Pelican Cloak
You may recall several weeks ago I asked if it was better to use a period technique to piece fabric, or to use the period widths while piecing. Now that the project is finished and passed to its owner, I can talk about why I was asking that question!
I volunteered to make a pelican cloak for baronessadriana, who was inducted into the order this weekend at Ymir. Congratulations! Well deserved. I've never done embroidery, and there wasn't any real way for me to get it to somebody in time to do some embroidery, so I wanted to go all out on construction and other details.
ETA - the goal was also ultimate accuracy, wherever possible, and I couldn't figure out a good way to do it on a 14th c. cloak without peppering the whole thing. Maybe down the openings? Ideas?
The most fun part about this whole process? Working on the handstitching in her living room, while she admired the color. :-D
I ended up piecing it, but using the full width of the fabric. I knew that she likes red, and I had the perfect piece of wool for it. It was a bit smaller than I would have preferred, but it was such a beautiful color. The cloak wasn't full length, as the originals would have been, but for SCA use, full length would be pretty unmanageable, so I felt ok about that.
For construction, I was working from the Bocksten Cloak example. This cloak is a man's cloak, and meant to fit over one shoulder. Most women's cloaks that I've been able to find (not exhaustive, but some good examples) close in the front, either all the way, or open to the shoulders. Instead of the shaping at only one shoulder, like the Bocksten, I did shaping at both shoulders.
For closure, I decided on a brooch at each shoulder, with a tasseled cord holding it shut. The brooch is a typical 14th century style, where the fabric is pulled through the brooch itself. While pulling the fabric through, I also included the cord. In several of the effigies I found, it appears that the cord is attached somehow on the inside of the cloak, behind the brooches. It worked out perfectly.
The cord was Trebizond silk, in several different shades of red and wine, since the fiber store didn't have 12 spools all of the same color. :-) I also prefer a cord with several similar colors - I think it gives more depth. I did the 8 strand A lace bend rounde of 8 bowes, only with two threads on each finger.
The tassels were my first shot at tassels ever. So... they're not gorgeous, but they'll do. Sorry! I wish they were a bit better, but I finished them at 1am the morning before I dropped off the cloak with liveinlovemunky. :-D
The brooches are from Raymond's Quiet Press.
One thing I learned? Don't do all of the sewing before the silk work. When I sew, I tear up my fingertips. I kept catching the silk during the tassels and the cord while I was working with it. PAIN in the rear.
Pics:
Here she is in it. (I hope that link works - it's facebook.)
I volunteered to make a pelican cloak for baronessadriana, who was inducted into the order this weekend at Ymir. Congratulations! Well deserved. I've never done embroidery, and there wasn't any real way for me to get it to somebody in time to do some embroidery, so I wanted to go all out on construction and other details.
ETA - the goal was also ultimate accuracy, wherever possible, and I couldn't figure out a good way to do it on a 14th c. cloak without peppering the whole thing. Maybe down the openings? Ideas?
The most fun part about this whole process? Working on the handstitching in her living room, while she admired the color. :-D
I ended up piecing it, but using the full width of the fabric. I knew that she likes red, and I had the perfect piece of wool for it. It was a bit smaller than I would have preferred, but it was such a beautiful color. The cloak wasn't full length, as the originals would have been, but for SCA use, full length would be pretty unmanageable, so I felt ok about that.
For construction, I was working from the Bocksten Cloak example. This cloak is a man's cloak, and meant to fit over one shoulder. Most women's cloaks that I've been able to find (not exhaustive, but some good examples) close in the front, either all the way, or open to the shoulders. Instead of the shaping at only one shoulder, like the Bocksten, I did shaping at both shoulders.
For closure, I decided on a brooch at each shoulder, with a tasseled cord holding it shut. The brooch is a typical 14th century style, where the fabric is pulled through the brooch itself. While pulling the fabric through, I also included the cord. In several of the effigies I found, it appears that the cord is attached somehow on the inside of the cloak, behind the brooches. It worked out perfectly.
The cord was Trebizond silk, in several different shades of red and wine, since the fiber store didn't have 12 spools all of the same color. :-) I also prefer a cord with several similar colors - I think it gives more depth. I did the 8 strand A lace bend rounde of 8 bowes, only with two threads on each finger.
The tassels were my first shot at tassels ever. So... they're not gorgeous, but they'll do. Sorry! I wish they were a bit better, but I finished them at 1am the morning before I dropped off the cloak with liveinlovemunky. :-D
The brooches are from Raymond's Quiet Press.
One thing I learned? Don't do all of the sewing before the silk work. When I sew, I tear up my fingertips. I kept catching the silk during the tassels and the cord while I was working with it. PAIN in the rear.
Pics:
Here she is in it. (I hope that link works - it's facebook.)