New (Linen) Cravat Project!

This project was designed to give me additional cravat scarves (I fold them in thirds and tie like an ascot) to wear instead of the single one I had to start with. Conveniently, the materials cost a fraction of what I paid for the original one I have, so it ended up being a great deal as well as a welcome addition to my wardrobe.

This particular one is made of linen, which as you can tell from the pictures is a lovely light-blue color... not too distant from one of my favorite sweaters, incidentally.

To begin with, I used my initial cravat as a pattern

I cut out the fabric around the original

Initially I was going to pin the whole thing, but realized that the material holds whatever shape you press it into... more on this later...

Because the sewing machine I was using kept having difficulties (I was able to get the machine working, but it stopped before I could get it back home, unfortunately) I ended up using my old sewing machine. As it turns out, changing the needle ended the stitch-skipping problem... so conveniently for me, I was able to actually get this sewed.

However, last week I was in Haiti (Pictures in an upcoming blog post) and I wanted to bring it with me so that I could test the linen in the heat (turns out Haiti wasn't as hot as I anticipated). To make this happen, I actually sewed it about 20 minutes before my taxi showed up to take me to the airport. I think I completed the sewing in about 5-10 minutes, as there are only three seams in the whole cravat. This is also why the seams are not completely straight! (I also sewed using a knee-pedal and not sitting in a chair)

In Haiti wearing the cravat

On the airplane flying back from Haiti

Finally, what it looked like when I got home after wearing it a whole day of traveling through airports, immigration, customs, and countless security checkpoints!

Close up, still looks perfect after a whole day, I didn't even have to retie it at any time during the day

This is what it looked like under the shirt

Remember how I said the material keeps its shape? After wearing it all day, the folds were well-pressed into the material

Here's what the full effect of the wrinkles

After steaming the largest wrinkles... pretty sure that if I used an iron or had a board to press the cravat onto that I'd have some better results...

And the other side

As I sewed it quickly and without pinning, it isn't completely straight. However, as you can tell from the pictures, it's irrelevant once folded and knotted. No one can tell while it's being worn.

Close up of one end


Edit: I forgot to add that the cravat stayed cool all day long, even though I definitely walked through the airport fast enough to make anything around my neck uncomfortable. I must therefore say that so far I am pleased with the properties of linen staying cool and comfortable.