Viking Women's Cap Construction

1.  Cut out the rectangle of fabric created by the two measurements.







2.  Fold the fabric in half matching the short ends. This will give you more or less a square of folded fabric.




3.  At this point, you need to decide whether you are making a Dublin style or Jorvik (York) style cap. 

The Dublin style cap has a sewn in peak (which occurs after the main body of the cap is sewn) where the Jorvik style cap has a curve cut and sewn into the crown of the cap as part of the construction of the main body of the cap.

4a.  If you choose to make the Jorvik style cap, which is more form fitting to the head, you will make this adjustment now before sewing the cap.

At the top fold of the cap down along one side, mark where the back of the head starts to curve downward and freehand draw a curve across this corner.  Sew the seam along this curve for the back seam of the cap.

Finish as shown below in step 5.



Jorvik style cap



Dublin style cap



4b.  For a Dublin style cap, using half-inch seams, sew down one of the open sides of the “square.  This will now become the back of the cap. 

Turn the cap right side out.  Make marks approximately two to three inches from the back seam along the top fold, and two to three inches down the side of the back seam.  Connect these two marks with a line and sew along this line to make your sewn peak.


5.  Roll hem the bottom and front edges of the cap.







6.  Attach ties at just below chin height on the sides.  Most extant pieces show the ties as having been attached not at the corners but at just below chin height.
7.  Voila! A finished cap.

Add embroidery or embellishment to your liking.




Bibliography



Heckett, Elizabeth Wincott. Viking Age Headcoverings from Dublin.  Dublin: Royal Irish Academy, 2003.

Ewing, Thor.  Viking Clothing.  Stroud, Gloucestershire: The History Press, 2007. 

Information regarding women’s headdress covered on pages 52-55 with descriptions from sagas matching finds in York, Dublin, and Lincoln.

Walton, Penelope.  Textiles, Cordage and Raw Fibre from 16-22 Coppergate.  London, England : Council for British Archaeology, 1989.

Priest-Dorman, Carolyn.  “Women’s Garb in Northern Europe, 450-1000 C.E.”  Compleat Anachronist #50, SCA, Inc. 1992.

Willadsen, Lisa.  “Embroidered Linen Headdress.”  2000.  Date accessed:
http://willadsenfamily.org/sca/isabel_as/head-dress/NORSE_WOMANS_LINEN_HEAD-DRESS.pdf

Thies, Jennifer.  “10th Cent. Viking silk cap”. 2006.  Date accessed: February 2012.  www.genvieve.net/sca/vikingcap.html

Priest-Dorman, Carolyn.  “Viking Embroidery Stitches and Motifs.” 1997.  Date accessed:  March 5, 2012.  http://www.cs.vassar.edu/~capriest/vikembroid.html