Cloak hoods .. how did you sew yours?

A place for pics and tutorials on making Soft Kit (clothing and accessories like buckles and cloak pins).

Moderators: caedmon, Greg

User avatar
Elleth
êphal ki-*raznahê
Posts: 2925
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2010 5:26 am
Location: in the Angle; New England

Cloak hoods .. how did you sew yours?

Post by Elleth »

I've got the body of my cloak (finally) about ready to go, and I'm getting ready to tackle the hood. A few questions for those of you who've already done this part -

1. How close do you cut your hood to your head? The archetypeal full hood that shades the face, but can slip down over your eyes? Tighter-cropped that can't slip down, but doesn't have as much shadow? Any particular tailoring tricks you use?

2. Do you gather the hood to the neck at all?

3. What method do you use to sew the hood to the cloak? Would you mind showing the seam arrangement you used, and metion if you'd change anything were you to do it over?


getting there! :)


Oh - and what's your favorite closure in front? Ties? Toggles? Pinned dark-ages style? Something else?
Persona: Aerlinneth, Dúnedain of Amon Lendel c. TA 3010.
User avatar
Greg
Urush bithî 'nKi ya-nam bawâb
Posts: 4496
Joined: Tue Dec 02, 2008 8:50 pm
Location: Eriador; Central Indiana

Re: Cloak hoods .. how did you sew yours?

Post by Greg »

Hood shape depends on what you're after...what you want to use it for.

If it's supposed to be for warmth, it should be a closer fit, and should go forward past your face a little so you can roll it back tight for colder weather.

The bigger, 'archetypal' pattern allows for the "Hood that overshadows one's face" function, but bear in mind:
1) Wearing a hood up in an inn dulls your hearing. You're far less likely to overhear a conversation.
2) Wearing a hood up in the woods does the same thing for your hearing, but this larger hood also does little for warmth, and won't turn with your head. If you look left, your left eye will be blinded by the hood and etc.

I've actually found that hearing is slightly better with a snug-fitting hood, as opposed to a large floppy one. Don't get me started on acoustics.

Something to mull over, anyway.
Now the sword shall come from under the cloak.
User avatar
Mirimaran
Thangailhir
Posts: 2110
Joined: Tue Jul 01, 2008 5:38 pm
Location: North Carolina
Contact:

Re: Cloak hoods .. how did you sew yours?

Post by Mirimaran »

Mine is a full hood, lined with black cotton, very comfortable but it does bang around a bit, as Greg said. It does hide the face well in the shadows, and I can wear a helmet with it, however :) My seam was so ugly I covered it with a bit of trim, had I a chance to redo it, I might go with a seperate hood altogether. I used leather ties in the front, but have always wanted to go full Dark Ages and pin the thing :)

Maybe a new cloak is in order ;) Happy sewing! Can't wait to see what you come up with!

Ken
"Well, what are you waiting for? I am an old man, and have no time for your falter! Come at me, if you will, for I do not sing songs of dastards!"
User avatar
caedmon
Balku'npâ
Posts: 962
Joined: Sat Feb 16, 2008 4:30 am
Location: Palmer Alaska

Re: Cloak hoods .. how did you sew yours?

Post by caedmon »

I have always done separate close hoods based on Herjolfnes or Bocksten. (is anyone surprised?) But am currently working on an archetypal/jedi hood.

For my standard hoods:

1. Fairly close but with a long face that is normally folded back. Close fitted back with lirapiipes. No particular tailoring tricks, except for the one I have that is lined. which has mad it impossible to do new alterations. The lirapipe is probably my biggest problem with these hoods. I really feel like the detatched hoods described in Tolkien are long conical affairs with a tassel or bell. Very different than what I have, which is much more designed to tie the hood as a chaperon.

2. No

3. Detached hood... N/A

4. No closures. sewn


For my new Archetypal/Jedi:

1. Very wide with a rounded back to fit the top of my head, and no lirapipe. Not certain I can describe it as having tailoring tricks, but the pattern has evolved into something rather complex.

