Cap for a Young Lady “The Workwoman’s Guide”, Plate 15, Fig. 1 & 2 (Tutorial)

 

Cap for a Young Lady

     This daycap is one of my absolute favorites. It has a unique shape and frames the face beautifully. And, it is one of the easiest caps I've ever sewn. The original instructions were published in "The Workwoman's Guide", c. 1838. If you've been following my blog for long, you'll know this is my go-to book for historical sewing patterns. It's full of just about anything you can think of, and then some. This cap was one of three that I taught during a workshop at the 1820 Col. Benjamin Stephenson House in November 2023. 

     To read a tutorial on one of the other caps presented during the workshop, check out my previous post “Another Cap” The Workwoman’s Guide, Plate 9, Fig 27 & 28 (Tutorial). In that post, I cover the period measurement of "nails" used to draft patterns from the book which I will not reiterate here.

The finished cap (minus the chin straps) modeled by my daughter.

"The Workwoman's Guide" refers to this cap as one appropriate for a young lady but I'm not sure why it wouldn't have been worn by older women as well. I will say the original pattern runs very small so if you have a larger head and a lot of hair (like me), you'll need to make a mockup first then enlarge it to fit.  The final cap's shape is slightly different than the one shown in the illustration; the back seam and gathers are actually placed higher up on the finished cap's center back than what is depicted in the original drawing.

The original instructions from the book.

The pattern is cut as one piece of fabric with a fold at the top of the daycap between points A & B (see pattern piece below). I disregarded the last three sentences of the instructions since they were not necessary for fit. The cap runs small anyway so the addition of a "coloured ribbon" between E and F to draw it up seemed redundant.  However, the addition of a "broad runner" and "bow" would be nice details to dress up this simple cap and could be tacked on for easy removal when laundering or wanting a change.

Drafted pattern.

Before beginning, make a mockup out of cheap fabric. This will ensure a proper fit and help work out any issues before cutting your good fabric. I recommend using white or off-white, lighter-weight linen, cotton organdy, or cotton batiste. The ruffle can be made out of the same fabric as the body or from a lighter-weight fabric in the same color. If you don't want to take the time to sew a ruffle by hand (probably the most time-consuming part of this pattern) then a premade lace could also be used.

Step 1. Sew a narrow flat-felled seam from point F to H at the lower center back of the crown. 

Offset the cut edges about 1/8”-1/4”. Use a small running or spaced backstitch to sew the two pieces together. 

Open the seam up and press the longer edge over the short one. 

Fold the long edge under the short one to enclose the cut edges. Pin in place and hemstitch down.

2. Run a gathering stitch from points B & C on the back of the crown. Gather to fit the small section between points H & C and backstitch in place with a ¼” seam allowance. Finish the seam edge by overcasting the cut edges.

The finished seams of the gathered crown and center back.

3. Mark the hem along the front and bottom 3/16” from the cut edge. Press the fabric over at the mark then press it over again, enclosing the cut edge inside the seam. Whipstitch the seam in place.

The dotted line is the 3/16" mark.

Pressing the 3/16" seam over on the first turn. It should be turned again to enclose the cut edge before whipstitching it down.

At this point, the body of the cap should be complete. Now on to the ruffle. If you're using a premade lace ruffle, attach it along the front and lower edges, otherwise proceed to Step 4.

4. Cut a piece of fabric (either the same used for the body of the cap or something lighter weight) to make a ruffle. It should be double the front and neck edges measurement and at least 1.5” wide. 

Join the two short edges with a narrow flat felled seam.

   

5. Sew a narrow rolled hem along both long edges of the ruffle.

Creating a rolled hem along one long side. Repeat on other long side.

Creating a rolled hem along one long side.

6. Using a thicker thread, sew a whip-gather over the rolled hem (created in Step 5) only along one long edge of the ruffle. Carefully, but firmly, pull the thread to create gathers. Evenly distribute the gathers along the outside edges (front and neck) of the cap.

The whip-gather before it has been pulled to create the gathers.

7. Attach the gathered ruffle to the cap.  Put your needle through the loop of the gather (aka 'hill') from back to front (as seen below) then pick up the top threads along the edge of the cap (only catch the very edge).  Your thread should naturally lay in the 'valley' between the 'hills' on the ruffle. Pull the thread snugly but not tight. 

*For a detailed description of how to do a rolled hem and a whip-gather, refer to “The Lady’s Guide to Plain Sewing” by a Lady (Kannik’s Korner). If you don't already own this book, I highly recommend it.

Attaching the ruffle to the cap.

 8. Once the ruffle is sewn to the cap, turn the ruffle out so the hems are butted together.

9. Attach chin ties. Cut two ¾” x 14” strips (of the same fabric used for the cap or something lighter-weight) to create chin straps. Roll hem both long edges and one short edge. Gather the unfinished edge and sew to the corner of each side.

Chin strap attached to one side.

Your cap should now be complete. 

I love seeing others' creations. If you made this cap, please share photos in the comments below.