From the Archives: Grey Silk Cape

The summer before Grad School I ran into Vogue 7923 -

-and it was VERY Jane Bennet goes to the Ball. Don’t you know.  Sort of.  Close Enough

And lo - in the stash I just happened to have a meter of silver silk duponi, and just enough pink silk for the ruffle and just enough gold to bind the edges - it was all sort of higgledy piggledy pastels that only mostly matched, but Jane Bennet would have liked that sort of thing.  (Well, she would have! Take another look at the video clip.)

When you cut on the grain, silk duponi frays like you can't imagine until you've tried it yourself.  Naturally, when I cut the ruffles I didn't leave any extra seam allowance to lose in the gathering process, and just as naturally I didn't serge or zigzag or fray check the edges or do anything else even vaguely sensible.

            Accordingly, Mum and I spent a tooth-clenching, nail biting day gathering meters and meters of half-inch ruffles very carefully and very VERY slowly. Actually, Mum, a veteran of more sewing stories than I've had breakfasts, gathered ruffles with calm and tranquility -  I did the teeth clenching and nail biting for both of us.

            At the end of that long  day I stitched the ruffles to the cloak, bound the raw edges with gold silk  and went over the whole perimeter of the cape with a pair of nail scissors hunting for stray threads - and managed to put the scissors right through the grey silk - an ugly jagged v-shaped tear.

            There might have been tears.

            And THAT foolish 'why didn't I leave it till tomorrow?' moment  is why there is a lovely embroidered flower on the edge of the hood, and only the tiniest HINT of fusible interfacing on the inside.  It's a couture touch.  Thank you VERY much, Mum. I owe you!!!!