Keeping Warm: Hoods (downloadable pattern)

Happy New Year!  This is my last project completed in 2019 and my first post in 2020!

In my last post, I talked about winter accessories including hoods.  I've completed 2 hoods since then.  Hoods appear most prevalent in portraits before 1770.  I have found a few images from the 1760s and quite a few from the 1740s and 50s.  This is also the case when researching historical newspaper ads.  I've included a few below from the 1760s/70s.  The majority of ads that I've found, however, are from the 1740s when they were quite plentiful.

1749

1750s

1750s

1750s

1760s

Philadelphia, PA 1767

New York, 1770

Providence, Rhode Island 1767

My hoods are based on the images below.  The first appears to be velvet or plush.  It has a lofty appearance--as if it is lined.  Note the rounded cape and the lace edging

1760s

The extant below is in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston collection.  It was worn by Abigail Robbins (1759 - 1850).  The description on the museum page is as follows:

DESCRIPTION

Black silk caped hood trimmed with lace; gathered at back with drawstring around face and one surviving ribbon tie; small shaped cape with pointed back. (Lace probably made in Ipswich, Massachusetts.)
Given that there is no mention of lining, I assume this piece to be a single layer of silk.  Apparently lace made for hoods was readily available as when searching the newspapers, I foundloads of ads for "black hood lace" and one for "white hood lace and black ditto."  Since thesehoods were to be worn as part of an upper sort impression, I decided to add lace to mine as well.

ca. 1770s

Click HERE for downloadable pattern!

Materials:
I used black taffeta for the unlined hood--it took about 1/2 yard--possibly a little more -- of 56 inch wide taffeta (1 yard for 45 inch wide),  black cotton French Valenciennes lace 1 inch wide or less--about 1 yard, silk ribbon for tie, and 1/8 inch black cotton tape or cord for drawstring.

I found my black cotton lace from Capital imports.  If you cannot find suitable lace, it is better to omit the lace altogether.  Also--remember that lace would be for an upper sort impression.  A middlin' sort would most likely wear a hood with no lace.

The velvet hood took about 1 yard of silk velvet, 1/2 yard of lambswool interlining, 1/2 yard of black taffeta lining, 1 1/2 inch wide silk ribbon for tie and about 2 yards of lace.

The pattern is drafted from studying the extant.  The hood is a smaller size and doesn't fit over high 1770s hair.  It should fit over a modest poof in the front of the hair however.

There is one interesting detail in the extant that I did not include.  at the bottom of the hood, there is a long triangular insert which I assume must have been put there for fitting purposes as it has no structural purpose.  See the detail below:

Because I was not able to examine or find photos of the inside of this hood, I had to guess at how it may have been constructed based on the photo and the description.  I used some cap construction techniques and general 18th century hand sewing techniques to come up with the construction that I used.

Instructions:

Print pattern and tape pieces together.  Note that there is a 1 inch square to check the print size.  When printing, make sure the pdf is at 100%. Do not choose a different scale or fit to page option when printing.

Assemble pages: There are 6 pages total. Tape 1 and 2 side by side then 3 and 4 side by side.  Tape 3 and 4 below 1 and 2.  5 and 6 are taped together side by side but they don't need to be attached to the others.  I hope that makes sense.  I have some small parallel lines between each page to help you line them up.  It should look like this when printed and taped together:

Note the seam allowances are on the pattern pieces.  Seams may be hand or machine stitched.

Unlined Hood

Cut out and mark dots on hood with chalk.  Mark center back neck edge of cape. 
Narrow hem the neck and back edges of the hood piece.  Turn in a scant 1/8 inch, press and turn in again.  Stitch with running stitch or whip stitch. These hems will be part of the seam allowance and will not be seen.

Stitch back hood seam next to the hem so that your seam allowance basically consists of the hemmed part.  Use a combination stitch (small running stitches with a back stitch taken every 3 or 4 stitches for strength).

