Girl's Cloak

Riding Hood and Chicken Little

The Challenge: June: Favourite Technique (Bargain shopping & hand stitching)
Material: Wool, with Osnaburg lining, cotton thread (mostly) 
Pattern: Based on the Cloak diagram shown in "Costume Close Up" by Linda Baumgarten & John Watson
Year: 1750-1810
Notions: Twill tape, cording
How historically accurate is it? 99% accurate (a bit of polyester thread)
Hours to complete: 4 to 6
First worn: July 1, 2019. First public outing will be July 5 at Hubbardton Battlefield.
Total cost: About $6. I found a *really* good deal on wool.
A while back, I joined The Historical Sew Fortnightly challenge.  I haven't done a lot of sewing this year, so this is my first entry.  This past weekend, the kids and I did some bargain fabric shopping, and came across 100% wool for $5 a yard.  We snatched that up, and made our way back home.  Yesterday I sat down to make a cloak for G.  She's been wanting something warm for those chilly nights at events, so this was a perfect project.  I based it on the cloak in the book "Costume Close Up," which details selections from the clothing collection of Colonial Willamsburg.  For Gabbi's cloak, I scaled the measurements down to 77% of the original, which worked out perfectly for the 72" wide fabric.

A bit pointy, but it'll do.

 Sewing was all done by hand.  I added an Osnaburg lining to keep the wool away from her face.  The most challenging part of this project were the pleats at the back of the hood.  Gathers and pleats are not my strong point.  In this case, both turned out okay, though I probably could have made the back of the hood a bit flatter.

A happy customer.

The important thing is that my daughter is happy.  In this case, she loves the length, weight, and "Ooohhh.... It's warm" factor.

Preparing for a photo shoot by catching one of her chickens.

Construction photos below.

Marking out the length and width.

Cape cut out.

Hood and lining.

Gathering the neckline.

Attempting to pleat the hood back.

Could be better, but they aren't horrible.

Attaching the hood to the cape.

A photo of the original at Colonial Williamsburg.

Our recreated version.

Profile view.

Adding the hood drawstring and cape ties.