Thursday, July 18, 2013

Late 15th century winged coif



Completed in July last year (2012, that is), it was really my first historical sewing project. Made from old scrap cotton that had been lying around for years, the headdress is done  done using these instructions. It is entirely handsewn - and as I was (and still am) unskilled and sew slowly and made a few mistakes in construction, so it took me about a week. (I would say 15-20 hours. I know, it seems ridiculous for such a small piece of fabric.) The stitches are crooked and everything is a bit uneven, but still - I am extremely happy with myself and how it’s turned out to look like, and most importantly that I have finally accomplished to complete something.
I’m not sure the size of it is optimal for my head, and whether I’m wearing it exactly right, though.


this is late 15th century French manuscript; I'm fairly sure it's in Bibliothèque nationale de France

same; I promise I will source it when I match it to the right manuscript


2 comments: