Reminder: the Marie, Charlotte, and Sophia patterns, and the combined pack with all three, are on sale until Tue 13 December – don’t miss out!

The Scroop + Virgil’s Fine Goods mantle patterns actually started more than three years ago…

In addition to running Scroop Patterns, I teach Costume Construction at Toi Whakaari, the New Zealand Drama School.  Toi Whakaari has an amazing graduation tradition.  Rather than wearing standard gowns and hoods, the continuing students make the graduates personalised ‘cloaks’.

The cloaks can be anything.  There have been classic capes, knitted shawls, hats, veils, wooden shields, jackets, kimono, and even a perfectly realised, exquisitely made, cardboard guitar.  Anything that speaks to who the graduate is as a person, and reflects their journey at the school.

You can get a glimpse of this year’s cloaks (including the guitar!) here:

The ‘cloaks’ are made in secret, and given to the graduates by the makers as part of the graduation ceremony.  It’s touching, and beautiful, sometimes hilarious, and yes, makes me cry.

Three years ago there was a costuming graduate who had a strong interest in historical costume.  The students making her cloak came to me with a request.  Would I help them pattern an 18th century mantle for her cloak?

A couple days of research and some quick patternmaking later, and I had the very first draft of what would become View A of the Marie.

Made up by the students in black gauze trimmed with black lace, it made an adorable ‘cloak’ that the graduate loved.

Last year there was another costume graduate with a love of historical costuming.  It was also well known that she really wanted a cloak that she’d be able to use over and over: not one that was just an art piece for graduation.  I did more research and patternmaking and she got a cloak made from an updated version of the mantle pattern: and she loves it.

I had so much fun researching and patternmaking the mantles, and everyone loved the graduate’s versions: obviously this needed to be a pattern.

I also knew that Amber had been working on and off on a mantle pattern for a few years.  Could we combine ours?

We tried, but realised that with the amount of research I’d done, and the amount of research she’d done, and the number of techniques we had covered, and all the different views we had, it was WAY too much for one pattern.

So we split it into three patterns – and each of them is still extremely extensive and detailed!

Here are the primary inspirations we look at for the Marie Mantle.

Marie View A: The Inspiration

The primary inspiration for View A of the Marie was this utterly darling mantle from the V&A.

That shape!  Those double ruffles!  The interior ruffle!  It’s all too perfect!

There are portraits showing similar ruffle-trimmed mantles, like this one of Maria Anna Sophia of Saxony:

For further material and construction information, we also looked at the two figured gauze cloaks in Colonial Williamsburg’s collection.  The black one is included in Costume Close Up, which was a helpful resource.

And this lace mantle at the Met:

Because this is such a classic 18th century shape, I photographed the sample both over a 1760s robe à la française:

And the 1775-1790 Angelica Gown, to really show how versatile it is:

Marie View B, the inspiration:

While we loved the curved front points of View A, there are also a number of extant mantles, and portraits of mantles, showing a much more triangular front shape, with straighter edges.

This shape shows up in the 1740s:

And there are examples of this shape all the way up to the early 19th century.  Almost all of them are in figured silk with simple lace trim.  Obviously lace trim is a technique we needed to include!

However, the similarity between mantles dated to the mid-18th century, and ones dated to the early 19th makes us cautious.  There are certainly more depictions of this cloak shape in the mid-18th century than later.  As a result, we’ve given our pattern an extremely conservative end-date of 1779.

There are depictions of mantles in this general style in a variety of materials, from satin to wool to velvet, to lace:

In lace and silk it’s a decadent accessory for a lady of leisure.  In wool (shown here in the hoodless version), it’s a practical but chic wrap for a working woman:

Lace Mantle Inspiration:

In addition to all the gorgeous ruffled silk, figured gauze mantles, figured silk, and practical wool mantles, there are SO MANY portraits of lace mantles in both View A and View B’s shape:

I adore lace.  I’ve even gotten to work with 18th century lace and lace mantles in museum collections.  Lace mantles are so gorgeous, and such an iconic 18th century accessory that’s so often overlooked, because it’s difficult to replicate.

