Costuming Escapades (Start of the embroidered hood)

Over the last couple of years I have been on a mission to lose 28 kilos.  This requires a lot of concentration, dedication and a heck load more of willpower and determination.  I started on my journey in April 2011 after I had hip replacement surgery and having gained about 10 kilos in 2 years.  I was already overweight but topping out at 102.1 kilos was the final straw.

This weight loss has required a complete rethink of my medieval garb as really none of it fits me anymore.  So I have decided to replace my wardrobe, with 2 exceptions.  A red/blue 16thC wool gown of Dutch style and a linen dress I made years ago and decided to rebuild it.

I decided to start at a hood.  I had been wanting to do something embroidered for a while but my limited skill set for embroidery meant that it had to be a fairly simple design that wouldn't take too much time to create.  So I started digging around and Racaire in Drachenwald (Europe), or Austria to be more precise had already made a hood that gave me the perfect inspiration, complete with pictures.

Digging through the stash of fabric I knew that I had some heavier blue wool that would be perfect for a warm hood.  Using the Medieval Tailor's Assistant pattern, I drew up the hood on the wool and added 15cm to the length to allow for the dagging pattern.

I then needed to decide on a dagging shape.  In the 14thC it appears that the favoured shapes are either the 'oak leaf' that Raciare used or the 'flame'.  Now I am not that clever when it comes to embroidery and I needed to use something that was not excessive in it's coast line but wouldn't look out of place either.  So I went with a simple round.  It is inspired by the shape of 14thC biconical cup.  Once I was happy with the shape, I drew it out on plastic and then transferred the shape onto the cutout hood.