As a Viking reenactor, one of my challenges is recreating garments worn centuries ago, with no instructions on how they are put together. I read through several sets of instructions for how to make a reproduction of the hood found in Skjold Harbor. After several tries, I now understand how the squares and rectangles work together.
Explaining how to assemble this hood requires both color-coded diagrams and photographs of the assembly process. The photo on the right shows my completed hood.
The pattern is deceptively simple: two rectangles (1-2 and 3-4) form the hood and sides, and the front and back panels are squares half the size of the rectangles (5 and 6).
I have colored each section’s edges to explain which edges should be sewn together. Black edges indicate the outer seams of the garment, and the dashed black line shows where the fabric folds.
Suggested dimensions for the hood are to make each colored length one foot, requiring a rectangle of material two feet by three feet. If you have an unusually large head or are making a child’s hood, cut a brown paper bag and hold it behind their head. The square should be a few inches larger than their head.
The hood is tricky to assemble because the edges align in an odd fashion.
First, join the two purple edges of (2) and (3) together to form a very long rectangle. Another way to make this hood from a piece of fabric one foot wide and six feet long, removing the need for the purple seam. The purple edge can be a fold or a seam, and sits over the top of the head.
Next, join the two red edges of (2) and (3) together. This seam sits over the back of the head . The black edges of (2) and (3) are the open front of the hood.
Starting at the end of the red seam, pin and sew square (6) to the back to the hood. You will need to align the orange edges of (1) and (6) as well as the brown edges of (4) and (6). Don’t start at one of the corners with a black edge, because the fabric can slip and misalign the entire hood.
The next step is the hardest. Carefully align the front of the hood to sew the front seams. I like to pin the open front of the hood (the black lines of (2) and (3) closed so they align. This ensures the front square (5) will align with the back square (6).
Finally, sew the blue edge of (5) to the blue edge of (1). Now you only need to finish the seam around the open front of the hood and its outer edge.
It looks strange, doesn’t it? When flat, the hood will look like this. I have drawn a person in the hood so you can see how it sits. The dashed lines indicate folds.
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