A new hood.

Part of being creative is being adaptable.  Many times I've started a project with a plan, and ended the project with something entirely different -- and that's what happened this time. The green wool hood and sleeves I had planned to go with my new brown wool dress didn't play as well as I had hoped. It seems like too much work to pick out the too-slippery silk lining I'd put into the green hood, so I set it aside and looked in my smalls drawer for other options. (I think smalls is a much nicer term than scraps, don't you?)

I made a pair of brown woolen trousers about a year ago that didn't work out. The thick fabric made the drawstring waistband look bulky and unattractive. I've been cutting bits off the legs for this and that ever since and there was enough left to cut out a new hood. It's the perfect thickness, too, to keep one's head and shoulders cozy, warm, and dry. 

So here it is, in all it's odd-looking glory, gracing a plaster bust of my husband (hooray for theater props) and making him look a bit like ET because I've had to stuff dishtowels under there to make shoulders. I promise you that both the hood and my husband are more attractive in real life.

The seams were made with a running stitch and a half-inch seam allowance. Then I pressed them flat and whipstitched them for added strength, and hemstitched the edges down for a neat finish. Normally I would tuck the cut end under to resist fraying, but that would be very bulky and with wool it's not such a worry.

The buttons were a thrift store find. I got fifteen of them on a blouse for five dollars. I wish they were little bigger, but at that price I wasn't going to argue. They're not beads and wire -- they're one piece, solid cast. 

Sorry for the lousy quality of these photos. It was a little overcast this morning so there wasn't much natural light in the kitchen. I had to crank open the exposure to get a decent shot. 

There's a short liripipe tail on the back. I could have made it longer by piecing on an extra bit, but frankly, it bugs me to have that much going on in the back and they're a pain to turn out after sewing the seam. Short tails are just as period-acceptable, so there we go. 

Here you can see the hood, casually open as it would be on a temperate fall afternoon, with the brown dress. A very attractive match, I think! I'm still deciding if I want to add decorative embroidery. I think I'll get the sleeves done and then figure out if I want to add that touch of fancy.