French Hood.

For the French hood, I used Mode Historique's website which had patterns for the different parts of the hood and showed how to put it on. I used a fine white cotton for the coif (the coif band had to be made a bit bigger than the pattern given) and sewed in millinery wire to give it and to keep its shape. I also used gold organza ribbon for the pleats and pinned it to the coif so that in future use, the ribbon can be taken off and the coif worn on its own.

The paste is made from the same wool as my gown and has a black cotton backing to it, with buckram to stiffen and ties on either end to tie it.

I used a fine black wool for the veil (of which needed to be reduced in length - mine goes down to my bra at the back) and a deep orange cotton for the lining. With a bit of advice from My Ladys Wardrobe, I used a small bit of buckram (that measures about 3" from the deepest part of the front edge) and edged it with millinery wired so that it could be moulded to my head.I also sewed in some fine black tape along the inside front edge so that it could be tied when worn - this helps it stay on and helps to give it shape. I then added some 6mm pearls to the veil for decoration.