Ichabod Crane Riding Habit

For the riding habit, since this is my first historical project and I am not yet comfortable drafting patterns from scratch, I used Reconstructing History’s 1760s Riding and Traveling Outfit pattern as my base while referencing cut and notes from the riding jacket of the Snowshill Collection (Janet Arnold’s Patterns of Fashion). It was fitted on myself over stays and a bumpad to get the period silhouette.

The jacket and outer petticoat are olive green melton wool. Similar to the Snowshill jacket, the bodice and sleeves are lined with a striped pumpkin linen and the insides of the skirt and jacket front are faced with ivory taffeta, and buckram down the front for additional stiffness. The collar is shaped by pad stitching and horsehair canvas. The pockets and front are embellished with copper colored hand stitched button holes and copper stamped metal buttons. The cuffs are faced with a contrasting black silk wool. For the sake of time, I used a “theatrical” method of historical construction where the hidden seams were machine done, but anything shown was backstitched or felled by hand. To complete the ensemble, I cocked and decorated a black wool hand blank to make the tricorn.

The most satisfying part of the project was completing it! My first historical project required a lot of work just building the undergarments, including stays, chemise, men’s shirt, and underpetticoats. And that was before I got to the riding habit mock-ups! Fitting the sleeves proved the be the most challenging step.