At 11:00 14/05/2007, you wrote:
Hi everyone, A friend is throwing a costume party next month and has decided
the theme is 'an Irish wake' so she wants everyone in black or green, so
when the topic of mourning comes up I tend to think Victorian as I already
had plans for a natural form dress I just decided to bump this project to
the top of my list and make it mourning wear. But I'm stuck on headwear, I
have a chiffon scarf that would work OK as a widow's veil. It is a long
thin rectangle so it won't work just draped over my head, but if I attach
the long side to the edge of a hat it should work OK as a veil (I
experimented with pinning it to the inside of my sun hat and it came
down to about an inch below my shoulders). I have about 1/2 a metre
of buckram (though it's not proper millinery buckram) and some wire
left over from making the crescent of my 16th century French hood
plus some scraps of black velveteen or satin to cover it. I've also
got Butterick 4210 which I might be able to adapt, but I don't have
money to buy a bonnet and I don't really want to spend much money on
this costume (as the only place I can usually wear Victorian stuff
is a dance so bonnets/hats aren't really appropriate)
thanks
Elizabeth
Do you have a thrift shop/charity shop anywhere near, where you could
buy a hat, and alter it to suit? I once made a costermonger's hat,
like Eliza Doolittle, from a fairground "Kiss me Quick" hat in
cardboard felt. I took off the band with KMQ on it, replacing it with
some silk ribbon and net, and added a couple of artificial flowers
from my stash. It worked really well. You could cover a straw boater,
or reblock a felt shape and cover with fabric, and all at very little
cost. It does not have to be a bonnet - boaters, and hats in felt or
straw of that shape were also worn.
Suzi
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