The first day I wore this coat, I never saw how I looked in it. I gave my full length mirror to my teenage daughters and so shoulders-up is all I get anymore. I had my 13 year old daughter help me cut my hair into a mullet that morning, then I threw the jacket on over an all-black outfit. Even though I didn’t know how I looked, I FELT good in this thing I had made, with my badass hair, and I glided out the door to an appointment feeling like a boss.
I felt like I’d put the confidence on. People literally stopped and stared at me while I was out. I had that elusive special SOMEthing.
When it comes to “perfecting” patterns, it can be hard for me to leave well enough alone. I have so many ideas. I keep tweaking each iteration to make it EVEN BETTER than the last, at least in theory. I think watching Monty Python as a teenager further cemented the idea that a holy grail does exist.
This is my latest iteration of the Quest Vest. The remaining vestiges of the Fibre Mood Irma can be seen in the standing collar seam. You can see my first version here. I was definitely inspired by the #softapocalypse aesthetic.
Ever since I finished my rust-colored cloak, I’ve wanted to make a second, shorter one. It wasn’t till this fall that the fabric inspiration struck. When it did, I used the pattern from the book Costume Close-up, minus about ten inches of length, to make a second cloak over the course of two days.
I used a clearance wool blend I found online for $7/yard. The lining is my old favorite, shot cotton. I pieced the lining (mainly because I cut the lining for the hood too short). I prick stitched the lining in so that that the two layers of the cloak would move as one, something I didn’t do on the last cloak. I omitted the hand slits. With the shorter length, they didn’t seem necessary.
So in two paragraphs, I just told you everything you need to know about the cloak. So we’re going to talk about something else while I show you the pictures.
If you’ve used Pinterest, this has happened to you. You find a photo of something you love, and the image link is dead. No source, no pattern, no directions, no online store, nothing.
That’s what happened when I was making a board while doing Curated Closet, a way of streamlining your style so you can make better decisions about your wardrobe and what you add to it.
I found the pin, and put it on the inspiration board. I was sad it was a dead link, but it happens, no big deal.
Years passed. Time ticked away this summer and the Jane Austen retreat got closer, the impossible load of sewing I wanted to complete before the retreat was bearing down on me. I did what any good procrastinator does: I picked a completely unrelated project with no deadline and worked on that instead, and the Procrastination Dress came into being.
I made a pair of short stays from the Sensibility pattern, but I was really interested in making a pair of wrap stays. They seem so utilitarian. I’m always looking for historical clothing that is easy to put on without a lady’s maid, and the wrap stays promised to fall in that category.
