Gnomes on a Woodland Stroll

Hi, I am Sandra and I write about my sewing  at FlossieFT and when I was little I loved fairy stories – particularly ones about little elves and gnomes that lived in the bottom of the garden or the woods at the end of the lane.  Living just out of sight of humans until they needed to contact that one special child.  I realised I haven’t grown up too much from this when I spotted this gnome and woodland creature printed cotton, I even circled the store 3 times but I kept coming back to it. I bought it intending to make a quirky summer skirt, but my sewing plans always change.

I first saw the Woodland Stroll Cape at the start of the year with Wendy’s version at a sewing meet up.  I was very impressed and could see myself rocking a little cape like this.  I found the outer fabric a few weeks later at Unearthed (a retro store on Upper Cuba St) which was about 1.5m x 1.5m and only $12.  It is a brushed tartan with some wool content (I assume) and best of all it is green.

When I was on a roll cutting projects out a few months ago this tartan and cape pattern had floated to the top so I just needed a lining… and the gnomes was the best option in my stash (and probably a better use than another cotton skirt).  I cut everything out and then cut out a few more projects and this one drifted down in the new stash of projects cut but not begun.  I hadn’t forgotten about it, I just had others that kept rising to the top above it.  Then a new challenge arose – The Monthly Stitch – with its Cape Challenge.  How could I not do it?  Especially with a cape already cut out and ready to go.

It is a simple cape to make – the shoulders seams of the shell and the lining are sewn, then you find a large flat space and pin all the edges together.  This long seam is sewn and then with some clever gathers in the round corners to pull them nicely in it is all turned through the hole in the lining shoulder.  After a gentle iron to coax these corners  and the edges to sit nicely all that is needed is buttons/buttonholes to finish it off.  I got most of mine done on a Saturday afternoon!

  

So with my cheeky gnomes, foxes and mushrooms and the pattern is the Woodland Stroll Cape I decided this was my Enid Blyton Cape and now I am off to read my copy of the wishing chair!