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Poe’s Raven

stitch-1

SUBMITTED BY:

Kayla Burrow

(click images to to enlarge)

Outline the story …

I took my inspiration from Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven". I have a fondness for birds in general and corvids in particular, and decided that it fit not only my physical aesthetic but also felt very on-brand for when I started working on it in 2020. I decided to do the cape embroidery in purple and black due to the purple curtains mentioned in the poem, and did multicoloured upper feathers to evoke the shimmery, almost oil-slick black of a raven's wings in the light. I wanted the whole ensemble to evoke a very 'stormy night' look, without becoming dreary and dull, so I only used true black fabric for the trousers, while the rest of the outfit is various shades of grey. Also, that way the feathers stood out a bit better than they would have as black and purple on black.

Outline the construction…

This outfit was my first foray into pattern drafting, or indeed anything more fitted than clothing from the 1100s. I drew my drafting instructions from two sources. For the shirt and chemise, which you cannot see, being my undergarments (for shame! I'm not THAT scandalously inclined) came from "Needlework and Cutting-Out" by Kate Stanley - my version was published in 1883. The knickerbockers and cape were drafted from "Turn-of-the-Century Fashion Patterns and Tailoring Techniques" by S. S. Gordon, published in 1901. The shirt and chemise are cotton, the trousers are heavy wool, the corset is silk lined in linen, and the cape is wool lined in cotton velveteen. All the threads used, both in assembly and decoration, are silk.

I entirely hand-sewed this project, from the chemise on out, which was something of a literal pain - it took me around four months, all told, from start to finish. A major stumbling block was that I've never really done anything very fitted before - fitting my corset in a way that was comfortable took a month, in and of itself. Fitting the shirt to avoid unsightly wrinkles and bulges was also time consuming, but very worth while.

I found a myriad of period sewing manuals available, full text, that were invaluable to me in my attempts, as they instructed me both in how to pattern the items and how to assemble them, from what seams to use to how to sew on the buttons and hook and eye sets.

COMMENTS

Divider_GoldMoth

7 Comments

  1. Susanna Antonsson on March 12, 2021 at 7:59 pm

    Nice ensemble. I particularly like the shirt and trousers.

  2. Avatar Rowan Rubin on March 12, 2021 at 11:32 pm

    Four months!!! That is nothing to sneeze at. Very ambitious, and invaluable as a learning experience. It’s nice also that these things are imminently wearable for daily life as well.

  3. Avatar Manon L'Hostis on March 15, 2021 at 4:10 pm

    This cape is very detailed. Love it!♡

  4. Laurie on March 19, 2021 at 8:22 pm

    Quite charming! Nice continuity with the make-up!

  5. Avatar Marion Brégier on March 20, 2021 at 8:22 pm

    Those wings ! You did an amazing job !!!

  6. Avatar Stephanie Tietze on March 22, 2021 at 8:09 am

    I love your raven cape… the wings are amazing especially given the timeline.

  7. Avatar Suzanne Egan on March 23, 2021 at 4:49 am

    oh! all those little well executed details and I would so love a cape that has raven feathers on it! What a wonderful imagining of the Raven. Well done!

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