A Montero Cap

I apologise for the blatant advertising, but I'm really pleased with the way this hat turned out.  This is the closest to 17th century sewing I've managed yet in a basic soldier's montero. The materials are white linen and belgian canvas for the lining and inner band and 100% undyed wool bought from Lindy Pickard of Cloth Hall, hand dyed to Oxford Red, the closest match Mulberry Dyer could get to the red madder dye used for the King's Army uniforms in 1643. It's hand sewn with linen thread, undyed on the inside and top sewn with madder red dyed linen on the exterior.

The wool is nicely fulled, so much so that I could leave the cut edges of the skirt and peak unhemmed, which accounts for the slightly rough edges, a method used for army uniforms in later centuries. This makes sense, as it results in less waste in the cutting and also means you don't create thick seams which makes fixing the peak easier as you're not sewing through so many layers.

The cap is lined with white linen and a strip of coarse belgian linen is used to form a band around the inner edge. This keeps the lining in place and forms an inner structure to the hat.

Folded down, the cap becomes a warm protector for the face to keep the wind at bay. There are pictures from the continent showing caps being worn like this in Winter.

I can make monteros in any size and authentic colour for a reasonable price. Feel free to get in touch via the email address on my profile on the right hand side