I ran across a scrap of fabric in a discount bin with a fun pattern that would be perfect for a cover for my wulsthaube. It was just the right amount to make a striped Steuchlein to cover my wulsthaube. I want to create a shaped and sewn haube cover to go over my 16th-century German-style wulsthaube.

The wulsthaube (bulge hood) and steuchlein (outer cover) were everyday fashions in the first half of the 16th century (1500-1540s) in German-speaking regions of Europe, shown in many paintings and woodcuts. The layers and components are described in Zander-Seidel, Textiler Hausrat: Kleidung und Haustextilien in Nurnberg von 1500-1650, 1990. However, there is some overlap in the names and descriptions. There is an excellent tutorial by The Curious Frau – How to wrap and tie the Schleier and Bundlein, Renaissance German headwraps on YouTube, and the Steuchlein; Rowantree Workshops also have a great breakdown of the components.

I wanted something less fussy than a Schleier (veil), which I usually use and pin over my wulsthaube. Instead of pinning it into place, I decided to go for something shaped and sewn into place. That way, it could slip over the wulsthaube, making it easier to put on quickly and requiring less fabric. This steuchlein is a functional experiment, an impression; I have no research or evidence that this was an actual way someone could have done it. There are some examples of English coifs from a slightly later period, and one with gathering toward the top of the coif (https://collections.mfa.org/objects/66155).

Patterning and Cutting the Fabric

I put my wulsthaube on my wig head and pinned it in place. I then draped the fabric over the wulsthaube to determine the shape I wanted to work with. I marked the fabric, leaving edges for hemming and gathering. Then, I laid it out and cut it to a rough shape.

Hemming the Edges and Gathering the Back Opening

Next, I hand-stitched all the edges using a whip-stitch and some waxed linen thread. I closed the bottom opening about halfway, leaving enough room to slide it over the wulsthaube. I then tested a running gathering stitch to close the back and cut it down to where I liked it. Then I finished the back edge hem, finalized the running gathering stitch with a heavy upholstery thread, and gathered it up. Initially, I made this the night before an event, and I was camping. I only had a medium linen thread, which kept breaking. Luckily, I had some fishing line and could close it with. It worked like a charm. Once I got home, I re-worked it with some upholstery thread.

Voilà a New Quick Wear Steuchlein

I am pleased with the way it came out. It was a simple but fun project, and I’m happy with its appearance and ease of use. Additionally, gathering it in the back makes it nice and flat over the void left by the wulst (or even braids). Using a gathering solves some issues with bulk and fabric and ease of getting it on and off.