A Pair of Baronial CopesClick on a thumbnail for a larger image, then use your back button
Dragon's Laire Cope, Back View
Side View
Spread View
Renart and I (Aelianora) had been part of the SCA for a few years when we attended our first 12th Night in 2004. There, I was surprised to see a few Barons and Baronesses wearing copes (capes), with their Baronial device. I was surprised because I had never seen our Baron and Baroness wearing such things. I wondered why and asked my good friend HL Arontius, who told me only one had ever been made. Hmmm... maybe I could make some for the Barony?
So Arontius says to me..
'Sure, why not go ahead and make the copes. It would be a great surprise.' And so, the plot was hatched. Originally they were to be done for Junefaire 2004. But... well, first of all I had to find out what materials I should use. Arontius says, 'Ohh, use the very best.' I ordered silks and wools and linen from Denver Fabrics. Then, I had to decide what style of cape, or cope, to make. I spent some time cruising the internet, looking at photos of extant examples. As I did, I realized that maybe, just maybe, I could make copes in a period style, out of period materials. I knew nothing about how to judge how long it would take, nothing about, even how I would make them. I just knew that with enough determination, I would try. And heck, if I failed, only a few close friends would know! And it would only take a few months, surely!
I worked on the copes almost solo. Renart helped with some cutting and lay out, and was very patient when I burst into tears, or hung yet another length of fabric on him, or complained about the joint problems I developed (and still have) in my fingers from the handwork. Hours before the copes were presented, Mistress Gwen, Lady Alis and Lady Elizabeth of the Barony helped me finish up the hems on the linen lining. So my obsessiveness and need for control created a situation where the copes rose or fell on my own efforts. I thought this was fine. Ha. Ha... Hahahahahahaha. In the several months from original idea to Junefaire I got some fabric cut out. From Junefaire to end of August I got the basic copes made, and started on the embroidery of the dragons. The embroidery took months. I didn't finish the embroideries until the end of December 2004, some 8 months after the original idea took fruition with the ordering of the fabrics. Then the white and gold 'checky' pattern which lines the bottom of the copes was made, and the red and black checks along the edges were put together. The dragons were put onto the copes, and long hours of making trim and sewing it on commenced. I finished that the night before Candlemas, in Feb 2005, and frantically sewed on the linings. There was still work to be done on the embroidery, but I'd promised Renart, and Arontius, Brighid and Cedric, that we'd present the copes at the feast at Candlemas. And present them they did. The looks on their Excellencies' faces were worth all the struggle, doubt, pricked fingers and joint pain.
Now it's near Junefaire 2005. The copes are finally completed. Here's how I made them.
The Concept and Inspirations
There's a cope in the V&A in London, the Syon cope (dating from Edward I's time), that greets you as soon as you enter the Museum. There's a rather poor picture of it in the photos at the bottom of this section. Notice the large squares of alternating colored fabric across the top; squares filled with various devices. Also, there are smaller squares of alternating colored fabric across the bottom. You can learn more about the Syon cope here. There is another cope, the Morton cope, made in the 1400's in England, at the V&A. It too has the squares along the top. There's a picture of it at the V&A website.
Another extant cope, or mantle, is that which was used for the Coronations of the Holy Roman emperors. Made in the 1134 by Arab artisans for the Kings of Sicily, it features two lions attacking two camels. The motifs are set side by side, each centering on one half of the cope. Along the top is intricate embroidered scrollwork, and around the bottom is Arabic writing. The materials used are gold, pearls, silk, precious stones... You can view the cope at this site and there is more information about it here.
I toyed with the idea of doing couched goldwork but, who has that kind of time and money? So I decided to use plain old embroidery and applique. I wanted to make the seams of the cope look nice and thought about using piping. But piping isn't really period. However, In Janet Arnold's Patterns of Fashion there is a dress made for Eleanor of Toledo. The hem of the skirt features what I like to call 'empty' piping. This is essentially tape made out of a fabric of contrasting color that is then inserted into the seam like piping. A small fold of the tape shows along the seams.
So the copes turned out to include elements of design ranging from the 1100's to the 1500's. They are definitely 'Medieval', but are not constrainted to any particular time period in that 400 years. You can see my concept drawing in the table below.
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Syon Cope
Concept Drawing
Construction
Cut out the red and black Background Fabric:
The fabric is Italian wool suiting. I washed it (and all other fabrics used) several times before cutting it to allow it to shrink and to felt it slightly. I do not know if the weave used in the suiting is period. I wanted something that draped well and was fine to the touch, and that's what I got.
Describing how I cut these pieces out is quite difficult. Basically I knew 1/2 of the cope would be equal to 1/4 of a full circle, with the center point of the circle set where the wearer's neck would be. So I used string and chalk and drew that 1/4 of a circle. Of course, it was more complicated because I had to account for the checky band across the top, and the smaller checky band at the hemline.
