French Hood

[Cilean]

I am horrible at making hats or head gear and I have two I need to have done for Costume College this year.  A 14th Century Crispenette and a French Hood, I had taken a class with Sarah Woodville in the SCA and her rethinking of the French Hood felt right for me, please check this out:

http://www.modehistorique.com/blog/?page_id=234

While her research is fabulous? Her pattern and description lacks well volume.  It happens with people who are academic and sew they expect all of us to be on their level of expertise, not a blame or knock to Sarah, just something that happens.  So I am working this pattern and I have made my wired Coif, because I wanted a point to my Coif in the front.  I am now at the 'Paste' portion, I don't do red so I have silk in pink and blue and purple (of course). I have veil to make out of velveteen for right now with linen as the  lining, however I have some material coming that I want to fancy it up so to speak! LOL  Once I get it I will be adding more lovely pearls so that I will have a couple of Hoods to work with.

So now I am on the paste and making it curve a bit!

Wish me luck as soon as I finish I will be adding the information to my Blog (with Sarah's permission of course)

Cilean

[Kate XXXXXX]

How I made mine:

http://www.diceyhome.free-online.co.uk/KatePages/Costuming/FrenchHood/making_a_french_hood.htm

[isabelladangelo]

Mine was fairly simple.  I did sort of a "stretched" crescent shape out of plastic canvas to use as the inner lining.   I cut out slightly larger stretched crescent shapes out of both my "fashion fabric" and lining, sewing them over the plastic canvas so you could still see the raw edges (I didn't turn them).  I then attached the black velvet to the top (Hiding the top raw edge) and then sewed the basic coif to the bottom (hiding that raw edge as well).

You can see me wearing it here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/strawberrykaren/222418482/

It has been 92 F that day and I think this was taken after sitting outside for 4 or 5 hours?   Which is why it's not the best picture.   

[Cilean]

Awesome you all look wonderful!  Do take the time to read through Sarah's approach and why I am trying this because of the look to accurate Hoods and for the ease in which it is put together.  I think you all might want to play with her version as well!


Cilean

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/album/568945717rrLAko?start=24

I have French Hoods in this album.

French Hoods are some of the easiest Hats to make. It's a matter of getting the Millinery wire to curve just right and following the directions on the patterns.

The Lynne McMasters patterns are the easiest to follow. She explains how to cut the Buckram or Plastic Canvas, the under lining(mulling), as well as the Fashion Fabrics. The mebellishing is up to the wearer.

[isabelladangelo]

Awesome you all look wonderful!  Do take the time to read through Sarah's approach and why I am trying this because of the look to accurate Hoods and for the ease in which it is put together.  I think you all might want to play with her version as well!


Cilean

I've read hers many times before.  Unfortunately, there isn't any such thing as an "accurate" hood since we have no extant examples and construction methods aren't discussed in any books of the period (unlike dresses!).  Each is based on that person's interpretation of the evidence we have.  Actually, accurate would probably be buckram (hence the plastic canvas -it won't melt when wet but has the same rigidity needed) or millinery wire (there is extant evidence for that in Gabled hoods).  I think QEI's wardrobe has a bit on hoods of the period...

[Cilean]

As I said, while many people have extrapolated on French Hood Construction, but I find Sarah's thoughts to feel (not proven but an opinion) more real, as you go through the previous 1500's and 1400's head gear. 

I have worn her construction, it does not pull in the back or is very heavy, it makes sense since the frugality was key to reuse what they had, we see this when the square necked Smock went out of fashion they create partlets to use with them. I think that it is logical people would not make an entire piece but would use the veils they had from previous incarnations and add them to something new. 

When I say more accurate, I am using the term for the coif, as well as the other pieces, as many still wear a hood with hair unbraided and hanging down, without a veil and with out said coif.  This is what I am saying is more accurate than most, and I do use and have used Lynn McMasters as an educator and helper to make spiffy things all the time.  However unlike Ms. McMasters, Milady Woodville's information is very light so I am trying to make her information easier for myself (and hopefully others) to understand and construct.  This is what I was mentioning on why I was putting it into my blog.

Hopefully I will be able to take pictures of the step by step process, so that I can show what I have been doing, but it involves my personal nemesis Math! Luckily I have the hubby and he has been handling said Mathematical issues so I am not sitting under a tree crying!

It is also my birthday! So I have been doing some lovely shopping and finding of "paste" fabrics! 

I am having a ball working with this, and then onto the next hat a 1300's to match my new GFD!

Cilean
Blowing out the candles on the chocolate cake, anyone want a slice? Real Buttercream!! Yummmmmmm!