2. There are two pleats about 2 inches back from the face to provide fullness and better drape.

3. It will be a reinforced running stitch.

Image

4. this is interesting and I am figuring that out. I recently saw a standard Capuchin friar's cloak at a museum and it has seriously expanded my thinking on cloak closures. It will be mostly using hook & eye.
-Jack Horner

----------------------------
Impression: Cædmon Reedmace | bronze founder living in Archet, Breeland. c. 3017
User avatar
caedmon
Balku'npâ
Posts: 962
Joined: Sat Feb 16, 2008 4:30 am
Location: Palmer Alaska

Re: Cloak hoods .. how did you sew yours?

Post by caedmon »

-Jack Horner

----------------------------
Impression: Cædmon Reedmace | bronze founder living in Archet, Breeland. c. 3017
User avatar
Greg
Urush bithî 'nKi ya-nam bawâb
Posts: 4496
Joined: Tue Dec 02, 2008 8:50 pm
Location: Eriador; Central Indiana

Re: Cloak hoods .. how did you sew yours?

Post by Greg »

Mirimaran wrote:...and I can wear a helmet with it...
Something to bear in mind. The Rangers in the North that rode as the Grey Company had hoods large enough to wear a helmet under.
Now the sword shall come from under the cloak.
User avatar
Manveruon
Thangailhir
Posts: 2582
Joined: Tue Nov 15, 2011 6:11 am
Location: Littleton, CO
Contact:

Re: Cloak hoods .. how did you sew yours?

Post by Manveruon »

Fascinating thread!

I have a couple different ones. My regular cloak has a fairly small hood, but not tiny. Enough to drape slightly, but maybe not enough to fit over a helm, depending on how tall that helm was. It's made of two very plain squares of fabric, and is not gathered or pleated at all around the neck. I rather like it. My separate hood, on the other hand, is made to be a bit more dramatic looking, so it's very deep. I could almost certainly fit a helm underneath it. Also, the design is long and pointed, rather than square - although it does not have a liripipe. I generally wear this hood with a good portion of it folded back, which is nice, as it adds some body to the single layer of fabric. However, the fullness of the hood can often be a hindrance. As Greg mentioned, it both muffles my hearing and inhibits my eyesight when I try to turn my head. It's warm... ish... but it catches the air easily and becomes a sort of wind-sock, pulling it off of my head constantly as I walk. I guess if I had to say my preference, for practicality's sake, I'd have to choose a smaller hood. But I do like the big, drapey hoods like that, and if they are made of heavier materials (and more than one layer), they would probably be slightly less likely to catch the wind. Also, deeper hoods are better for shading one's face from the sun, so that's a plus.
Maerondir Perianseron, also called “Mickel,” Halfling Friend - Ranger of the Misty Mountains
User avatar
Manveruon
Thangailhir
Posts: 2582
Joined: Tue Nov 15, 2011 6:11 am
Location: Littleton, CO
Contact:

Re: Cloak hoods .. how did you sew yours?

Post by Manveruon »

And Caedmon - I'm interested to know what you mean about having your understanding of cloak closures expanded.
Maerondir Perianseron, also called “Mickel,” Halfling Friend - Ranger of the Misty Mountains
User avatar
Elleth
êphal ki-*raznahê
Posts: 2925
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2010 5:26 am
Location: in the Angle; New England

Re: Cloak hoods .. how did you sew yours?

Post by Elleth »

Thank you all!
Hrmm.. I'll probably sew it bigger and chop it down if I get sick of it.
I think light rain and bright sun are more likely to be concerns than a gale. Or a helmet I guess. :)

Caedmon - that is exactly the kind of information I was looking for! The pleating sounds interesting!

Regarding closures - I was originally thinking I'd sew a number of eyelets up the front for lacing, but I'm starting to lean towards toggles. I guess I've some time before I get that far.

And those gathered hoods are cute! I don't think I'll do it in this context, but if I ever get back to 18th c. I might have to. :)
Persona: Aerlinneth, Dúnedain of Amon Lendel c. TA 3010.
User avatar
caedmon
Balku'npâ
Posts: 962
Joined: Sat Feb 16, 2008 4:30 am
Location: Palmer Alaska

Re: Cloak hoods .. how did you sew yours?

Post by caedmon »

Manveruon wrote:And Caedmon - I'm interested to know what you mean about having your understanding of cloak closures expanded.
Not trying to be obtuse, but I am writing this one up. but the classic questions on cloaks are: how do you keep it up/in place, and not choking you?

