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!
It’s time for the most exciting blog post of a pattern launch! Tester makes!
And this time there’s three times the fabulosity, because I’ll be doing three blog posts: one for each view. Today’s feature: the Marie Mantle.
The testing group for the mantle patterns was just wonderful. They were so fun and supportive. They had so many fantastic ideas, and showed off their sewing progress as they worked on their mantles. They asked really thoughtful, detailed questions, and answered the questions we asked in equally thoughtful, detailed ways.
All of which means that the resulting patterns are as good as they could possibly be – everything is as clear as it can be, and fits as well as it can.
As always, we immensely grateful to the people who are willing to pattern test. Thank you so, so much!
Kathy of @yourseoulkey
Kathy’s photos of her View A Marie Mantle are basically fairytales in image form.
You just know that moments before her retinue of adorable songbirds birds flew her mantle in and tied the bow around her neck!
She says her mantle was a quick make which “came together in like two days!” And
“I see infinite potential in this pattern, for historical & cosplay purposes too”
(me tooooo! I can’t wait to see all the cosplays this gets used in!)
Kathy made an Extra Large.
Jean of @fabricatinghistory
Jean went well above and beyond as a tester, making not one, not two, but THREE versions of the Marie Mantle!
First up is this charming View A in sunset pink silk taffeta. She’s done a little reel tutorial on how she did the ruffles. It’s a slightly different technique to the one we use in the pattern, because it’s not the technique that was used on the mantles we studies for the Marie, but really shows how you can adapt these patterns using other period and non-period methods.
She altered the pattern by using the lining instructions given with the Charlotte Mantle to add a gold lining.
Mixing views is something we really encourage. It’s why we sell the Mantle 3-for-the-price-of-2 bundle!
Next up is a perfect hoodless View B winter mantle in dark blue wool. It looks so much like something that would be worn in a mid-18th century print of ‘Winter’
And isn’t that blue bow exactly the right shade.
Finally, and going back to my hope that there will also be lots of cosplays made from this pattern…
There was one particular cosplay that I hoped someone would someday make from one of the mantle patterns. I was sure that it would happen someday, but having a tester do it…wish granted!
It’s Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother!
It’s a View B, and she added the fur trim instructions from the Sophia Mantle for cozy winter perfection.
Jean’s silks are from Renaissance Fabrics. She made her mantles in Large.
@BrazilianBaroness
You know what’s better than getting a costuming wish granted? Getting it granted TWICE.
Only BrazilianBaroness is joining me in the ‘accidentally Disney princess’ (or, in this case, Fairy Godmother) club! Her inspiration was Rococo shepherdess (and she has nailed the look!) but it’s also an utterly delightful take on the Fairy Godmother.
I can’t wait to see her wear it styled as a shepherdess. And maybe a fairy godmother too!
BrazilianBaroness made her View A in Large.
Sara of @saragobragh
Speaking of historical meets cosplay mantles…
Sara’s divinely green Marie View A could be a perfectly historical piece:
But she made it to wear with her 18th century Bulbasaur cosplay 😍 Tooooo clever!
I love seeing this on the dressform, and can’t WAIT to see it fully styled someday!
Sara made a S. Her fabric is Elphaba from Silk Baron.
Serena Dyer of @dressing.history
Amber and I both had a little fangirl moment when Serena applied. I’m a huge fan of her research and am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my copy of Material Lives to arrive (I’m a little behind because I have a rule about how many books I can order in a year…).
Serena’s mantle is a lovely as she is and as meticulously made as her books are researched.
You can see her delicious mantle in motion on her instagram.
She made a Size M, View A, and her silk lutestring is from Burnley and Trowbridge from a few years ago.
So many beautiful makes, so much awesome inspiration!
Thank you to all the awesome Marie testers! We are incredibly grateful for your input!