Last autumn I sewed cloaks for my kids to keep them warm as winter set in to Virginia.
Then I learned they were actually 19th century in appearance.
Oops!
Well, that was before I had learned much about historic sewing.
Anyway, the Colonial Williamsburg tailor can now breathe easier.
When we walked into the tailor shop the guests went wild with excitement, asking the tailor to discourse on them.
He diplomatically prefaced his comments with: These are 19th century cloaks, but we sew 18th century cloaks here…
The tailor has been so patient and wonderfully helpful to me, despite our 19th century cloaks.
The last Friday before Thanksgiving I found time to focus on my son’s new cloak.
PATTERN
For this cloak I followed the instructions for item #21 in the book, Costume Close-Up by Linda Baumgartner, based on examples from the Colonial Williamsburg collection.
FABRIC
Happily, we found a luscious black broadcloth wool from William Booth, Draper, that was similar in quality to the wool samples that the Costume Design Center gave to me last winter.
MUSLIN PROCESS
Making a muslin, I played around with lengths, and estimated from the book the cut-out scooped neck.
DRAFTED PATTERN PARTS
Then I drafted the under collar, upper collar, and cape.
MACHINE SEWING
Using the sewing machine, I quickly stitched the long inside seams which are not seen from the outside.
(My apologies to the purists, but I am a busy homeschool mom studying The Odyssey, Ancient Greek history, and Latin III, while keeping tabs on Algebra II, Physics, Algebra I and Biology I.)
HAND SEWING
However, I hand sewed the under collar, upper collar, and cape with the ingenious 18th century method detailed in Costume Close-Up.
In one afternoon, I completed all the cutting out of the wool and sewing!
This cloak was easy to make, and I think the most successful of anything I’ve attempted in historic sewing!
DEBUT AT GRAND ILLUMINATION
Last weekend this cloak easily kept my son warm during the many wintery outdoor celebrations of Grand Illumination in Colonial Williamsburg, among the lit cressets.
Although his new cloak debuted during Grand Illumination, I didn’t take the best picture of it until a couple of weeks later…in the snow!
For more photos, check my Flicker set.
COMMENTS FROM MY OLD BLOG
Rebecca November 20, 2010 at 7:42 PM – Wow again! What an impressive reproduction piece. I like the choice of black instead of red for this one. Very distinguished and elegant. I can’t wait to hear the analysis by the tailors when they get to see this new cloak! Everyone is going to look great for the festivities on your next visit! Huzzah!
