Predicatably, my focus strayed off the main project, and the prospect of French hood construcion loomed with growing allure. So I decided to take a break from the gown and mess around with wire and buckram for a while...

My French hood was constructed using the instructions on the Elizabethan Costuming homepage, using the 1545 pattern taken from this portrait.

I used the materials I had on hand, which turned out not to be perfect, but managable. The hood is constructed with a wire frame, a central layer of buckram stitched to the frame and then an outer layer of the berry cotton and a black lining. Because my buckram was rather softer than it sould have been, and because my wire doesn't quite co-operate, there are a few wibbles in my hood, however, from a distance it looks quite respectable.

This is still unfinished as it needs a veil and beading.