VPC2017: Meisterin Christian's Skjoldehamn Hood

This hood is presented for the categories The Neck Best Thing, Cover Me, One Metre Material Project (wool fabric), Counting (on) Sheep.

Meisterin Christian says:

I anticipated needing some additional warmth around my head and neck for the Fiery Knights event, but I didn't have anything as I’m not a fan of hats or headwear.  I decided the most appropriate period choices seemed to be the Hedeby hood or the Skjoldehamn hood (whether or not the Skjoldehamn hood is Viking or Sami remains a matter of debate, however as both Viking and Sami occupied the area at the time (late Viking-period), some concordance may not be out of the question).  I wanted the hood to go with the red wool Viking coat I made for cold nights at camp, and remembered that somewhere I had scraps of that fabric.  Upon excavating my fabric stash, I found I had two strips of the fabric, each about 90x30cm.  This ruled out the Hedeby hood, but was pretty much the same size as the fabric for the Skjoldehamn hood. I decided to make the hood as close to the original as possible to the original to better understand how the period garment was constructed and might have been worn.  The construction of this hood is not quite as simple as it may seem, however I could easily have completed the garment in less than one day if I'd had the opportunity to do so.
The original hood is comprised of a square of wool about 60x60 cm, which was folded in half and sewn together along the top and down the back (of the head), with a slit at the lower front and open seam at the lower back into which square gores approx 30x30 cm were inserted, and the front of the hood was slit open for the face opening.  Since I had two strips 90x30 I had the right amount of fabric, but the hood had to be sewn together (rather than slit open) at the front as well as the back.  The person who had worn the original hood was probably an adult around 5 ft high (just a few inches shorter than me) so I thought I'd make the hood the same size, but with slightly smaller seam allowances.  The finished hood is snug and comfortable but not tight, and covers the top of my shoulders, chest and back just fine, so the sizing seems good.  I do find it a little difficult to lower and raise the hood but that is largely due to my ponytail.
I constructed the hood as close to the original as information allowed, e.g. all the seams were sewn from the outside, by turning the seam allowances in along the top and back of the head of the hood, and along the gores and sewing the outside of the seam with in an overcast stitch.  The original was described as a non-decorative stitch; I used some wool sewing thread that was a close match for the fabric colour so the resulting seam was definitely not decorative, and mostly invisible. All the seams in the hood other than along the top of the head were then opened out, and stitched from the outside with an alternating, slightly diagonal running stitch which was also non-decorative.  This essentially flattens out the seam allowances and holds them flat on the inside of the hood.  This is an effectively way to ensure they don't stick out and catch on the wearer's hair.
Along the top of the head of the original hood there are several rows of running stitch that go across the top of the head, and then "dip" to follow the curve of the back of the head, creating what some call a "cockscomb" effect.  It has been speculated that this was intended to make the hood sit better, and further forward on the head.  I replicated these stitches, although I did not take the final line of stitching so deep at back as the original so as to accommodate my topknot ponytail.  This "cockscomb" did indeed seem to keep the hood more snug and more forward, but this might just have been because it fit closer around the head.  We will never know if this was intended in the original, or was this originally done to e.g. "downsize" the hood to fit the specific wearer.
I had to depart from the original construction technique in needing to overcast all raw edges (other than the top seam which was enclosed inside the lines of running stitch) as my fabric was quite "sleazy" (thanks to Baroness Eleonora for this weaving term meaning a " fabric with a very loose weave which has a tendency to come apart at the slightest provocation”).  I used a simple overcast stitch again in the same thread so this is largely inconspicuous.
At the face opening of the original hood a narrow seam allowance was turned in, and a non-decorative cord (i.e. not a contrasting colour) was couched around the edge of the seam allowance of opening on the inside with a decorative couching (i.e. contrasting) stitch.  The original decorative stitch changes colour at one point, as if the maker ran out of the first coloured thread.  I choose to use one decorative colour (in this case the pale gold wool that was used to decorate my coat) as it would otherwise look odd to modern eyes.  It seemed a shame to miss out on the opportunity to use a decorative cord around the face as well (other garments in the original outfit have some highly decorative touches, and the hood seems somewhat under-decorated by comparison), but I found in my stash a cord of a slightly different red wool which I'd made for another project.  This was then subtly decorative, hopefully satisfying both me and the original.
The lower edge of the original hood was not folded under, merely overcast along the cut edge.  My sleazy fabric was not stable enough to do this, so I had to fold under a small hem.  One source says the original hem was overcast with a stitch that was "parallel to the thread", so I used a simple blanket stitch.  In the original this overcasting is not decorative, but I used the pale gold-coloured wool again to match the decoration on my coat as by this time the hood was looking a bit plain and not very "matchy" with the coat.  I'm still not sure how I feel about this and may yet change that.
The original hood has two cords attached to the outside, described as being placed "under the ears".  There is speculation among archaeologists and reenactors as to what these cords are for (e.g. pulling the hood closed around the face, pulling it open by tying at the back of the neck / head) but it was noted that there is little wear apparent so it is assumed that the cords on this particular hood were not much used.  I did have some cord left over from my coat which just happened to be the right length for these.  I pinned the cords on to the hood and tried the hood on, pulling the cords both forward and back.  I decided I didn't really have much need to pull the hood closed (no snow storms expected) or keep it open (I preferred to pull it down around my neck for temperature control and to avoid impeding my peripheral vision), and since the cords really annoyed me dangling either side of my head I took them off and put them in the naughty corner, from where they may or may not be attached at a later date.

VPC2017 Baroness Agnes' French Hood & St Birgitta's Cap

Baroness Agnes brings two articles of headwear - a French Hood for category The Neck Best Thing and a St Birgitta's Cap for category One Metre Material Project

She says about the hood:

A french hood to compliment Agnes' Tudor garb. It's wired fake-buckram covered in brocade, with glass pearl accents to create the look. It perches on the head rather than being an encompassing hat, so I shall make another eventually.

And about the cap:

A super-useful hat to hold the hair away that can be found through Europe 13th to 16th C. This one specifically is a commission for katherine kerr. Linen, with manufactured lace because I'm no embroiderer.  This is being entered in the A&S championship.

VPC2017: Meisterin Christian's Linen Hose & Katharina von Bura Dress and Haube

Meisterin Christian presents a pair of linen hose for the categories One Metre Material Project; Hitting Below The Knee; Togs, Togs, Undies.  Possibly also Remake, Reuse, Refashion, Reconsider, and a dress based on a portrait of  Katharina von Bura for the categories Remake, Reuse, Refashion, Reconsider and Counting (on) Sheep, and finally a haube for The Neck Best Thing.

About the hose, she says:

I first made woollen hose some years ago, and then after a particularly hot and wet Canterbury Faire one year I decided I needed some linen hose to either wear alone, or as a lining layer for woollen hose.  However my pattern had disappeared.  Having torn apart my sewing room, I gave up on the project.  Last year I decided it was time to make some more hose, and after failing to find the pattern yet again, made a new one.  Which I then promptly lost.  While looking for some beads for another A&S challenge project I found last year's pattern.  So, using a (less than a metre) scrap of the same linen I used for my child's shirt project in this Challenge, I whipped up these linen hose.  Pictured as worn below (the foot-selfie makes my feet look alarmingly small).

Hose made from woven linen fabric are recorded in 16th C sources and at least one extant example survive.  These may have been worn as lining for woollen hose (so that the woollen hose can be worn repeatedly without washing while the lining pair could be cleaned frequently), and/or they were probably worn alone in warmer weather.  The hose were cut on the bias in order to stretch and conform around the feet and legs.  Garters are worn to hold the hose up. The seams here are stitched in linen thread, overcast stitch for strength, with the seam allowances flat felled on inside for comfort.

About the dress and haube she says:

For Yule 2017 I decided that as this winter event included outdoor activities I really needed to wear something warm (and made of more practical fabrics than say silk or brocade).  It was not cold enough for my really heavy woollen dress, and too cold for my light woollen dress with the slashed sleeves; ideally I needed something in between.  It occurred to me that I had an unfinished green woollen dress in the naughty corner (that’s where annoying, frustrating, or uncooperative A&S projects are sent until they learn to behave) which I had started years ago and not finished because a) I didn't have much use for warm clothing at that point, and b) the woollen fabric was somewhat annoying to sew).  This seemed like a prime opportunity to get a new dress and also knock off a couple more A&S Challenge categories in the process.

Of course this all occurred to me the night before the event, which is not the ideal time to decide you need a new dress.  After some excavation I recovered the dress and found that there was only about 30 mins work (tidying the lacing rings and waist fastenings), and a brustfleck (the brocade breast-band), needed to make the dress wearable.  Since it was the night before the event, and I'm not completely crazy, I found an brustfleck from another old dress and covered it in a scrap of brocade from my stash, and after a couple of hours work I had a new, never-been-worn dress.  And to add to the fun, I also quickly cobbled together a haube (the hairnet/snood type thingy Katharina is wearing in the portrait) from a (purchased) black hairnet and a gold headband I had begun for another haube project.  I didn't get any photos of the dress at the event, so the photo below is of the dress on a dressmakers form.

This dress is based on the 1526 portrait by Lucas Cranach of Katharine von Bura (below).  Katharina von Bura was the wife of Martin Luther (he of the 95 theses).  The size, shape and placement of guards (black trim / bands) on the bottom of the skirt and the back of the dress are conjectured from dresses in other portraits of the period.

VPC2017: Lady Melissa's Winter Hood

Lady Melissa brings us this lovely hood for the categories The Neck Best Thing, Cover Me, Counting on Sheep, Tis the Season, Give What You Get

She says:

This hood was made in the 13th century style, and can be worn as either an open hood or a fitted hood. The outer shell is wool, and it is fully lined with winter coat possum fur; period pieces would have been lined with rabbit or, for the very wealthy, ermine. All of the fur was hand-pieced and hand sewn. Only the central (hidden) seam in the hood was machine sewn. The buttons are self-fabric. There is a central plate with button holes because the test pattern did not fully account for the thickness of the possum fur, and it would not close without choking the wearer. While I have not seen a similar device in illuminations, it would be a suitable period solution.

This item is for a very lovely lady I met at Canterbury Faire (she may have to share with her family, though!). I was very glad to be able to work with the possum furs, which were luxurious and provided by the family. They are all relatively new to the SCA, and I hope that they enjoy their next CF with some additional warmth!

VPC2017: Lady Mathilda's Hood

Lady Mathilda presents this hood for the categories Cover Me and The Neck Best Thing.

She says:

This hood is the first I have made in a long time, and definitely the first that I have properly researched.
The hood is made of vibrant pink linen lining and a grey tabby woven wool outer with medium length liripipe.
It is based off a hood (D10597)  that forms part of the Herjolfsnes finds from Greenland from around the beginning of the fourteenth century.
I have chosen to make the hood a bit bigger than the origonal, as I wanted to have lots of room for comfort.
As in manuscripts from much of England and Western Europe at the beginning of the fourteenth century, the hood is often depicted with some lines of decoration around the bottom. I have included this in my hood- by adding two rows of parallel chain stitch in light and dark blue Appeltons’ Embroidery wool.
The hood is handstitched using running and back-stitch, and is fully felled.

VPC2017: Her Excellency Ginevra's Sailor's Hat

From Her Excellency, a 16th Century sailors hat, for the categories The Neck Best Thing, String Theory and Oh Say Can You Sea.

VPC2017: Mistress katherine k's Baby's Charm and Teether

This is an entry for the categories Child's Play, and The Neck Best Thing: a baby's charm and teether.

Mistress katherine says:

In Detti's Madonna della Pergola (painted in 1523), a young child holds a light chain which carries a piece of coral, a cross, a token, a coin or pilgrim badge and a dog's tooth. The coral and the tooth were used as teethers; the remainder were to call upon less physical aid.

This charm from my swaddling days holds coral to ward off the plague, a cross from Rome, an angel, and a pilgrim's scallop from Santiago de Compostela.

VPC2017: Mistress katherine k's Travel Coronet, Coif and Necklace

Mistress katherine has been very busy indeed, submitting several projects to me at once.

These three are a Travel Coronet (Remake, Reuse, Refashion, and Show Us Your Arms, and Embellish It), a Coif (Embellish It) and the Kerr Necklace (The Neck Best Thing)

About the travel coronet, Mistress katherine writes:

This tablet-woven mini coronet was inspired by Viscountess Mountjoye's spiffy example at Faire. It uses one of the lovely tablet-woven garters Mistress Catherine d'Arc gave me which displays the curs' heads and tower from my arms as well as my livery colours or red, white and blue and my motto. It is embellished with the six pearls of a Court Baroness; the copper and brass mounts are actually letterpress printers' thins used to make leadtype tight when setting text, a reference to my Laurel speciality.

 The coif details are:

Adding pearls, beads and some couched gold thread and trim has blinged up a plain commercially made hairnet. 

Finally, the Kerr Necklace:

This necklace is based on the well-known portrait of Anne Boleyn from the UK's National Portrait Gallery, in which Anne has a capital B suspended from a pearl choker around her neck. I've had a craftwood initial K for a number of years, but delayed making this, hoping to be able to find a metal K rather then use a wooden one. Some slathering of gold paint has produced something that may pass in low light and I finally found a use for the large string of big freshwater pearls I've had for a while.

 The portrait of Anne Boleyn can be found here.