Julie's Dress Diaries

Herein lie my attempts at both blogging and creating period clothing for various locations and times of the Renaissance. Enjoy

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Bad Hairdo Ahead

I've been working on the heart shaped bonnet pattern from the Tudor Tailor. The structure is made of two layers of single ply buckram, and some wire I had lying about. I covered the brim and band in black cotton velveteen, and the caul is in black silk. I haven't been able to find a really good example of this in black in the portraiture--what I was going for was a middle class version of this or this.

Below, I've paired said bonnet a quick and dirty elizabethan 'do. I wrapped my hair around a hairbrush handle, bobby-pinned a few times, prayed for it to stay and carfully removed the brush handle. I just did a messy job of putting it up, but I'm amazed that it stayed so well--just 7 bobbypins and no spray, and it was quite sturdy an hour or two later. . Obviously I'll try to do a neater job of it for a real wear.

I'm going to need to make myself some hair rats to get the volume/bulk of those crazy elizabethan hairstyles. I'll be trying Mistress Isobel's directions for my next attempt of this style.

Please pardon the splotchy pimply face. Ugh. Its a special time of the month, if you know what I mean...

My critique: I wish I'd lengthened the headband a bit to completely cover my ears (my head is fatter than the Tudor Tailor's head, apparently--I had to redo the cap about 2 inches larger than their version), but the headband is really only a wee bit short, but the result is that the caul at the back shows the bottom of my hair. Not horrible, mind you, but a learning experience.

And here is the lining. I dyed linen for it. My intent was a slightly muddied golden brown. The result was ugly dingy grey-green turdy color. Quite like the fabric I dyed for the inside of Adam's flemish, actually, and completely un-intentionally. How do I manage to do that?! I have a talent for making ugly muddy green (splotchy) colors, I guess:
That is all for now. Next up: BLOOMERS!!!! And yes, they will be made out of poopy grey-green splotchy linen...how'd you guess?

1 Comments:

Blogger Beth said...

I double-dog dare you to wear that hairdo to work!

I absolutely love the brim shape on that bonnet. The only thing I think would be good would be to get some rats as you say. That way you could expand your "lovely" hairdo to fill all the way back to the brim like the portraits. Or...like I assume the portraits do. I can't call to mind a side view!

9:29 AM  

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