Using the same seam allowance, you will pleat the back of the hood as follows:  Use doubled thread and make large running stitches about 3/8 inches in length or so starting where the back seam ends on one side of the hood and ending at the other side. You are almost stitching in a circle.  Begin and end your stitches on the wrong side of the hood.

Draw up your stitches, arranging them so they look like cartridge pleats. 

Line up the ends and run your needle through all of the pleat "bumps" on the inside at least twice.

Check the pleats to make sure they are even.

Turn the hood to the outside.  Bring your thread up to the outside at the seam and run the needle through all of the pleat bumps very near the edge (about 1/16 inch from the edge.  The point is to make the edges line up since they are visible on the outside of the hood. 

Do this twice then push the needle back to the inside and securely knot the thread.

On the inside, press the back seam open then put hood aside.

Take your cape piece and finely hem the neck and bottom edges as you did with the hood:  scant 1/8 inch folded in twice stitched with running or whip stitch.  Do NOT hem the front edges. The neck edge hem will be hidden in a seam allowance.  The bottom edge will be visible. After hemming, seam the neck edges of the hood and cape right sides together using a combination stitch (running stitch with a backstitch every 4th stitch or so).  Stitch just next to the hemmed edges of the seam.

Press the neck seam open.

Press the front edge under 1/4 inch then turn under 1/4 inch again.  Open out the 2nd fold and make an eyelet on each side just above the neck seam.  The eyelet will go through 2 layers of silk. The eyelet will be inside the hood when you fold the hem over a 2nd time.

Apply lace by laying the right side of lace to the right side of the hood -- scalloped edge facing away from the edge and slightly within the seam allowance. Make sure to turn the short ends of the lace up. Stitch the straight edge of the lace in place with small running stitches.

Turn the hem under, turning the lace away from the hood.  Stitch the hem in place with small whip stitches.

Using a bodkin, feed your 1/8 inch tape or cord through one eyelet and out the other.  Cut to whatever length is desirable. 

Sew black silk ribbon at the neck seam about 1 inch in from the edge.  If the ribbon is wide, take a tuck where it is stitched to the hood.

Finished hood inside:

Finished hood outside:

Instructions for lined velvet hood:
Note:  I did not take pictures of this hood in progress.

1.  Cut out hood and cape in outer fabric (silk velvet) and lining (taffeta).  If you are interlining your hood in lambswool interlining, cut out both pieces in that textile as well.  Make sure that the nap on your velvet is running in the direction of the arrows on the pattern.

2.  Flat line the velvet pieces with the lambswool interlining, basting the lambswool to the velvet within the seam allowances.

3.  Stitch the back seam in the velvet hood and in the hood lining.

4.  Make the hood pleats as indicated above--EXCEPT pull the pleats to the inside of the hood as the edges are raw.  You will not stitch through the pleats on the outside of the hood.  Do the same for the lining.

5.  Stitch neck seam of the velvet hood and press open.  When pressing velvet, it's best to steam and finger press unless you have a needle board. 

6.  Starting at center back of the cape, pin lace around the entire hood with the straight edge of the lace just within the seam allowance and the scalloped edge facing away from the edge.  Remember to gather your lace around the points at the bottom front.  Stitch in place with running stitch.

7.  Turn and press (steam) front and bottom hems and baste or pin in place.

8.  Press the front and bottom hems in place on the cape lining.  Pin in place on the inside of the hood cape.  Stitch the lining in place using the Point a Rabattre Sous le Main stitch (18th century edge stitch).  Baste the lining neck seam allowance to the hood neck seam allowance.

9.  Press under the front hem and neck seam allowance on the hood lining.  Pin in place inside the hood and stitch in place as you did the cape.  Secure the neck seam with whip stitches.

10.  Stitch silk ribbon ties at the neck seam 1 inch from the front edge.

Finished lining:

Finished hood:

Here's the hood on.  Sorry about the quality of the pic.  If I get a better one I'll update. 

I wore my velvet hood to the Grand Illumination at Mt. Vernon.  It was a cold night and the hood added just the warmth that I needed.  I'm very pleased with how this project turned out.