This has been done in many ways: from fitted cloaks, or 17th century cassock cloaks, to the Game of Thrones strap monstrosities, and many others besides.

This is the standard monastic cloak for the Capuchin Franciscans. It has a buckled strap on in the front, then the right shoulder can be flipped over the shoulder or fastened to the center via hook & eye. Getty Images got this from the Gallery opening a few years back.

(edit) That link isn't working very well. I hate Getty. Here's a detail & line drawing:

capuchin.jpg
capuchin.jpg (50.02 KiB) Viewed 20008 times
capuchin.gif
capuchin.gif (17.69 KiB) Viewed 20008 times
-Jack Horner

----------------------------
Impression: Cædmon Reedmace | bronze founder living in Archet, Breeland. c. 3017
User avatar
Manveruon
Thangailhir
Posts: 2582
Joined: Tue Nov 15, 2011 6:11 am
Location: Littleton, CO
Contact:

Re: Cloak hoods .. how did you sew yours?

Post by Manveruon »

Huh! What an interesting idea! Thanks for the explanation!
Maerondir Perianseron, also called “Mickel,” Halfling Friend - Ranger of the Misty Mountains
User avatar
caedmon
Balku'npâ
Posts: 962
Joined: Sat Feb 16, 2008 4:30 am
Location: Palmer Alaska

Re: Cloak hoods .. how did you sew yours?

Post by caedmon »

Elleth wrote: Caedmon - that is exactly the kind of information I was looking for! The pleating sounds interesting!
Here's how I pleated.. Hope this comes out, I'm not sure the sketch does it justice.
2016-12-29-09.04.32.jpg
2016-12-29-09.04.32.jpg (47.51 KiB) Viewed 19973 times
-Jack Horner

----------------------------
Impression: Cædmon Reedmace | bronze founder living in Archet, Breeland. c. 3017
User avatar
Elleth
êphal ki-*raznahê
Posts: 2925
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2010 5:26 am
Location: in the Angle; New England

Re: Cloak hoods .. how did you sew yours?

Post by Elleth »

Oh! That's clever. I might have to pin mine that way as an experiment. Thank you!

Caedmon - you've lots of great pattern drawings. Have you ever complied them into a single place, or even a PDF? They'd make a great resource!
Persona: Aerlinneth, Dúnedain of Amon Lendel c. TA 3010.
Straelbora
Haeropada
Posts: 937
Joined: Mon Feb 11, 2013 7:00 pm
Location: Indianapolis, IN USA

Re: Cloak hoods .. how did you sew yours?

Post by Straelbora »

A few years ago, Elleth sent me a care package with some odd and ends, including a wonderful, heavy wool tailed hood that was done except for the last bit of sewing to be done in the front.

I was moving some boxes (we moved houses in May and I'm still shuffling stuff around) and noticed the cloak. I'm heading out to do some photos at the Dragons Wood Inn property in a couple of days, and thought that maybe I should finish this hood, as mine is much thinner, being made from a salvaged early 20th century army blanket.

I asked my son to take a photo of me, and then my wife wanted to take one. Upon looking at them, she said, ''Yeah- anyone on some road in the woods walking up to a guy who looks like that would probably be scared." Kind of the desired effect, no?

Thanks again, Elleth! I'll post some photos in a few days- apparently, we got about five or six inches of snow south of here. I'll even try my hand at some video.
Attachments
Scary hooded Ranger
Scary hooded Ranger
Scary hooded Ranger.jpg (163.07 KiB) Viewed 18145 times
Shady hooded Ranger
Shady hooded Ranger
Shady hooded Ranger.jpg (65.25 KiB) Viewed 18145 times
Vápnum sínum skala maðr velli á
feti ganga framar því at óvist er at vita
nær verðr á vegum úti geirs um þörf guma
Hávamál
Ranger Austin
Wayfarer
Posts: 25
Joined: Mon Sep 25, 2017 12:32 am

Re: Cloak hoods .. how did you sew yours?

Post by Ranger Austin »

I love all the cloak discussion, especially the idea of a separate cloak/hood. Elleth, mind sharing the pattern that you used for the hood that you made Straelbora?
Post Reply