May 5, 2013

A green cape!

I have been thinking, and blogging, about capes before. Last year, I even started drafting and making muslins but I could never quite get it to work, even just in my mind's eye.
Now, as I was folding the fabric of my latest haul onto the already overflowing shelf, I thought that bright green boiled wool would be perfect for a simple, not too full, cape. My thoughts quickly turned to a half circle shape with some kind of shaping at the shoulder. At first I thought I'd make it really simple, but this is the idea I put on paper:

Half circle cape, shoulder yoke which is rounded at the back and angles towards the opening at the front, simple convertible collar.


And this is what I made: Just that, in that wonderfully bright green boiled wool. Using the properties of the material, I left the bottom edge raw and didn't apply the facings in the usual way but rather just placed the outside on top of the facing and topstitched at 0.5 cm from the cut edges. I sewed on snaps for the closure. 
The cape was finished last Tuesday, but today E and I were walking outside and he agreed to take some pictures, which I think is much better than my usual self timer stuff. 
In this kind of wheather, nice but not necessarily really warm, it's a pretty ideal cover-up. And I think I could even ride my bicycle wearing it.
Another thing I like (but unfortunately forgot to try and take a picture of, but it may have been too windy anyway) is that, with the shaped yoke, the cape actually stays in place when worn open which makes it look a little like a jacket.

We took these pictures at the Dagelijkse Groenmarkt (literally translated "daily vegetable market", so I guess it was just that at some time, but in my memory there has never been a market there), the square around The Hague's Grote Kerk (Big Church), which casts the long shadow you see in the first three pictures. The structure behind me is the old town hall, a beautiful 16th and 18th century building which is now only used for weddings (information about it is here, unfortunately, it's only in Dutch).
Oh, and worry about my posing on the tram tracks. That particular route is not in use.

7 comments:

  1. That's a very lovely and stylish outfit!

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  2. Lovely outfit and great photos!

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  3. That's a great cape, love the colour! Lovely sunny pictures :)

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  4. It's nice to see you outdoors and with a smile on a face. Love the color you chose, and i really like the simplicity of the cape.

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  5. your picture on the tram tracks is great! A true model. I like the color on you and the design. Nice to see you outside. Hope you had a great day.

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  6. What a great colour and shape on you, really nice.

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  7. Great color and great looking cape!

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