Friday, May 29, 2015

Pleated Frills

This week I got into an 18th century fever of passion and pulled out my costuming books and fabrics for new stays. The last ones I made were a tad long waisted and not as comfortable after a few hours of wear as they might have been.

They aren't the biggest priority at the moment (I need new regency stays far more) so I spent an afternoon patterning a cap that can be used for this period through the regency period as well.

This is a basic enough cap. It has a shaped band, a poufy crown with a drawstring neckline and a frill. I decided to sew these mostly by hand so spent a few pleasant sunshiney hours stitching on the big bed in my room with the baby napping at my side.

It was nice to practice hand sewing again. I have used the machine quite a lot lately but I do not have that unique and intimate connection with a machined project that is present when something is hand sewn.

My favorite part was making the pleated frill. The linen creased so well just with finger pressing and I liked seeing it take shape as the pleats were pinned. I cut the frill to have a gradually decreasing width towards the ears with the widest point over the forehead.

Scraps of silk worked for decoration. I made the other cap with greenish-gold colored silk trim.

Both of these are available in my etsy shop. I ordered some sheer white cotton so my next ones will be finer, with lace edging.

Love,
Sarah