Final task to finish the head gear required a coif. This garment will be worn underneath the platter hat I recently finished. It will likely be worn during the dancing portion of the ball while the platter hat is resting on my back held on by the chin strap. Wanted to tie the whole color scheme together and yet have something small and comfortable enough to wear when I took the huge hat off. This will keep me from walking around the event with a bare head (which is a pet peeve of mine) and yet not be too overbearing.
I started with the same materials as the rest of the suit. Linen lining, silk mid layer and wool shell. I planned on slashing the wool after the construction was done, similar to the way I did the shorts. Here are the layers attached at the middle seam and pinned to check the fit.
Finished assembly and turned right side out. After turning I ran a series of small stitches along the edge. The stiffness of the wool and seam treatment make the cap look like it has wings. I know I hate this look! I like the shape, but I don't want to have to wear a chin strap to make the silhouette look right.
The solution (which I've used in the past) was to soak the cap in hot water. After a good soaking and squeezing I began pulling the wool into shape. Natural materials are awesome! Since I put the mid seam together with a series of back stitches there is a bit of stretch to it. That is the reason I used that type of stitch. Works well for seams around corners. Allows me to stretch and shape the material more easily. After soaking and stretching I placed the cap on my foam head and pinned it down to dry. After a day it looked a bit better.
I then proceeded to do the slashing. Silhouette looks better and when worn with the platter hat looks great. Daughter wasn't around so I dont' have a pic with the platter hat yet. I also chose to add a small hole at the end of the coif so that I could add a chin strap if I wanted to. I probably won't need it, but just in case. That was the last step on this project, but I don't have a picture of that yet.
