A Midsummer- Night's Dream: Puck- Headpiece...

I was given the task of creating a hat or headpiece for the character of Puck, from a Midsummer-Night's Dream by William Shakespeare. I was given the epilogue of the play to work from and a colour scheme of green and gold.

Epilogue
Spoken by Puck
"If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended,
That you have but slumber’d here
While these visions did appear.
And this weak and idle theme,
No more yielding but a dream,
Gentles, do not reprehend:
if you pardon, we will mend:
And, as I am an honest Puck,
If we have unearned luck
Now to ‘scape the serpent’s tongue,
We will make amends ere long;
Else the Puck a liar call;
So, good night unto you all.
Give me your hands, if we be friends,
And Robin shall restore amends."

                                         [he vanishes]

A Midsummer-Night's Dream- William Shakespeare. 

Puck...

In the sixteenth century the best known English fairy was Robin Goodfellow, also known as Puck. Supposedly the son of Oberon and a country woman, he was granted special powers by his father, who said that he was only to use them to help honest people. Robin did not always keep to this condition, however, and he was as famous for his mischievous tricks as for washing the dishes and sweeping the floor.

I wanted to reflect nature within Puck's headpiece, to perhaps create a crown of flowers and leaves intertwined, to reflect the faery forest, and the playfulness  of the character...

I started by looking online for examples of a similar concept and I loved the romantic, fairytale feeling of these particular crowns...

Knowing the look I wanted to achieve, it became a case of raiding the garden for anything still green. Which was difficult in the snow! In the end I chose a mixture of evergreen's such as ivy, lavender and passion flower leaves. 

Tools-

-Scissors

-Pliers

-Gold Jewellery Wire

-Leather Cord

-Foliage

To create the base of the headband, I plaited three strips of brown leather cording securing the ends with gold wire. 

Tying the band around a silver bin to keep it's shape, I then preceded to weave the foliage through the leather securing the ends with the gold wire.

I wrapped the band with strips of the gold wire to give it strength.

I then created small beaded springs with the remaining wire to add a bit of fun. To create the springs wrap the wire around a pencil, remove add beads and use the pliers the bend the wire in place.

Finally I secured the ends of the band with the left over leather cord, which was wrapped several times around the edges and tied together in a knot. I was really pleased with the final piece and I believe it worked well with the other elements provided by two other costume girls.

 Puck

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