Sunday, January 18, 2015

Tutorial: Winter Cloak

Well, hello, my good friends! I know I just posted so as far as my life goes I don't have a lot to say… I'm going to a marvelous mystery masquerade party (hey, Nan, see the alliteration?) at the end of the month and I have been sewing a lot to prepare for my costume. My most recent endeavor was this cloak, a pattern invented and given to me by the lovely Author of To Write or Not To Write.
This project started with my sewing machines kicking out on me… and ended the same way. In the middle I was able to get my 1970s one to run smoothly, but then when I tried to force it to do difficult things (I take the entire responsibility), it gave out. I'll have to do some work on it when I get a chance. But you don't want to hear about that! You want the pattern. Well, here it is.

Tutorial: Warm Winter Cloak

Difficulty (1 = easy, 5= hard): 3.
Estimated Time: A few days of sewing if you have a machine.

You'll need:
  • As many inches of flannel fabric as you are tall, plus 12-30 inches more (i.e., I am five feet tall and I wanted a spacious hood, so I got a little over two yards). The more fabric you buy, the larger and more beautiful your hood will be.
  • The same amount of fabric in cotton or muslin, to use as lining.
  • Thread that matches the flannel in color.
  • A sewing machine
  • A needle
  • Scissors
  • ½ yard of ribbon, optional
Instructiones:

1. Wash and dry both fabrics according to manufacturer's instructions. Take your flannel and hold it around your shoulders so that the short ends are parallel to the floor and the bottom edge just touches the ground (or is as close to the ground as you want the edge of your cloak to be). Place a pin a little higher than where your shoulders are. Lay your flannel out on a surface you can cut on (I use this), and trim away the fabric that is above the pin (around 15-30 inches); this smaller fabric piece is for your hood. Lay the muslin against the flannel and cut off the same amount. Set aside the hood pieces.

2. Now you're going to pin the two fabrics together, wrong side to wrong side. Lay them out so the edges match up and pin them together. 

3. Then, go around and carefully turn the edge over about ¼ inch and move the pins so that it is holding a ¼ once-turned hem as well as holding the fabrics together. Once that is done, go around and do the same thing, turning the ¼ inch edge under ¼ inch more, moving the pins as you go.


Here's a bad picture to help explain. See, I've pinned the two layers together and I'm in the process of turning it over the first time.
4. Now, top stitch all the way around your rectangle, by hand or machine, or both if your sewing machine quits working and then starts again. 

5. Repeat steps 2-4 with the hood pieces.

6. Now here comes a slightly tricky part: the gathering. Set your sewing machine's stitch length to the largest stitch size. Set the tension as loose as it can be. Sew one line of stitching across one of the short ends of the main cloak. Then, sew one line of stitching across three sides of the of the hood piece: one short end, one long end, and one short end. It is important that you do not sew three lines of stitching but continue the same line of stitching through all three sides. Be sure to leave long tails on both the main cloak and the hood.


Gathering.
7. Take the bottom thread (if you were sewing with the flannel facing you on top, this will be the thread on the other side) and gently pull on it. If you are pulling on the bobbin thread, this will create gathers. Pull on the threads on both sides of the cloak and use your fingers to slide the gathers on the edges into the middle. Place the cloak around your shoulders to check if it is gathered to your satisfaction, adjust if necessary, and set aside. Repeat this step with the hood. Hold it next to the cloak and gather it as much as need be to make the edges match up without one being longer than the other.





8. Pin the fabrics together and stitch them together with a basting stitch. Be careful not to pull out your gathers as you go. (DO NOT use a sewing machine in this step! It WILL kill your machine! Sew by hand only!! Believe me, you do not want the guilt and shame that will inevitably follow ignoring my warnings and your own internal warnings!)

9. Go back and stitch the hood and cloak together again with a smaller stitch. Do it twice if you are worried about it holding together. (DO NOT use a sewing machine in this step! It WILL kill your machine! Sew by hand only!!)

You can stop here if you like and use a safety pin to hold your cloak together in the front. Or, you can cut your ribbon in half and sew each half onto the cloak as shown:

This is the inside of the cloak. The wrong side of the ribbon is facing us.
Whatever you choose, it will be a beautiful cloak! 
Get a load of that full hood!
Have fun!
Au revoir,
 photo awdursignature_zps319c67b7.png

1 comment:

  1. Oh! Isn't the hood wonderful! I think yours is bigger than mine. Humph. I must confess, though my cloak is better fitted to my character at the party, I like yours better. I wish Tasha could wear cottons, but I have to stick with flannel lined, satin cloak. I might have to make another one just so I can have one I can actually wear around. By the way readers of Awdur's blog, you can hand stitch a cloak like this for children. I haven't done it, but I can imagine how utterly adorable that would be. Especially with a really big hood.

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