A Very Serious Lappet Cap

It is absolutely no secret that I love the cap patterns from Good Wives Linens. They are well drafted, meticulously researched, easy to put together, and her pattern releases always seem to synchronize with the cap that I’m yearning for at that precise moment! For example – for my mid-18th Century impressions, I wanted a very serious lappet cap, and Good Wives Linens went and released the Mrs Sandby cap.  It was a perfect synchronicity of purchase and purpose.

As per the pattern instructions, I measured around my head to the bottom of my chin, adjusted the lappet pattern to my personal measurements for a perfect nestle of lappet against the bottom of my chin, and cut the cap out of some fine Burnley and Trowbridge linen.

Caps (especially very serious ones) are very good late-evening sewing projects.  You don’t have to fit anything against the body as you go – you measure, you cut, and then hem all the bits individually, and do the whipping of gathers and assembly afterwards – a procedure proof against all fools except the ones who don’t only sew too late at night, but take their initial measurements late at night as well. 

(That fool would be me, in case I’m being too subtle for you here.)

The lappets on this very serious lappet cap were too long by half. At least piecing is period, and “chop it in half with scissors and sew it back together again” solves everything.! Like so:

Once (aka: eventually, and with pit stops for repairs) I’d shortened my band so that it fit PROPERLY I whipped the ruffle to the band – 

– and the band to the caul.

A note on whipping the ruffle to the band: To gather the ruffle around that tight point at the bottom of the lappet with enough fabric that it lays flat instead of cupping, you will need rather more fabric than you expect. Depending on how tight you are able to whip your cap ruffle (heavier linen will make a bulkier gather than fine gauze or cotton voile) you may have to piece an extra section on to your ruffle. There’s nothing wrong with this – as I said above, piecing is period!

And then I had a cap.

And what a cap!

I look like I’ve been tossed, dressed and served up on a starched linen platter for the ecclesiastically discerning, but i am very VERY serious about it indeed.