When the weather got colder, Schwalm women wore a short long-sleeved jacket over the bodice and waistcoat of their festive costumes.

The outside fabric was silk, cashmere or wool.


The jackets were completely lined –


either with a plain linen-weave fabric made of linen threads in the warp and hand-spun lambswool in the woof


or with the same fabric felted.


The front pieces were cut with large curves like the cut of the waistcoats. The arrangement of the buttons formed a heart.


Similar to the waistcoats, most of the jackets had black velvet bands under the button sections.


There were jackets in green, lilac (matching the blue costume), and black.


Often the green silk fabric


was hand embroidered with small red patterns.


The sleeves were long and snug fitting


and closed with two buttons.


The edges of the sleeves were trimmed with black velvet, cut zigzag and decorated with simple ornamental stitches.


The jackets reached from the collarbone to the waist and were close fitting.


A 5 cm high strip of inverted pleats was added at the bottom edge. When the jacket was worn, the pleats lay upon the waistband of the skirts. This pleated section gave the jacket the name of “Troll” jacket.


The fabric strip for the inverted pleats was edged with black velvet.


In patterned fabric the pleats were arranged to match the pattern.


So that the pleats would keep their shape, they were secured on the back with two rows of stitches


in different techniques.


Girls also wore such green jackets with their red costume.

1 Comment
  1. Danke für den sehr interessanten Beitrag, Luzine!

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