Finally, I have completed an 18th century cloak for myself, to wear on wintry visits to Colonial Williamsburg!
PATTERN
I used a cloak pattern I had drafted a couple of years ago from Costume Close-up, published by Colonial Williamsburg.
FABRIC
Choosing a deep red broadcloth wool with a beautiful drape from William Booth Draper, I dug into my fabric stash for black silk to line the hood.
HANDSEWN
This cloak was completely hand sewn, which was super simple with the supple wool, which helped a lot with the pleats laying nicely in the hood.
FAUX FUR TRIM
Replicating the look of fur trim that I saw on another museum cloak, I used a faux fur trim that I removed from my Burgundian gown.
Originally, I had cut narrow strips from a 2-yard length of faux fur mink fabric from JoAnn, which leaves enough for an 18th century muff and a 20th/21st century evening wrap.
The fur is luxuriously soft, most definitely it was the nicest I could find in any of the stores.
WAISTCOAT
A few years ago, while visiting the Colonial Williamsburg Costume Design Center, I saw one of their cloaks with a vest, based on one in the CW collection.
Immediately, I knew I had to incorporate that element into cloaks for my daughter and myself, who are more used to tame Texas winters.
I sewed one for my daughter last year.
This year it was my turn.
The waistcoat part I figured out by twiddling with the fabric, based on what I had seen on display at the Costume Design Center.
When the tailor saw my daughter’s cloak last winter, he told me I was right on target.
REPRODUCTION HOOK
Purchased from Burnley and Trowbridge, the hook is a reproduction based off a pair found in an archaeological dig at Carter’s Gove Plantation.
(This Carter, one of a multitude of Carters in Virginia who descended from King Carter, was a cousin to Robert Carter, who lived in my favorite house in Colonial Williamsburg, the one with the long porch.)
Anyway, the discovered hook set possibly originated from Martin’s Hundred, an early 17th century colony near Williamsburg and Jamestown.
DEATH HEAD BUTTONS
The buttons are death head buttons, which I made by winding silk thread around wooden molds, which I learned how to do when I took a class with the Costume Design Center a couple of years ago.
And then handstitched buttonholes, which I’m liking more and more than machine sewing.
ACCESSORIES
Coordinating accessories with the cloak, I hand sewed a muff to keep my hands warm.
Using black silk for the inner lining, and cardinal red/black changeable silk for the outer layer, I stuffed wool from the Colonial Williamsburg Leicester Longwool Sheep.
Replicating a design I saw at the milliner shop in Colonial Williamsburg, I trimmed the muff with white ruched organdy, trimmed with pearls.
Then I trimmed a straw hat with red organdy ribbon, trimmed with pearls and rosebuds.
And then…we got snow! What a great backdrop!
