I’ve been thinking a lot lately about French hoods. I have one that matches a dress I haven’t worn in years. It is, in my opinion, incredibly flimsy and difficult to wear, requiring regular adjustment. I’ve noticed that this is a common problem. I have seen two examples of how to construct and wear a sturdier French hood so that it requires less frequent adjustment.

The first example is Sarah Lorraine’s French Hoods Page, which includes downloadable patterns and instructions on how to don and wear a French hood, with pictures. The details there I found to be rather important were that she braids her hair and then secures it to her head crown or halo style using period hair-taping, and that provides support for the hood, keeping it from sliding backward.

The second example was provided to me in person. Last year at Pennsic, I attended a beaded veil edging class given by Lady Sarra Bossard. At the end of the class, she brought out one of her French hoods, which was constructed differently than any other I’ve seen. Instead of being shaped like a headband or tiara, it had a really strong crown-shaped foundation, which would be hidden by the veil. It kind of looked like a modern sun visor with the visor turned about, and was custom fitted, not stretchy.

I want to take those two examples and make a super-hood. One I can wear for 8 hours and not have to “fix”. So far, I have figured that I can make the base using a strip of plastic canvas measured directly on my head, with the ends cut at an angle and stitched together so that it will sit directly and perfectly on my head. I’m thinking I will cover the base with duct tape to keep any sharp pointies from poking through. I can then cover the base with fabric and make the “visor” part separately, not attaching it until it is also covered with fabric. Then I can decorate the hood with beads and such, and attach a piece of cloth for the veil. I should then be able to secure it to my head using one or two pins and be done with it.

I can get my supplies for this project tomorrow morning. I will post a new post to report on how it turns out if I do manage to follow through

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Click the link to see pictures of a coral reef made entirely of crochet!

Crochet Coral Reef Gallery

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Tom Price has a line of chairs created by using a heated seat form to melt a seat cavity into polymeric materials. The photo in this post shows blue polypropylene rope.

Blue Polypropylene Meltdown Chair

(via gCaptain)

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If you’ve done period costuming (say, 1940s or earlier) and have it documented publicly on the web, I have some link love for you. Just comment with the link to your documentation. Once the links are posted, I’ll let you know where I’ve published them.

Popularity: 31% [?]

I love browsing Instructables for nifty projects. Here are a few of my favorites:

• DIY Kitty Crack: Distill your own catnip extract
• How to make Carbonated Fruit
• Magnetic Refrigerator Lights
• Copper Rain Chain
• Aluminum can camp stove
• Duct Tape Roses

Popularity: 38% [?]