1320s Veil and Wimple - in two hours...

To make the veil and wimple (in under two hours), take at least a 2m long piece of butter muslin - not very authentic but dirt cheap. Mine was 85cm wide and that is about wide enough to reach from shoulder to shoulder, so use that width to give you two ready 'hemmed' sides. Fold this fabric in half (so that your fabric is 41.5cm wide) then place the fold under your chin. Taking one end to the top of your head, take the other side around and mark the end with a pin or piece of chalk. Take this off again and simply cut the folded part at the point where you marked it - I think mine was about 70cm or thereabouts. The piece that is left can be your veil: it needs to be folded double if it is muslin to give it adequate 'density'. I folded the piece that is left in half, this time keeping it full width (85cm) but making it slightly under 85cm in length - I'll try to do a diagram or something. Roll one hem, keeping the under side raw until you have time to fix it. Ta da!

To wear the veil and wimple: 1. Arrange your hair into small 'cornettes' - imagine that you are going to make late 14C long side plaits but then wind them round two or maybe three times so they are quite wide but not much lower than the top of your ears from your temples. Fix them with hair pins. 2. Place one long 2-3cm wide linen band under your chin, outside your cornettes, to the crown of your head and pin at the top. Place another linen band from your forehead, around your cornettes, to the back of your head and pin again at the back. 3. Take the folded side of the wimple and place at the underside of your chin, quite far forward. Take the ends up to the top of your head, covering your cornettes, and pin onto the band. Now take a few more pins and gently pull the wimple back, fastening it closed at the back of your head. Tuck into the neck of your gown or surcote. 4. Your veil is the hardest piece to arrange: Make a fold to find the centre point, pin this about an inch from the front fold onto the forehead band. Looking in a mirror, arrange the veil appropriately and pin into the cornettes - this will achieve the appropriate width for this period (1320s). Voila - you are done until you have time to sew something properly in linen.... In the photos below, I've not quite got it arranged properly. I'm sure you'll do better. :-)