Weeldfolk Matron's Cap
No garment serves to more identify the women of the Weeldfolk than their white caps. As a symbol of maturity and respectability, girls are given their first cap a day or two before their wedding in a ceremony known unimaginatively as a "capping". From that day forward, a woman will always wear the simple, close-fitting bonnet even if she wears other hats.
Matron's caps are similar but tighter than those that might be found elsewhere in the Forest Sovereignty. What sets it apart is its embroidery and coverage. Unlike most linen garments in the east, the embroidery on the bonnet is white thread on white linen. The front is embroidered in blocks of satin stitch, first going vertical from the brim and then horizontally. These blocks form an edge similar to the battlements of a castle. Continued inward, they form a border around holes the size of a pinky tip. For the rest of the bonnet, satin stitched blocks and holes are alternated with bands of stylized flowers, still in white. The caps are usually kept unlined. Though, some wealthy women sew brightly colored silk ribbon inside to cover the holes so little peeps of color show on the outside.
Among the Weeldfolk, women are very careful to hide all their hair underneath their caps. The tip or back of the bonnet is wider at the bottom and extends well below the crown. This is then gathered by a ribbon or braided cord. A woman first braids or pins her hair in a low bun. Then she ties the ribbon around her hair. The back forms a pouch to hide her braids. Tucking in any stray hairs, she sets the cap on her head. While the tightness of the garment is usually enough to keep the bonnet securely on a woman's head, some ladies will add a couple of hairpins for added safety.
Manufacturing process
The cap is initially worked as two pieces, tip and crown. After attaching the linen to a wood frame, the creator embroiders both sections. Then, the holes are very carefully cut. Snipping a single, wrong thread ruins the entire piece. After the embroidery is removed from the frame, it is cut to size and stitched to form the cap.
Significance
First, this garment is a mark of identity among the Weeldfolk. To be a married woman in their culture is to wear a matron's cap. Because of this, I have heard many people in other principalities disparaging the garment as plain, provincial, or unattractive. To this, I say fleabites. The craftsmanship of these garments is amazing. It is simple, small-minded prejudice against a less prestigious culture.
Second within the group, it marks a girl's transformation from child to wife. Many Weeldfolk women remember when they were capped with more fondness than their wedding day. As mothers give to their daughters these symbols of adulthood, they are giving them their hopes and dreams of a happy life stitched with love. This makes them more beautiful than the most adorned tellerbarret.
These caps are made of solid white linen. While I have seen a few made with extremely fine cloth, most are stitched out of a coarser fabric to aid in creating the geometric designs. The cloth is always a plain, one under one over, weave. Like the fabric, the thread is usually linen. Though I have seen a few caps that use silk floss, this is well beyond most of the Weeldfolk means. Women choose the whitest materials they can get above all other considerations.
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