NeedleCraft Plus/needlecraftplusvolume1.iso/knit/clk-hood/cloak

Text File | 1994-11-22 | 4KB | 83 lines

HOW TO MAKE A HOOD
The Karen Larsdatter Method

I learned this method through an eighteenth century
reenactment group I joined when I was eleven, but I
have seen similar hoods in illumination, etc.  If
these directions are a little muddled, let me know
and I will snailmail you better directions, maybe
even with pictures ;)

You will want a piece of wool at least a yard long
(this will yield a cape that will go to about
hip-length); the width should be at least twice the
breadth of your shoulders (there must be a better
term for that.  Basically, measure from one shoulder
to the other.  The width of the fabric should be at
least twice that measurement).  You will also need a
wide double fold bias tape the same (or similar)
color as the fabric to use as casing for the
drawstring, as well as a thinner twill tape or bias
tape or something to use as the drawstring itself.

First, measure from the top of your head to the end
of one shoulder.  (I'll call this "H" just to keep
it straight from any other measures that might come
up.)  Cut a piece of the wide bias tape so that it's
as long as the width of the fabric.  Now, add about
two to three inches to H and pin the tape down so
the top of the tape is H + 2" or 3" from the top of
the fabric.  You'll want to sew the tape down so
that the folds are on the inside so that it'll act
as a casing; this casing should be on the "inside"
of the fabric.  I sewed this in by hand, doing a
hem-stitch for both the top and bottom of the tape.
(But then and again, I sewed most of this cloak by
hand -- you don't have to if you don't want to.
This casing won't be easy to spot from the outside
if it's done right, and the stitches holding it
in will be masked by the ripples caused by
the drawstring.)

Now, you'll want to fold the fabric in half
long-ways so that the casing is on the OUTSIDE of
the fold.  I used a machine to sew one single
straight seam across the top of the fabric, so that
both parts of the fabric are sewn together from the
edge to the fold.

This may be the most confusing part ... turn the cloak
right-side out (so that the leftover fabric from the
seam and the casing for the drawstring are inside the
cloak) and voila! it's *almost* done.  All you need to
do is double-hem the bottom and/or sides (again, I
did that by hand, but it's just as easy to do by
machine) and add trim, lining, or whatever.  At this
point, you can also run your drawstring through the
casing, and it's *done!*

My own cloak (it's black wool, a rough and
"period-looking" weave with a "period-looking" dye
job -- it's easy to see why nobody else wanted it
and it landed on the remnant table) is a little longer
than hip length.  I've seen cloaks done on the same
pattern that are ankle-length and longer.  Also, the
wider the cloth, the warmer it gets.  I used a longer H
than I probably should have but it looks just as
good.  I also use a pin (it looks something like a
kilt-pin, only larger) to keep it closed -- it does tie
shut with the drawstring, but sometimes it just
doesn't stay closed.  It can be worn with the hood up
or down, and the cape can be worn over the
shoulders or off the shoulders.  The hood on the
cloak looks something like "Little Red Riding
Hood," or maybe Claudia's hood from "Interview
with the Vampire."; the cape is pretty plain, kind of
like Superman, only moreso ;)

Yours in Service to the Dream,

Karen Larsdatter af den Usigeligefternavnen fra Skyggedal