Sigh.....

I got the old embroidery removed from my cloak last night and tossed the cloak in the washer.  Any cloak that I have needs to be able to be washed regularly.  I am not a fool and I've been working with fabrics for many years.  I always pre-wash my fabrics.  And, indeed, this cloak has been washed at least two times before.  This time the wollen overcloak shrunk where the satin undercloak did not.  Sigh.....  So, not only did my white markings for my embroidery not come out in the wash, but the lining now needs to be shortened.  My other alternative will be to split the two pieces apart and cut new pieces for each.  I actually think that the wool shrunk to a good length, I had been a bit worried thinking that the cloak would be a bit too long anyway.  But I'm not happy that the wool is still shrinking.  This will have been the third time that I washed this fabric and it should have settled down by now.  It also, with this latest issue, will not be ready to wear for Fest this weekend and that was the whole purpose in removing the embroidery and attempting to wash the embroidery pattern markings off the cloak.  It won't be ready for this season.  I will now have to separate the hood and its' lining and re-align the two pieces to account for the shrinkage, then re-embellish with embroidery.  Since I am doing that, it presents me with many possibilities.  But, as I said, it will not be ready to wear this weekend.  It will be cold this weekend - 40's to mid-60's Fahrenheit, and I will miss not being able to wrap my wool around me.  Maybe I'll just go ahead and shorten the lining anyway ... no.  I just can't bring myself to wear something less than 100%. 

Isn't this beautiful?  This is machine embroidered. 
Unfortunately, this is WAY beyond the
capabilities of my machine.  But it's certainly pretty!

The cloak pins, on the other hand, are progressing well.  They should be complete by the end of next week if I get some early morning time at my silver bench.  The backs are cut out and just need to get into my polisher, then I need to make and set the rivets, and finally set the enamels into the settings.  Rivets always cause me some problems, so using them again is not a bad thing.  I am using pretty thick wire for the pin tines and the rivets so things should be sturdy.  What a project - this one has taken me far too long and, since I'm so picky, is still not complete.  Sigh....