Well, Helen, your archery skills impress
me! I wish I could do that. My brothers have made bows - of a sort - themselves. But we have a very small yard and my mother is (understandably) not too wild about them getting arrows, so they just have to make do. It's been very... interesting at times.
About hand-sewing the cloak: Well, the main part is only one piece, cut in a semi-circle. I would've hand-hemmed all those edges anyway, so it wasn't a biggie. The hood was four pieces that could've been machine-sewn faster, but it wasn't too bad. And joining the hood to the body by hand is probably a lot more secure than by machine! I sewed over it twice, very carefully; perhaps even backstitching. Actually, I find hand sewing very relaxing. It's ideal for listening to books on tape or sermons or something.
About the pattern: I like the pattern because of the way it hangs open. That means I can wear it around the house without it getting in my hands' way. But just because it hangs open doesn't mean there's not enough material to wrap up in. When I've worn it on reenactments, I've found it useful - and attractive - to swing one side across and pin the edge to my other shoulder. It draps across my neck (you can adjust how high) and hangs very nicely. This drape is also shorter than full length, so it doesn't get in the way of my hands. Actually, it hangs over my arms, keeping them warm but allowing me full use of them.
Here and
here are a couple of very bad pictures (I've cropped them for reasons of vanity
) that still may help you understand what I'm talking about. (The green and yellow is a jacket I'm wearing beneath the cloak; the blue is the skirt of the dress below that.)
Here is one showing the cloak hanging open.
The other thing is I'd
highly recommend making it in wool. And I don't mean super heavy-duty pea-coat-weight stuff either - that's like making a hobbit dress out of cotton tent canvas!
Besides being the warmest thing going, as well as authentic, it drapes gorgeously and is a dream to sew with. I think the last four things I've made have been of wool! I love this stuff.
And as for the to-do list... *sigh* I need to get back to studying for my history test. Work before play, as always!