While it’s impossible to replicate actual handmade lace mantles without actually making lace by hand, there are ways to fake it.  So I was determined to include instructions on making lace mantles in the Marie pattern.

I made a very simple lace mantle as a sample, to really show off the pattern shape, but I’ll be doing a photo essay on making a much more elaborate one:

So the Marie has two shapes (both of which are easily adaptable for even more mantle shape fabulosity).  It’s unlined, and can be made in wool, silk, gauze, or lace, and trimmed with hemmed or pinked ruffles, or lace.  And all of that takes 26 pages of detailed instructions…

No wonder we had to break the pattern up!

More inspiration:

I have an entire pinterest board of inspiration for the mantle patterns, sorted into sections for Marie, Charlotte and Sophia, with an extra section just for lace mantles.

Keep in mind that some of the images are not extremely clear, and may actually depict fichu or cloaks.  They are on the board for fabric, colour, or lace type inspiration.  Be sure to do your own research if you need to be extremely historically accurate.

Further reading:

• Baumgarten, Linda & Watson, John with Florine Carr.  Costume Close Up: Clothing Construction and Pattern, 1750-1790.  The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Williamsburg, Virginia: 1999
• Bradfield, Nancy.  Costume in Detail, 1730-1930.  Harrap Limited, London: 1981
• Hunnisett, Jean. Period Costume for Stage & Screen. Patterns for Outer Garments, Book I: Cloaks, Capes, Stoles, and Wadded Mantles.  Studio City, CA Players Press, Inc. 2000
• Waugh, Norah.  The Cut of Women’s Clothes: 1600-1930.  Faber & Faber Limited, London: 1968

Tomorrow: the Marie tester makes!

We are so excited to introduce the first Scroop + Virgil’s Fine Goods mini collection!  Marie, Charlotte and Sophia are three fabulous mantle patterns that can be purchased individually, or as a combined pattern of mantle amazingness.

Buy the patterns here! – and get 15% off for the first week!

Each of these patterns features two mantle shapes and a range of trim and construction techniques.

From the darling Marie (1740-1779), to the chic Charlotte (1770-1795), to the dramatic Sophia (1775-1810), these three patterns will elevate all your 18th century costuming ensembles, be the perfect addition to your cosplays, and add a fun historybounding touch to your modern wardrobe.

Between the three patterns there are 6 different body views, and instructions for:

• Lined or unlined mantles.
• Hooded and hoodless versions.
• Interlining for extra-warm mantles.
• Three hood styles: the small Marie with star pleating, the medium Charlotte with fan pleating, and the extravagantly large Sophia with hem pleating
• Working with lace to imitate the look of 18th c all-lace mantles
• Almost every possible type of mantle trimming:
  • pinked trim
  • hemmed trim
  • ruffled trim
  • pleated trim
  • purchased fringe as well as self-made fringe
  • marabou
  • faux fur
  • lace

If you buy the combined pack (and get 3 patterns for the price of 2!) you can mix and match hood pleating, linings, trims, and finishes between patterns for a practically limitless array of choices.

The detailed historically accurate sewing instructions cover everything you need to make your own beautiful versions, from first stitches to final trimming.

The pattern comes in four size packs that cover bust sizes 30”-52” (76-132cm).  The pattern is very flexible in size, and can be worn above and below the range sizes.

I’ll be writing individual posts on each pattern over the coming week.

Buy the pattern here! – and get 15% off for the first week!

The 18th Century Mantle Trio is the fourth collaboration between Scroop Patterns and Virgil’s Fine Goods.  Our patterns combine Amber of Virgil’s Fine Goods’ extensive mantua making skills with my patternmaking and teaching skills.

Our goal is to bring you easy-to-use historical patterns with comprehensive size ranges and detailed historically-accurate instructions. The patterns are available as downloadable print-at-home patterns, to make historical sewing more accessible to sewists everywhere, and as paper patterns through Virgil’s Fine Goods and other stores.

We’re extremely proud of this pattern, and are so excited to see your versions!

All the gorgeous tester versions will be coming shortly! Their makes are so inspiring. They combined views, used our trim suggestions, and styled the mantles to their own taste.