Thursday, December 13, 2012

the fluffy capelet


I have been such a slacker with the Happy-A-Long this year - bad Jenny! I have all sorts of lame excuses but to sum up I've been crazy busy and rather lazy. I've so been enjoying all the "happys" on my Friend's list though - they make me smile every day!

One of the things I have been crazy busy with is sewing. I had a serious conference with my "to-do" list and after the initial panic, comparing it's length and the time available to me before March, I have been knuckling down and getting to work on it. First up was my wool capelet but thanks to my decision to trim it in fur I'm at a standstill with it until my fur arrives. So I moved on to my second capelet - the silk one!

 
A few weeks ago I discovered that once again my Stash had anticipated my wants and desires - I had all the elements to make this capelet that I have been drooling over for months sitting in the house. I love it when that happens!

 
Originally I draped a pattern (in miniature, using my Franklin Mint Titanic doll to save fabric) so I could make an exact reproduction but eventually decided I liked the pattern I'd developed for my wool capelet better. Doing straight reproductions isn't really my thing anyway.

 
Cutting it out proved to be a challenge thanks to my fabric restrictions. I had 3.5yds and I used every millimeter of it trying to fit in the cape body, a self-lining layer of the body, the huge hood, a matching muff and a bit of bias tape to finish the neckline. It took a couple of hours, a seam in the center back (like the original) and lots of fiddling but I managed it in the end - whew! I so added an interlining of cotton flannel for warmth, which I'm still a bit iffy on. It definitely made the cape more practical but also stiffer. But then again the fabric itself, a silk blend I picked up in LA a few years ago, is a bit on the stiff side so maybe the flannel doesn't matter that much. Oh well, it's done now!

 
The capelet was about half machine sewing, half hand sewing. Basically anything that showed I did by hand. I was just in the mood!


The feather boas (my big splurge during the Ostrich.com going-out-of-business sale) were all sewn by hand of course. They were a huge pain in the butt to deal with but the results are SO worth it. Even if my room is covered in marabou feather fluff (I thought silk velvet fuzz was bad!).

 
I still have the muff to make but I adore the finished results and I can't wait to wear it!

 

 

 

 

 

10 comments:

  1. YES!! This is adorable, and such a rarely seen garment recreated in the costuming world. I absolutely love this! I can't wait to see photos of you wearing it :-)

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  2. This is gorgeous! And the perfect time to be doing wintery-wear too...beautiful work :)

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    1. Thanks! I have some more winter wear planned this year too... should be fun!

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  3. Yummy, I want to eat it! Seriously, though- it's absolutely lovely!

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  4. Absolutely gorgeous. I want one!!:)

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  5. It doesn't look stiff at all--perhaps a little bulk is nice to have it softly hold the folds? Anyhow, it's gorgeous. Post pics when you wear it!

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    1. Oh never fear there will be photos posted when I wear it! :>

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