I was asked constantly about the hat. Many people were sweet and receptive. However, there were a few who were insistent that the pillbox hat was not a medieval hat. I was surprised at those who denied the hat styles' existence. There are dozens of examples of the pill box hat. It seems to have been used by both men and women, depending on the time period. It is a nice hat for cooler weather. I think it functioned similar to a beanie hat would today. It was warm, and close fitting. It did not fly off in high winds. The hat does not shield a person from the sun or snow glare.
Here is an example of a hat from the Groninger Museum. It was one of the two hats found at Leens. The other has a cute bill on it. This hat is made of straight and whip stitches and decorated with an interlacing stitch similar to the herringbone stitch. It appears that fancy stitching was a common feature of these hats. The piece has a split top, as many of the pillbox hats seem to have. If they do not have a top seam, they seem to have a false seam at the top. I think this was probably a decorative element, though I tend to make my hats out of scraps so I find it an easy hat style to piece together. If you are a beginner at sewing, hats are a fun way to start.
I have recently decided to recreate this hat to the best of my ability. I did an earlier hat from the collection taken by Poul Nørlund and listed as Museum No. D10610. I made it to exactly the dimensions that were in Else Østergård's book, Woven Into the Earth; Textiles from Norse Greenland. Unfortunately, I did not have a proper twill so I used a commercial wool and washed it in hot water until it had the appearance of boiled wool.
I expected the hat to be a very small size, because I have grown up with the idea that medieval people are somehow very small in comparison to modern humans. I finished the hat and realized it was precisely the right size for my friend Greg. He has a small noggin, and I thought it would fit him. I have since measured him for other clothing. It was a good reminder for me that they were not that different in size. Greg's skull was about the same size as the skull of one of the men found in Herjolfsnes. Greg benefits from a good diet that is higher in protein and edible fats, so he probably has a greater muscle mass and we might infer Greg is taller. His counterpart lived a subsistence lifestyle, but it is likely he had good nutrition in his early years. This has been reflected in my earlier paleobotany research on the diets of similar people in York and Gottland. I hope to update that information and republish it in the blog at a later date. It is a good reminder for me to curb my assumptions.
The next reproduction I decided to work on was the Leems hat. I felt the Groninger Museum hat was well covered by The Journal of Archeology of the Low Countries in its article Chrystel R. Brandenburgh's excellent article, Early medieval textile remains from settlements in the Netherlands. An evaluation of textile production. The information she presented was incredibly clear.
I was unprepared to accurately recreate the original hat, because I did not have a diamond twill and I am not a weaver. I could practice the construction of the cap, and that is what I decided to do. I cut the pattern and whip stitched the cap together. I turned under and a blanket stitched the edges in place. I then ran a simple running stitch in a coordinating thread around the bottom. I have been practicing the interlocking herringbone around the top. My stitch work is poor, but the hat is spiffy and fun. It is a wonderful style and I look forward to adding it to my wardrobe.
The hats seem to be found more in male identified graves than in female, though there are a lot of examples of pillbox type hats in illuminations. I plan on doing more pillbox hats in the future.
I expected the hat to be a very small size, because I have grown up with the idea that medieval people are somehow very small in comparison to modern humans. I finished the hat and realized it was precisely the right size for my friend Greg. He has a small noggin, and I thought it would fit him. I have since measured him for other clothing. It was a good reminder for me that they were not that different in size. Greg's skull was about the same size as the skull of one of the men found in Herjolfsnes. Greg benefits from a good diet that is higher in protein and edible fats, so he probably has a greater muscle mass and we might infer Greg is taller. His counterpart lived a subsistence lifestyle, but it is likely he had good nutrition in his early years. This has been reflected in my earlier paleobotany research on the diets of similar people in York and Gottland. I hope to update that information and republish it in the blog at a later date. It is a good reminder for me to curb my assumptions.
The next reproduction I decided to work on was the Leems hat. I felt the Groninger Museum hat was well covered by The Journal of Archeology of the Low Countries in its article Chrystel R. Brandenburgh's excellent article, Early medieval textile remains from settlements in the Netherlands. An evaluation of textile production. The information she presented was incredibly clear.
I was unprepared to accurately recreate the original hat, because I did not have a diamond twill and I am not a weaver. I could practice the construction of the cap, and that is what I decided to do. I cut the pattern and whip stitched the cap together. I turned under and a blanket stitched the edges in place. I then ran a simple running stitch in a coordinating thread around the bottom. I have been practicing the interlocking herringbone around the top. My stitch work is poor, but the hat is spiffy and fun. It is a wonderful style and I look forward to adding it to my wardrobe.The hats seem to be found more in male identified graves than in female, though there are a lot of examples of pillbox type hats in illuminations. I plan on doing more pillbox hats in the future.
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