10' Rule Cloak Project

[evaelisabeth]

So I finally finished the cloak & hood that I have been working on and off on for the last six months or so. I'm quite happy with it, the whole project was done by hand and I learned a great deal about various period construction techniques. I was using 100% wool so I finished the seams on the cloak part simply by pressing the selvage to one side and taking it down with a running stitch, the seams that carry weight are done with backstich and those that don't (such as the one attaching the facing to the neckline) are done in running stitch. On the hood I did flat felled seams. The buttons and buttonholes were also done by hand, I got a great tip from one of the SCA garb lists (don't remember which one) on how to do the buttons and I'm very happy with them. All in all I am satisfied with the final project though it obeys the 10 foot rule rather than being a truly period construction. This garment is going to be used for events other than the SCA and I just love the swish of a full circle cloak so there is an obscene amount of fabric in this thing. Other points of fudging are the fact that the hood is cut more generously than I have seen in period illustrations and the cape part is also a full circle rather than the more fitted silhouette that would be what was common in days of yore. If you are interested you can see pictures of the final product and the construction process on my flickr account, The photos don't appear in the correct order though they are named cloak 1, 2, etc so you can follow along in order of construction if you wish.

The process of hand sewing this garment has been surprisingly pleasant, I learned a lot and had fun doing it.