Cap & Gown update and some supplies you’ll need

Cap & Gown update! Seen above from left to right is my first, second and third attempt. I am getting closer to good solutions for all the details/honors. Right now I’m working on a first draft of an elementary age graduate and she should be pretty cute! I’ll share an update when I can. (Fancy regalia for Masters and Doctorate levels will have to wait for a future supplement pattern.)

SOME SUPPLIES YOU’LL NEED:

This pattern will use the same basic supplies common to my other Christmas ornaments like Sulky Stick ‘n Stitch, wool felt, DMC floss, stuffing, cotton pipe cleaners, wood beads, etc… Besides the usual supplies, you should get Diamant gold or silver embroidery thread (regular for embroidery, Grande for the loop) plus sequins and seed beads which match the gown or are transparent. 4 mm or 5 mm sequins are both fine.

You’ll also need stiffened craft felt (I like Kunin Friendly felt) for the mortarboard, but failing that, I will show you how to stiffen regular wool felt. I use one shiny gold seed bead on the tassel, and if your smarty has a medallion you can use a 5 mm gold cupped sequin, as seen on the righthand graduate.

Depending on the hairstyle, you may need a skein of floss, chenille stems, or just a permanent marker. Floss for long hair, chenille stems for shorter curly hair or floppy bangs, and just marker for really short hair. Some creative folks curl their DMC floss by wrapping it around a dowel and spraying it with starch or stiffening spray to get long curly hair. The possibilities are too extensive to include them all, but I’ll have a few basic options in the pattern.

The hood is optional (cream colored collar shown on right and left). So are the cords and stole. I plan to test using 3/8 inch satin or grosgrain ribbon for the stole instead of felt because I think it might look nicer. If you end up using ribbon you’ll need something like Dritz Fray Check to seal the cut edges. And I still need to nail down a good method for free standing cords for those who have a stole and cords.

If you’d like to add a different skin tone to the wood bead, I prefer using watercolor and a largish brush, as seen on the middle graduate above. (Lots more tips for heads are here.) It can be a little tricky to get even color, but I like the translucent matte result. You can also of course use acrylic paint, but the color will be opaque and a little shiny. And for a female graduate you’ll need some felt in the same skin tone if her neck/chest and bare legs will be visible.

OK, that’s the update, and I’m headed back to my work desk!