitability pattern that I found, I think) and take it to her and see what she says for price. She's altered several of my dressage coats that I've had over the years and has been reasonable. I think also did my wedding dress pretty reasonably. I'd be ok if it ended up under $500 in total for a custom one... I think I'd be ok with that anyway. Maybe I'd barf when the time got here and it was that expensive...

[r.j.246]

When I did the arab circuit, we'd all get our suits custom made. Usually ended up around $1000-1500 for a whole saddlesuit, and this was a while ago. Not sure on just a jacket though. Can't remember what my shadbelly cost (for showhack, not dressage. Am hanging onto it in case I get a sudden epiphany and stop sucking. lol.)

[x-halt-salute]

FWIW I've used the dressage frock coat Suitability pattern (not the shadbelly) and it required intensive restructuring to get the fit anywhere near acceptable -- I found the pattern to somewhat frumpy in its cut. If I hadn't had some to-die-for suiting material onhand I wouldn't have bothered.

I've had similar experiences to Beentheredonethat in Hoi An -- cheap, quick, decently-tailored custom garments -- but how often does one find herself in Vietnam when the need for a shadbelly arises? You'll spend orders of magnitude more money on someone in the U.S. who can do bespoke tailoring. If your pattern is reasonably close to the fit your body needs, you're probably looking at +/-10 hours of skilled labor to get a cleanly finished and well-tailored jacket, plus materials. $500 would be a difficult target to hit, especially if you're buying fabrics at retail prices.

[WarumNicht]

You make very valid points. Sigh. So, better to keep shopping around or settle for navy? At least it SEEMED like a good idea! Why does all this blasted dressage stuff have to cost so much $$$$$?!

[LadyNeon01]

I've been considering a custom frock coat (nowhere near FEI yet) because I'm in between stock sizes. I also have linebacker shoulders and a chest, so what fits that part of my body looks huge around my waist. Plus I want a colored collar just to be a bit different. Anyway, I've been looking at Flying Changes out of the UK (http://www.flying-changes.co.uk/) and they have two different shades of brown wool available. They're not the cheapest out there, but the frock coat I designed was going to run around $400. The shadbelly coats were more expensive, but I don't know by how much.

[WarumNicht]

Someone told me to be careful of the custom coats made in the UK as sometimes "their fabrics are not so wonderful".
Do you not have a good seamstress to alter a stock coat? I've had a few altered in many different ways and they've turned out really well. One of them had sleeves that were waaaaaay too big in diameter. I think she also tailored the waist so that there actually was one.
I've emailed Cavallo about ordering their shadbelly in brown. I mean, they are the ones that are responsible for my brown boots so maybe they want me to have a coat that matches!

[BMargieRad]

I've been considering a custom frock coat (nowhere near FEI yet) because I'm in between stock sizes. I also have linebacker shoulders and a chest, so what fits that part of my body looks huge around my waist. Plus I want a colored collar just to be a bit different. Anyway, I've been looking at Flying Changes out of the UK (http://www.flying-changes.co.uk/) and they have two different shades of brown wool available. They're not the cheapest out there, but the frock coat I designed was going to run around $400. The shadbelly coats were more expensive, but I don't know by how much.

I wanted to add that I have ordered two jackets from Flying Changes and they are exquisite! The jackets are both beautiful light weight wool and beautifully tailored. The fit is perfect - I sent my measurements to them - and I am not an easy fit! The price is very reasonable for a custom jacket

[LadyNeon01]

Do you not have a good seamstress to alter a stock coat? I've had a few altered in many different ways and they've turned out really well. One of them had sleeves that were waaaaaay too big in diameter. I think she also tailored the waist so that there actually was one.

No I don't have a good seamstress where I am. I had one back in PA who was spectacular. Every hunt jacket (back in my H/J days in 4-H) I've ever owned had to be altered. The sleeve diameter was always an issue, especially in the upper arms where they join the main body of the coat. Not something that can be altered too much in a stock jacket. My Pikeur Diana didn't have to be altered (surprisingly).

BMargieRad, good to know about the quality from Flying Changes. I figured they had to be pretty good if the Brit dressage team has them!

[hluing]

Jo McCracken of Mobile Horse Supply seems to be making custom coats and shads. I have seen pics on her facebook page and saw one at a recent show. Very nice!

[Renae]

A seamstress that typically makes wedding and prom dresses and does not have experience making suit coats will not do a good job making a shadbelly, sorry to say. It is a job for a suit maker. So triple check that whoever you employ has made fitted suit jackets for women. Ask to see samples of their work. Or go with someone who makes custom equestrian clothing. I don't know about shadbellies, but be aware that have a custom hunt coat made starts at $900 and a custom saddle seat suit starts at $1600 (this of course includes the cost of the fabric, these tailors have access to fabric that the typical person outside the fashion industry has trouble finding).