How to Make Renaissance Headpieces

When dressing in a Renaissance costume, the hat or headpiece is one of the most important parts. Renaissance headdresses are not too hard to find in costume shops. However, store-bought headpieces are often expensive. Luckily, Renaissance headdresses and hats are easy to make with the right materials, a little patience and moderate sewing skills. With an inexpensive homemade Renaissance headpiece, the rest of the costume will be complete.

Things You'll Need

• Upholstery fabric
• Fabric scissors
• Thread
• Sewing machine
• Heavy fabric interfacing
• Hand sewing needle
• Iron
• Lace
• Tulle
• Feathers

Instructions

Woman's Headpiece

1. Cut two pieces of fabric that are each 20 inches long and four inches wide. Iron heavy interfacing to the wrong side of one of the pieces of fabric.

2. Lay the two fabric pieces directly on top of each other, right sides facing together. Sew the fabric pieces together all around the edges, leaving one of the short ends open.

3. Turn the fabric right side out and sew the open end closed. Iron the fabric flat.

4. Cut a piece of lace that is 18 inches long and sew it to one of the long sides of the headpiece.

5. Cut a piece of tulle that is 18 inches wide and 24 inches long. Sew one of the 18-inch sides of the tulle onto the other long side of the headpiece (opposite the side with the lace).

6. Curve the headpiece over your head like a headband with the tulle on the back of your head and the lace at the front.

7. Hold the headpiece in the shape that it formed on your head and spray it with starch to hold the shape.

Man's Hat

1. Cut out a circle of fabric that is 24 inches in diameter. Sew a gathering stitch all around the edge of the circle.

2. Gather the circle until it is just big enough to fit around your head. Cut another circle of fabric that is 24 inches in diameter.

3. Cut a smaller circle out of the 24-inch fabric circle that is just as wide as the circumference of your head. This will form the brim of the hat.

4. Sew the brim of the hat onto the main part of the hat. Hem the brim of the hat one-half inch.

5. Sew a feather onto the side of the hat just above the brim.

References

• The Costumer's Manifesto: Renaissance Hat Project
• Renaissance Women's Headdress
• Fantasyland Costume Company: Historical Hats