Winter is coming...

... so it is time to make something cosy and warm!

Back in January I made a muff from dark brown fake mink and fortunately had enough leftover to make something nice for the HSF September challenge #brown. I already used a leftover strip of the same material to finish my regency bonnet in June and I wanted to sew something, that could we worn with both the muff and the bonnet...

Since I have been drooling over some fashion plates showing shoulder capelets and tippets made of fur, I very much wanted to make my own set for the HSF September challenge brown.

My inspiration:








I especially adore the standing collar of this 1819 version!


My first thought was to just drape one piece of fabric around my shoulders and that's it. But to have all that hair facing downwards a one-piece item wouldn't work for me. Also, there wasn't enough fabric to make it without any seams.

After browsing through my bookcase I found some instructions for pelerines and capes in Frances Grimble's "Lady's Stratagem". Most of the patterns were half circles and therefore not of much use for my fur. I made my attempts based on a pattern for a mantle p. 362. My final pattern pieces had a slightly different shape, but since I was merely going to match the shape of the capes in the fashion plates, it didn't really matter.

My testpiece

I cut four pieces to achieve the wanted look with all hair facing downwards. Since the centre back seam is straight, I cut the cotton velvet lining in one piece for the back and two for the fronts. My idea was to have the possibility to wear it inside-out to match the outer fabric of my bonnet.

The entire cape is also interlined with a layer of polyestre batting to make it even warmer. For the standing collar I used a buckram interlining as well as the batting. Horsehair would have been the appropriate choice, but was nowhere to be found in my stash...

The challenge details:
Colourchallenge brown

I am a little late with my blog post, but my item was finished in time a fortnight ago.

Fabric: dark brown fake mink, cotton velvet
Pattern: Self drafted. Loosely based on descriptions in Frances Grimbles "Lady's Stratagem"
Year: around 1815
Notions: polyestre batting, buckram, threat
How historically accurate is it? It is fake fur and polyestre batting, so not very accurate. The shape however is quite ok.
Hours to complete: around 5
First worn: not yet
Total cost: All notions together 55€. I also made a tippet, a muff and a bonnet fron the same material, so it's somewhat less.

Pictures!

 

Since I still had some scraps after finishing the cape, I made a tippet sewing some scrap rectangles of fur together...

 

 

Inside-out

 

I've been wearing the cape nearly every morning for the last two weeks now and it really is keeping me warm. Love it!

Headweeks - Part 6 (HSF Heirloom & Heritage)

Guess what: I made a new hat!

The Historical Sew Monthly's August Challenge is "Heirlooms & Heritage" and asked to "re-create a garment one of your ancestors wore or would have worn, or use an heirloom sewing supply to create a new heirloom to pass down to the next generations."

There are not many historical pictures in my family to look at my ancestors clothes, nor did any historical garments survive... The photos we have show mostly male family members in uniforms and lilltle children. Since I am not keen on making an uniform or childrens clothes I had to find something else.
I originally planned on finishing this hat for the July challenge and intended to skip this one, but then it touched my mind, that the bobbin lace veil is actually a heirloom itself and therefore would be perfect for this challenge!
I got it from grandma last year, when we emptied her apartment for her move. Along with fabrics, old bedlinen, tablecloth's and her bobbin lace equipment I got some small and medium sized lace doily's.

Although it was tempting, I didn't dare to use the bobbins to make lace for a historical garment ("use an heirloom sewing supply"), but I decided to integrate one of these heirloom doily's into a historical item to pass on myself.
This way I can actually wear something my great-grandmother made herself and also integrate a heirloom into my historical sewing.

This is the doily before pressing. It is large enough to cover the entire crown and prolong into a veil down the back of the brim.

The pattern used is Lynn McMasters Civil War Period Hat...





 ... which was obviously inspired by this one:

Hat 1349782 National Trust Collections

My version is a mixture of both. I used straw on buckram as base and lined it in a mint-green-light-blue-ish silk- cotton blend, covered the crown with lace and feathers and added ties on both sides.

So before I start to shower you with all the pictures:

The Challenge Details

 A 1860s Summer Hat
Fabric: Silk-cotton blend, cotton batist, my heirloom lace doily
Pattern: Lynn McMasters "Civil War Period Summer Hat"
Year: 1865-1870
Notions: Straw braid, buckram, millinery wire, grosgrain ribbon, ostrich feathers, elastic tie
How historically accurate is it? The pattern and materials used are ok, although the doily is not 1860s, but 1920s. I also used glue in some spaces. Let's say 50%
Hours to complete: around 15 (some just staring at it)
First worn: not yet
Total cost: about 30€

Photos!!!
Be warned! A lot of photos!

The only construction part a little different than usual was sewing on the lining on the upper side of the brim and then folding it to the underside. Since the couloured fabric is very thin I flatlined it to one layer of cotton batist.

 

My first attempts to trim the hat.

 

 

I edged the grosgrain with narrow lace at first, but after adding the bobbin lace the colours didn't match. So I unpicked the lace and left the hatband plain.

 

More experimenting...

 

 

It is actually characteristic for me to linger about hat trimmings. I always want to be able to make changes to my item. That makes it really difficult for me to decide and sew on some trimmings.
After literally staring at my hat for hours (no kidding!) I finally decided on the following version and I couldn't be happier!

 

I wanted to use this mother-of-pearl hat pin, but I just cannot bring myself to actually punch it into the hat...

So, what do you think of this hat? Let me know!