Tuesday 2 August 2011

Sew It - A Smart Dusting Cap

Whilst on the Isle of Wight I found this little pattern in one of the 1930s sewing books that I keep at my Mums, I took a quick snap of the page on my phone for deciphering later and now that I have had a chance to make one up, I thought it was about time I shared with you all. It did take me a while to decipher the instructions as the drawing in the book was more confusing than helpful, so I have redrawn it and added a bit more text which hopefully makes it a bit clearer.

A Smart Dusting Cap 
(approx. 1938)
The little dusting cap tied in a bow on the forehead is very quickly made. 

Ingredients: 
27" of 36" wide material - I used cotton gingham from my stash.

No pattern is required, just work the directions on to the material.
1. Open out the material and fold it in half the other way, so that it now measures 36" by 13.5".
2. Cut along the fold to within 12" of the other end.
3. Hem all the edges.
4. Join the two selvedges at the fold end and gather up this seam until it measures 5 ins.
To wear the cap, place it on with the gathers at the top and wind the two ends round the head, first crossing them at the back.


The cap is really very easy to make up, the hardest part really is the hemming. I chose to do a machine rolled hem as it was quicker than painstakingly doing it by hand, the only tricky bit comes when hemming up the slit in the middle, I rolled the hem up to the slit and then caught in as much as I could of the rolled fabric either side of the point of the slit, I am sure there is a knack to this which I don't think I have mastered here as it is a little messy, but as it's only for wearing about the house I am not too concerned.

You can tie it any way that suits you, as there is be plenty of length to play with, I will say that I found the bow quite hard to get right, but that has probably more to do with my big old head than the pattern!
Bow Style: It is a bit fiddly to get just right but worth it!
Turban Style: Tie a double knot on the top of your head and tuck in the loose ends
So there you have it your very own 30s dusting cap, the only problem is now there really are no excuses for not doing some dusting!

Wendy x

19 comments:

  1. So cute! I can't wait to try to make one :)

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  2. Ahhhh, that is DARLING! I definitely need one of these to perk up my dull dusting days!

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  3. oh so nice,
    you chose a pretty fabric too,
    I like gingham,
    thanks for sharing

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  4. That's really cute, too nice to waste on housework!

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  5. So cute! And I agree with Lakota - I think you should promote it from housework! I'm sure you could wear it out and about...

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  6. This is so adorable great idea x

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  7. I LOVE it! Thanks for sharing - will definitely be making one.

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  8. That cap looks too cute to dust in! Thanks for sharing the pattern; I think I'll have a go at making one too.

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  9. You look so adorable amor, I love gingham.

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  10. How wonderful! Perfect to wear on those lazy days!

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  11. I love this! it's so cute, I really want to give it a go, plus the gingham is so pretty :)

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  12. so cute. now i can look adorable while dusting! and actually, i'm allergic to dust, so this is practical, too; it will keep the dust out of my hair, and then i can just wash it after and kiss the dustystuff residue goodbye :)

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  13. Very cute dusting cap....love it! Hope you are safe from the riots in London, it has been such a terrifying event. I never thought such devastation would happen in London on such a scale.
    Also thanks for your lovely comment on my blog and sorry for the late reply, things have been a little mad since I returned.
    Hope all is well and stay safe.
    May xx
    http://walkinginmay.blogspot.com/2011/

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  14. Not sure if I'll get an answer, but have to ask anyway. :) This is adorable! Any visuals or directions on how to put it on?

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