The Makings of an 18th Century Cap

By Elizabeth M.

Dear Blog, 

Greetings! As we venture into the past today (in my very first post!), I'd like to talk about  how I made, or, am making, my 18th century cap. 

The history:

In the 18th century, and way before and after, it was very common for women to have some sort of usually white cap. This could go under another hat such as a, "pancake hat" (the proper name is a bergere hat), or by itself. I wont go too far into detail because I want to talk about the pattern, and I have just shared all my current knowledge on the matter ;)...

Here is an example of the cap by itself: 


and another...
And under a Bergere....



And here is another example, but on a richer woman:


And to add in some examples other than 1700 styles, here are a few more: (these two are from the 1800's being sold as antiques)


 And these are earlier versions...


And then there's this monstrosity... :/

The style:
And so, I began to narrow down the styles.The first step is always to look at reliable sources such as fashion plates, paintings, and well-informed reenactors who have already gone through heaps of information for you. I came up with this certain style:



I really loved the knife pleats around the edge, but *warning*  this takes a TON of fabric to do!!! Ha! I wasn't anticipating this...
The Pattern:
I like to use these really huge sheets of paper for packaging things to draw up patterns on. I'll get my measuring tape and draw the the shapes and then cut them out. I ended up with this: 
(don't mind my inaccurate fabric)
The circle will be pleated (you can gather this, but my history with gathering is not very good) until it fits around your head.

Of course the “shorter strip” is actually the longer one because it’s pleated. It should run the whole length of the other strip (which goes between the circle and the ruffle) but I ran out of fabric and have to add more...

Here are the dimensions to make your own: (I didn't bother measuring the the ruffle because it is so lang and mine is not long enough. That measurement will be based on how large you want your cap to be. The width is 2 1/2 inches.)




'
This is roughly what it will look like when it's all done:



I will post an update when it's all done. Good luck with your sewing adventures! :D

 
Venturing in the Prior is on Pinterest! Look it up!








“I am no bird, and no net ensnares me.”

Comments

Post a Comment

How does this relate to you? What did you think?

Popular Post

My First Post and Portfolio

By Elizabeth M.
Image
  Dear Venturers, Greetings! My name is Elizabeth. I love historical sewing, reading, chickens, and pretty much anything obscure and interesting.  I have named this blog, Venturing in the Prior because I like to think of my sewing endeavors (that's mainly what I intend to write about) as grand adventures, whisking oneself away into another world full of fun mysteries waiting to be discovered. Since, of course, I'll be writing about most of these adventures, I thought it would be amusing to take all you (those who might happen to read this blog) on my adventure with me, making us all venturers into the unknown and intriguing world that is the past so that we all might learn something.  Since you've bravely agreed to accompany me this far at least, I wish you the best of journeys as you set forth reading the reports of my findings. They may not be entirely accurate, nor the quality of work as nice as one might desire (one being me), but, as previously stated, I am still learn
Read more

My 1860’s Corset (With Measurements)

By Elizabeth M.
Image
  Dear Venturers, I have one literal day to complete a corset. Sounds crazy, right?? I was looking for how to make one. There’s lots of videos and stuff, but no patterns! Unless, of course, you buy one.  So here is how to make one yourself!  (for free! ;)) NOTE: this is for one half of a corset! Not for both sides!  1. Choose your fabric. I would recommend a twin sheet for this one. Maybe 2-4 king-sized pillowcases. I used a white cotton sateen which I will also double-layer. 2. Cut out the main piece. These are the measurements: 3. Next you’ll need a triangular piece to fit in the V-shaped hole for the bust. The larger the V and triangle, the more bust you have. Here’s mine: 4. Add in the hip piece. These are the measurements. This part was very tricky for me!  5. Cut a few slits in the sides. Do this by cutting a straight line wherever you have extra fabric hanging, and then curve in each side of the slit by just a little bit. Then sew the slit together again. I did this once in the
Read more

The Making of a Quill and Ink

By Elizabeth M.
Image
Dear Venturers, Good afternoon! Today I found an old turkey feather (don’t ask why) in the back of my desk. I had the random motivation to stop my search for the paper I needed to do real and productive things, and make a quill pen. Then of course I needed ink. And so... here’s how to do it yourself!  1. Remove the flaky stuff and the fluffy stuff Before you cut the feather, you should consider how much “feather” you want to keep on the feather. I prefer the pretty aesthetic of an intact feather, but it’s up to you!Use your finger nail to peel off the membrane around the feather. 2. Cut the tip off Use scissors to cut off the tip of the feather. 3. Take out the flaky stuff that’s inside There’s a waxy sort of thing (it does have a proper name) inside the feather. I used a bobby pin because why not. 4. Cut diagonally  Use scissors to cut of the side of the feather at a diagonal angle.  5. Cut a small shelf-like thing and clean up the edges I used these small wire cutter things that I wi
Read more