Sunday, April 13, 2014

Mle. 1897 Tente Abri Individuelle

Here are some new pictures of the French WW1 tents I've been producing.  The original half was assembled from two panels of 36" light-weight tan cotton, stitched selvege to selvege.  It has 2" hems at bottom and top, and 2 1/4" hems at the sides.  The hems were stitched in one long continuous line from inside to outside, looping at the corners.  Each corner, as well as the lower center, has two hand stitched grommets for rope lines.  Along each end and the top are seven evenly spaced hand-stitched buttonholes and corresponding buttons.  This one has the repro buttons provided by Brett Johnson.  Along the center line and in an arc at top center there are a series of tabs which (I believe) allow the tent to be used as a sort of poncho.  I have tried to reproduce the original in meticulous detail, though I confess the fabric is still a bit light compared to the original.  A good coat of waterproofing should help!