Project Specs:

• Pattern: self-drafted

• Fabric: IL020 Bleached Softened Linen, 3.5 oz, double-faced black polyester Satin ribbon

• First event attended: Virtual Court, October 24th

I'll be the first to admit that my hair is challenging. It is long (which I know is a choice but I look 12 with short hair so...), it's fine, and it's curly. My hair is a trial to me mundanely, and that's really no different for historically. My hair has a mind of its own and rarely likes to stay in place.

Knowing all of this, the cofia y tranzado was always going to be one of the most nerve-wracking parts of the Spanish garb project. The cofia (the cap part) usually sits pretty far back on the head, which can prove challenging for the cap to get the grip it needs to stay on my head, and also is a great opportunity for my hair to pull it down over and over again. The tranzado (the braid case) adds extra weight to just exacerbate that concern. My hair is long enough to fill up about most of the tranzado here, and because this is part of my Tempore Atlantia entry this year, I elected not to stuff it, because I don't know enough about period fake hair yet to make that call.

My initial thoughts were to do this in two separate pieces, and somehow pin a stuffed tranzado into braids or something before topping with the cofia. The logic being that if my hair is taking the load of the tranzado's weight, the cofia might be more stable. Ultimately, I scrapped this design because I did not believe it would sit correctly on my head in these two pieces. There is evidence of the two pieces worn separately, but I think for wearing them together, doing them as a single piece is the way to go.

So that left me with doing this in one piece. The next question became: do I make the cap then attach a tranzado, or do I make it in larger pieces? After looking at inspiration pictures from several of the women I take a lot of inspiration from in my Spanish journey, I decided to do it in two pieces. Basically, it's a two-sided tube, shaped to fit across the crown of my head, with a strap tied around the edge, to help secure it underneath.

Originally, I was thinking of tacking the black ribbon in place on the tranzado. Ultimately, I decided not to do this. There are a lot of different ways that the ribbon can be wrapped around the cofia y tranzado, and tacking the ribbon in place doesn't really let you make the most of that. This is also why I chose a polyester ribbon. Given that this ribbon will be loose and not secured with stitches, being able to burn the edges to keep them from fraying is a huge advantage. I would, on my next attempt, use a thinner ribbon. This was a 7/8" ribbon, but I think 5/8" would be a more appropriate size choice.

I made this piece as a challenge for Needles, Fiber, and More Round 5 (previously known as Revenge of the Stitch Virtual Edition). I wanted to do it this way to give myself the goal of starting and completing a piece specifically for the challenge. I did buy myself a time saver though- I finally invested in a bias tape maker. This is long overdue. I got a 1/2" bias tape maker for a nice thin band around the top and for the tie at the base. I'm 100% convinced that this item is actually witchcraft and it's amazing. I'll be buying several more sizes.

This project has some definite areas of improvement. First and foremost, doing it as two separate pieces was probably a mistake. Finishing those seams inside the small braid area was a real challenge. Next time, I'll cut the fabric in a single piece, with the fold along the longer edge of the tranzado. There will still be a seam down the crown, but that tracks with the portraiture (particularly my Salome portrait's embroidery pattern). It should make the back smoother, and help the wrap look neater.

For another set that isn't for a competition that I'm focusing on period accuracy for, I'll probably sew in a hair clip at the front. Strategically tying the band on the cap and the ribbon do make some difference holding it up on my very slippery hair, but a hair clip would absolutely make a difference. Also to this end, I would also make the cofia a bit deeper. I kept it fairly shallow, but it could stand for another 1/2" at the front as well, and I don't think it will greatly affect how the tranzado falls.

I absolutely need practice wrapping this. There are several different ways of doing it, a variety of patterns, and places I can tie it off. I like that versatility, but it also means that there's a lot of practice necessary to make it look good.