Hussars are brave warriors, the beauty and pride of the Russian army of the 19th century, especially the first half. The hussar costume was very elegant, picturesque, made a vivid impression. Therefore, representatives of this kind of troops were known as smoothies and enjoyed a special arrangement of ladies.
Headdress
Fans of books and films on historical subjects probably know what a shako is. This is a headdress, an integral part of hussar equipment. He was popular with Russian cavalrymen until the First World War. Then this type of cap was replaced by another, more convenient shape. What is a shako: in fact, a high cylinder with a visor. His top is flat, and a sultan from a bunch of feathers or horsehair was used as decoration. It was in this form that the soldiers of many European states wore it. With a large number of inconveniences, this cap nevertheless well protected the heads of soldiers from saber attacks. And why not tolerate for the sake of saving life! To this day, these military suits have survived , as well as interesting descriptions and drawings of what a shak, for example, of the Dragoon regiment or cadet school, what are their similarities and differences. So, in the time of Nicholas I, this headgear most of all resembled a bucket upside down. And along with the Sultan, his height reached 73.5 cm. Imagine what it was like: to wear a kind of construction on it in the heat! Caps were also decorated with emblems of military units and other insignia. This was done with considerable panache and carefully. Conclusion: what is a shako? That's right, the hussar’s pride, the opportunity to show his “youth”, as they said before, that is, the daredevil. Even in Lermontov’s poem “Borodino” there are lines: “Who sharpened the bayonet, grumbling angrily, who cleaned the shako, all beaten, biting a long mustache ...”
In a hat workshop
Suppose you are interested in the question: how to make a shake with your own hands? Not so simple, but not too complicated. The main thing is to select the necessary materials at hand and work accurately and accurately. What you may need: flexible cardboard, rags of white and blue fabric, 2 meters of golden-yellow simple lace and 60 cm lace with brushes, the color is the same. Threads of a color suitable for braid and material, 2 types of glue - “Moment” and PVA. Flexible wire - about 40-50 cm, artificial feathers (height - 30 cm). Naturally, a sewing machine and a glue "gun". Plus a centimeter to measure the head.
Stages of manufacturing a shako
So, let's begin to make a hussar shako. The head circumference is known to us. On the cardboard, draw the parts of the cap. Start with the tulle (it should match the size of the head), then make the top and visor. Mark additional centimeters for bonding and notching allowances so that cardboard can be bent. Carefully cut workpieces. Now attach them to the pieces of matter, circle with tailor's chalk or soap. You make the top and top white, the two-sided visor will be blue. Include allowances for seams in the pattern, mark them so as not to get confused. “Moment” connect the edges of the tulle, then glue the bottom. Do not forget that the shape of the shako is slightly wider upward than at the bottom, at the base, which covers your head. Cloth paper blanks. For convenience, you can first grind the parts, then pull the finished “cover” onto the cardboard frame. Or tighten each part separately, using PVA for pasting the edges. Then decorate the tulle with braid, glue "gun" will help to fix it. At the end of the work, attach a bunch of feathers - the sultan. Take the wire to give it the desired shape. Here is your magnificent shako and is ready! Long live the hussars!