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.
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’m back from the Jane Austen retreat. Every part of my body hurts, I’m exhausted, but I had such a good time. I wanted to share a little about the weekend while it was fresh on my mind.
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.
I went to a Jane Austen birthday tea in December, and I didn’t quite have time to finish my outerwear, so after the tea I kept plugging away.
