The Armour Archive

I am need of quick assistance.

I need a pattern or instructions on how to make a Landsknecht Flat cap. AKA pizza hat, or Tellarbarett Hat.

Normally I would just buy the Reconstructing History Pattern ( and I still do plan on getting that pattern) but I need this thing made this week for this weekend.

So I am in kind of a bind.

Anyone able to help me out?

thanks in advance

The ones I have been familiar with (including my Wife's) involved taking the brim from one of those cheapo straw hats (the big ones) cutting off the crown, basting the weave so it doesn't unravel, covering it in fabric, then stitch a square panel to the top, at the corners of the panel.

The rolled caps are a bit more work.. but that method above will give you a passable hat if you are talking about the _BIG_ ones.

http://www.rejoycing.com/sca/coronation/landsknecht.jpg

That hat?

Maeryk wrote:http://www.rejoycing.com/sca/coronation/landsknecht.jpg

That hat?

that would be the one!


any idea of where I can get a large brimmed straw hat at?

I think we picked ours up at an event.

You could probably also use stiff interfacing, cardboard, a stiff plastic (if you can find a piece big and thin enough.. I'm thinking like milk jug thickness).

or, 8 layers of wool and stitch them so they are stiff.

No need to sacrifice a straw hat if you can get heavy-weight buckram from your local fabric supplier.

T. Finkas wrote:No need to sacrifice a straw hat if you can get heavy-weight buckram from your local fabric supplier.

What is Buckram? You are talking to a sewing impaired person here.

Here's a quick sketch of how I used to make them:



Hmmmmm
My brim pattern is just approximated here. Actually the cutouts should look perhaps look more like like diamonds or ovals---not "V" notches. At any rate I hope you get the idea. The edge curls up and over and is sewn down onto the top of the hat. This produces that slashed tunnel at the edge. Then you pull a wad of loose fabric through there as stuffing to create the "puffs". Does that make sense? Finally, add ostrich feathers liberally!!!

Buckramis kinda like a piece of loose-weave white fabric that has been soaked in glue. It's the stuff that has been traditionally used to stiffen constructed fabric hats---at least during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It varies in thichness and degree of stiffness. For the German hat you need it to be pretty damned stiff or the brim will be undesirably floppy. Of course, you could make anything do in a pinch, as others have noted: plastic, cardboard, a straw hat, papier mache, etc., etc.

Maybe a shop that does bridal wear would have sheet buckram or even premade buckram hat forms? Look for a shop that has "Millinery Supplies."

Good Luck!
Tim

JoAnn's (and other craft stores of that ilk) will sometimes carry straw hats this time of year.

[quote="InsaneIrish]any idea of where I can get a large brimmed straw hat at?[/quote]

Lilies.

you could use those "flexible cutting boards" as the stiffener.

-+G

Rev. George wrote:you could use those "flexible cutting boards" as the stiffener.

-+G

Are you talking about one of those grren self-healing mats? Last I checked, a cutting board big enough for one of these enormous German hats would run you $30-$50

...plus it would be way too stiff and heavy, IMHO.

Hey you could probably make your own buckram by buying burlap, soaking it it some watered down white glue, and letting it dry on a large plastic garbage bag.

no... not those... these are thin plastic, and in essence disposable (or at least light duty) less than 1 mm thick, and slightly flexible.

-+G

Well, since this is for SCA fighting and I need it for this weekend I went with the cut out straw hat option. I found big straw hats at Hobby Lobby for a $1.50 each.

I think I am going to use crushed felt to give the hat a "thick" look.


About the square top. I understand that you take a LARGE square (double the size of the area you need) fold the 4 corners into the middle and sew them together.

Now, do you then just sit the folded square ontop of the hole and sew it down? Or do you cut out a hole in the bottom of the square?

Does this help?



Cheers,
Tim

There are two types of crowns for square top berets. One is sewn so the pieces make an X on the top of the hat and the final piece does not fold inward, the other is where the square is very large and the ends are folded into meet at the center.

In the case where it does not fold, it is 4 triangles for the top of the crown and one square with a hole in the center for the bottom of the crown.

Its easiest for me to make a crown "top" and Crown "bottom", where the bottom of the crown has the hole in it (which then attaches to the brim).

Either crown needs to be tacked all around the corners and sides to the brim or it will pop up from your head and look very silly.

Both need to have some grossgrain ribbon or something as a head band inside the head hole that tacks the seam between the brim and crown up into the crown.

I use premade milinery hat brims that I buy at a Milinery Supply store in LA. Its not hard to make them yourself from buckram and milinery wire, but its definitely easier to just buy one. You can order the brims by phone and they'll mail them out. I've usually driven there, but its a very scary neighborhood.

Using buckram helps keep the hats lighter in weight.

Juliana