"Cap for a Young Member of the Society of Friends” The Workwoman’s Guide, Plate 15, Fig 14 & 16 (Tutorial with Videos)

In November 2023, I taught a daycap workshop at the 1820 Col. Benjamin Stephenson House. I chose three caps to focus on that are not the typical 'reenactor' caps most ladies wear. All three were originally published in "The Workwomans Guide" in1838. This is the third tutorial from the workshop. Here are the other two, "Cap for a Young Lady" and "Another Cap".

This cap is called "Cap for a Young Member of the Society of Friends". It is definitely not limited to young women as this style is often seen in paintings being worn by a wide range of ages. Its shape is very typical of the first half of the 19th century.

The size of this cap easily covers the entire head. Having a bad hair day is not a problem, this cap has you covered...literally. It's adjustable to a certain extent and can easily be dressed up or dressed down, depending on your interpretation.   I highly recommend doing a mockup of this cap before cutting into your good fabric since the original size is rather large and comes down the neck quite far. 

As for fabric, use either a light-weight linen or cotton. The cap in the photo (above right) is made of linen and when starched (it is not starched in the photo), holds its shape very well. Organdy or cotton batiste would be excellent choices too.

Of the three caps I presented, this one is the most time-consuming. It is not hard to put together but it is a little more fussy than the other two. The extra time is worth it though. The original pattern is measured out in 'nails' not inches. The book offers detailed information on how to measure using nails on page 14. To make drafting these patterns easier, I made a ruler with the nails already marked out. For reference, a Nail is 2 1/4".

Below are the original instructions and images provided in the book. 

Original illustration and instructions from "The Workwoman's Guide".

1. Cut out the caul (front) and crown (circle). Mark points B, D, and C, and the halfway point between D and E (blue line on curve) on both sides with a fabric marker for future reference. The halfway mark between D and E indicates two quarter sections on the back of the caul (D and E are the other two). This mark was not on the original pattern but is useful once you get to steps 7 and 8.

Mark the crown at the quarter points with a fabric maker.

Crown pattern piece showing the quarter marks.

2. Sew a narrow flat-felled seam between points E and F. Start by offsetting the cut edges 1/8” – ¼”.

Use a small running or spaced back-stitch to sew the two pieces together.

Press the seams so the wider edge covers the narrower one. In the photo below, both cut edges are pressed to the left. If you look closely, the narrow edge (underneath) is visible through the fabric.

Fold the wider edge under the narrow one to enclose the cut edges. Pin in place and whipstitch down.

3. On the curved edge between D & E, mark a 3/16” seam allowance from the cut edge around the caul's top opening. 

The light purple dots mark 3/16" from the cut edge.

Press the fabric over at the 3/16" mark (pictured above) then press it over again (next photo), enclosing the cut edge inside the seam. Do Not Sew The Seam Down Yet!

The seam turned and pressed but not sewn down yet.

4. Make a small eyelet at point D before whipstitching the caul seam in place. This should be on the outside of the cap. The finished seam will create a drawstring channel.

Point D is marked with a purple dot.

Using a bodkin, create a hole at D on the outside of the cap.

Finished eyelet on the outside of the cap. Now the seam around the caul can be whipstitched into place.

5. Repeat the above process around the front and neck edges of the caul creating a small eyelet on the outside of the caul at point B before whipstitching the seam in place.

Whipstitching the front and neck edges of the caul.

Whipstitching around the front and neck edges of caul

6. Sew a small rolled hem around the crown piece. Here is a short video of how I do a rolled hem.

7. You should have marked the quarter points on the caul in Step 1. If not, then mark them now. There will be one mark at point D, one at E, and one halfway between these two points on each of the curved sides.

Quarter points being marked on the caul.

The quarter mark located halfway between D and E on one side of the cual. 

8. Using a thicker thread, sew a whip-gather over the rolled hem between each quarter mark on the crown. Do not cut the thread short after sewing each quarter; leave the ends long. This is how you will gather the crown to fit the caul. It's easier to gather each quarter section of the crown separately before attaching it to the caul. That way if your thread breaks while you're pulling the gathers, you only have to redo a small section.  

Sewing a whip-gather stitch over the crown's rolled hem.

For additional detailed descriptions of how to do whip-gathers, refer to “The Lady’s Guide to Plain Sewing” by a Lady (Kannik’s Korner). 

Attach the crown to the caul by matching the quarter points then evenly distributing the crown gathers between the marks. Attach the gathers using the same technique for attaching ruffles in my previous cap posts;  “Another Cap” and "Cap for a Young Lady" Below is a quick video of how I attached the ruffle

The crown gathers pinned to the caul and evenly distributed between quarter points.

9. Run a narrow drawstring through the casing created in Step 3 and tie the strings together. (Not pictured) This allows the crown's fit to be adjusted. 

10. Cut a piece of fabric (either the same used for the cap body or something lighter weight) to make a ruffle. I recommend using a lightweight fabric for the ruffle as it makes it easier to gather and attach. The length should be double the front and neck edge measurements and at least 1.5” wide. If you are unable to cut it as one long piece, you may need to sew shorter pieces together. Join the two short ends of the ruffle piece together using a flat-felled seam. Sew a rolled hem along both long edges of the ruffle. This will finish all the cut edges and keep the ruffle from fraying. 

Sew a whip-gather over the rolled hem using a thicker thread along one long edge of the ruffle. As in step 8, it's easier to do this process in quarter sections. Carefully, but firmly, pull the thread to create gathers. Evenly distribute the gathers along the outside edges (front and neck) of the cap.

*I've covered ruffles in my previous cap tutorials so I won't go into a lot of detail here. Read “Another Cap” and "Cap for a Young Lady" for additional details.

11. Attach the ruffle to the front and neck edges using the same technique shown in the video from step 8.

Detail of attaching the ruffle to the front of the cap.

How to open your finished ruffle once it's completely attached.

 

12. Using an embroidery needle, run a narrow drawstring through the eyelet at point B down the cap's front channel to point C. Bring the needle through the wrong side of the fabric at point C. Make a couple small back-stitches at C to secure the cord in place. 

Repeat for the other side. 

This front drawstring can be tied to fit your face and untied for laundering and ironing the cap.

13. 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 of the long edges and one short edge on each tie. Gather the unfinished short edge and sew it to the inside corner of each front side.

*Also detailed in my previous cap tutorials; “Another Cap” and "Cap for a Young Lady" 

Happy Sewing!!