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.
I want to share a new project with you – three years after getting the pattern, I finally made my first Hinterland Dress. I chose the sleeveless version.
This dress is a testament of my commitment to both procrastination and perfectionism.
I have a costumed retreat coming up this summer, so I’ve been slowly working to put together outfits with the goal of having 4 complete costumes, a banyan, and some mix and match accessories by the time the retreat rolls around in August.
I had a Jane Austen-themed tea to attend this past weekend. I made a new costume, in hopes of rewearing it (maybe with different accessories) at the retreat.
Instead of knowing what I wanted the final costume to look like, I had an aesthetic inspiration painting, by Henri Francois Mulard, ca. 1810.