Sewing these pieces together was trivial, and went quickly.
Start the Dragons:
The lighter yellow silk meant for the dragons was bonded with 'wonderunder' to a thin cotton sheeting. I hadn't intended this step in the planning stages, but the silk was just to fragile to take embroidery without a backing. The darker gold silk which forms the belly of each dragon, was also bonded to wonderunder. So were the velvets of the wreath and money bag, tongues and eyes. White silk, also bonded, was used for the claws and teeth. Dragon outlines were drawn out in pen. Yes, I'm that foolish.
I had Kinko's blow up a copy of the baronial device using their large plotter. The device was almost too big for their plotter! I had several copies made, then cut one up to use as a 'pattern' for the bellies, claws, teeth, wreaths, bags, etc. All the little pieces were cut out and then put into plastic bags to keep them organized, as I had 4 dragons to make.
The dragon applique was done with the steam iron. The wonderunder worked pretty well (especially when bonding silk to silk), although it gave up the ghost in a few sections. However, I'd intended all along to hold down the edges of the applique with embroidery, so I didn't worry. Once all four dragons were assembled, I began the embroidery.
Embroider:
I used a Q-snap quilting frame for the embroidery. No, it's not period, but it's easy to assemble, easy to move, portable and damned convenient. The embroidery was done with black pearl cotton and a huge needle. Embroidering through several layers of wonder under takes quite a bit of finger strength. I've permanently ruined the joint in my left forefinger from my refusal to use fussy pliers to pull the needle through.
Two of the dragons feature split stitch outlining, chain stitch, stem stitch and long-armed crossstitch. The other two feature chain stitch, stem stitch outlining and long-armed crossstitch. All these stitches are period, although I used the long-armed crossstitch to make the folds and dark areas in the money bags. This is not, as far as I know, a period way to use it (ie freeform instead of semi-counted).
I assembled the copes before I finished the chain-stitching on the bellies of the dragons. But, I put the copes together in a way to allow me to finish the embroidery, and use that chain-stitching to further anchor the dragons to the wool.
Cope Borders
I made a template of cardboard to cut the strangely shaped 'squares' of white and gold that run along the bottom of the copes. Once long strips of these squares were sewn together, they were attached to the cope. I inserted my 'empty piping' into that seam. Long straight strips of the larger black and red squares were sewn together, then sewn to the top of the copes. Once again, I used 'empty piping' in the seams.
The copes were then interlined with a lightweight cotton sheeting. This was to give the wool enough backing to hold onto those rather heavy silk dragons. I used wonderunder along the top edge of the cope to give it a bit of stiffness.
Dragons to Copes
The dragons were stuck to the wool of the copes with wunderunder. For the first time in the project this product failed abysmally. I believe it just doesn't like to stick to wool. But, it stuck enough that I was able to get the dragons back into a large Q-snap quilting frame and couch down the edges. I made cord for trim out of red, yellow and black pearl cotton, then couched this down along the edges of the dragon. I have to admit, I love the results.
Lining the Copes
The copes are lined with a well-washed black linen. It's only attached along the top, straight edge, of the copes. Once again, I put my 'empty piping' into the seams. The hem of the copes is done, on the wool and silk side, with a homemade silk tape. This is not a bias tape. I dont like working with bias tape when I'm hand sewing and find tape cut on the grain is sturdier. When machine sewing, well, bias tape is fine. The hem on the linen side was done under pressure, by a handful of people mentioned above, about two hours before the copes were presented to the Barony. Bless them!
The lining is tacked down with tailor's tack stitches at various points.
What's Left?
The copes need fasteners. I would prefer metal clasps, but will probably have to make fabric fasteners for the time being.
I want to embroider circular devices to go in the red and black squares along the top edge of the copes. I see these as being the devices of the present and past Barons and Baronesses. I'd like to see the rest of the community have a hand in these.
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Cutting the Background Wool
Embroidery in Progress
Embroidering a Dragon's Head
A crown wreath: I'm particularly pleased with these
The Left Head of a Dragon
The Right Head of a Dragon
One of the Dragons, Ready for the Wool
The Four Dragons, Rough cut
Fine Cutting a Dragon
Adding the 'Empty Piping' to a Seam
Laying out and Cutting the Silk Checks
Ready for a Dragon or Two
Dragons are Finally on the Copes!
Two of my Important Helpers (GrisGris and Reyna)
A close up showing the cording which I made to go around the Dragons
I put the bellybands on the Dragons after applying them to the copes, so the bands would hold them on better.
One of the Dragons, completely finished.
Close up of a finished Dragon.
The edges of the cope, bound and finished
The lining of the copes, black linen.
THANKS!
The people of Dragon's Laire are wonderful. They accepted these humble copes, and embraced them. Many of them have contributed to the costs of their materials; an act for which I am deeply and humbly grateful.
