1730s Casaque

 For the 1730s Casaque I've not done too much researching I have to admit. I have followed Mill Farm's Pattern for the Casaque/Robe Battande and was purely inspired by this picture

Chardin, Briefesieglerin

Sorry for not draping the skirt nicer...

The most important experience I've made was sewing with stripes. I'm usually not a "patterns with directions" person but I'm somehow having a stripey phase. ;)  Anyhow, after experimenting with orderly and less orderly stripes and folds I came to the conclusion, that I didn't like the folds to be too orderly. The back would have looked horridly tidy and somehow uncoloured, that I just went for the "position of stripes by chance" method, placing the pattern on the fabric in the most economic way. It's still sort of symetrical, I didn't want to have a piece with a stripey anarchy but it's less geometrical (the orderly way reminded my of a striped sort of Mondrian...). Anyhow, this is the result, being worn over side hoops and a matching petticoat.

 

As for the pattern, it's Mill Farms #14.
 I have to say, I am not completely happy with the pattern. The instructions where a bit sketchy in places (I still haven't figured out, which way the front folds are actually MEANT to be pleated, the way I understood it just looked... horrid...?!) and didn't go together that well. The cuffs were not set onto the sleeves but just an extra piece continueing the sleeve. Also the order in which to assemble the Casaque was a bit... weird... All in all the pattern is ok, as in 3 out of 6 points. ;)

Being awfully German I tried to stick to the pattern as long as possible but there was SUCH a lot of tweaking involved to make it look the way I wanted it to look like. I have attached two red ribbons made out of the silk to be able to loosely close the Casaque.