The Rampant Raccoon

     As is the way with many people who habitually make things, I saw a beautiful piece of craftsmanship and decided I had to have it for myself. Being unable to steal a coat from the Victoria and Albert museum, not the least because of the ocean in the way, I was left with the option of making one. So I grabbed some fur trim off of the giving table and traded a pan of cream cheese brownies for fabric and got to planning.   https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O16066/hunting-coat/       This absolutely beautiful piece is a coat from 1610-1630's India, from the reign of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir. This particular form of coat, called a nadiri , was specifically reserved for Jahangir and those men whom he favoured. So I knew I couldn't make this coat exactly (unless any kings want to declare themselves my best friend?) but I could make something close.        I dove into my image resources to see what I could find that is more bef...

 Unsurprisingly, December has been a slow month for crafting. I have mostly been focusing on the holidays and a whole bunch of baking, rather than my projects. On the plus side, I tried a new recipe for Pfeffernüsse from the 1890s that was great!   Mughal coat: I got my first Mughal coat done! I am quite please with how this turned out in general. I think that I have a good idea of the modifications I need to do for my next coat, which was the real goal with this project (besides having a pretty coat). Full project recap will be coming soon.   Mughal paijama/pants:  I am working on a whole new outfit for myself, so of course I need pants! I am using the fabric from an old scrap project so I am having to piece this a little, but piecing is period. I have got this to the point of fitting well enough for a slim fit, but still being able to move around well. I sit on the floor a fair amount, so if I can't do that then there is a problem.  Next steps for this is taki...