In looking for a Halloween costume for '08, I decided to go with a pirate theme since I already had plenty of things in my costume arsenal that would work.  The main thing I was missing was a coat.  Searching through my stockpiles of fabric, I came across a Waverly curtain that I had purchased years back on sale and had stashed away for such an occasion.  Since pirates could be flashy people, I felt this bold scarlet and gold pattern would work well.  Using a couple different men's jackets patterns from the 1700's, I came up with this particular pattern.  The major alteration I made was to narrow it more in the waist than most the patterns called for.  Due to the bulkiness of the damask, I had to make some changes along the way, like using a few wool fabric scraps to cover the buttons, but it all worked out well in the end.  The coat is completely lined with a matching cotton and the false pocket flaps are sewn on by hand.  To round out the outfit I purchase a hand dyed red silk scarf, a replica dueling pistol, some replica coins, a cavalry saber and I decorated my tricorn.  I also made a small leather pouch for the coins and borrowed a leather belt from my mother.