Soft Crown Straw Bonnet, 1858

From Frank Leslie's New Family Magazine, October 1858:

WILDE'S HAT--This pretty hat is in a style which is just now very fashionable; the groundwork is of fine white Belgian straw surrounded with a border of plaid velvet with a cap crown also of plaid velvet separated into puffings by narrow bands of velvet edged with lace. Encircling the crown is a row of rich Chantilly lace, which nearly covers the straw front, the points just touching the velvet border. Very wide strings barred with velvet, side ruche and bandeaus of small mixed blossoms completes this handsome October bonnet. 

Plaid silk velvet not being an option, I decided to use a silk tafetta for the crown, binding, and ties. I also changed the color palette to be more spring-like, with white lace and white velvet ribbon. The front flowers are not visible, so I chose to use a mixture of blue cornflowers and violets for the "bandeau of small mixed blossoms." I omitted the lace from the edges of velvet ribbon because I couldn't get the scale to look right. The picture seems to suggest a sort of double-layer curtain, but as this is not confirmed in the description, I decided to keep it a simple single layer.

Back view.

The pattern is based off of one of the Timely Tresses round '50s bonnets (possibly the smaller cutting line on the Ada Gay). The brim is machine sewn from hemp braid. The rest of the bonnet is hand-sewn. The ties are narrow-hemmed strips of the same taffeta used for the crown, binding, facing, and bavolet, with both curtain and crown lined in cotton net for extra body; I believe this fabric came from Portland's Fabric Depot. The lace overlay and frill are both cotton levers lace from Fine French Laces.

From the front. The flowers aren't so dark as they appear.

Straw Ornaments, c.1850-1870

"Many [straw bonnets] are trimmed entirely with a fancy ornament in straw. A row of straw rosettes ornaments the front and a thick cord with tassels à l'Imperatrice is twisted round the crown."

    --Frank Leslie's 1859

 

So, I finally started playing around with the rest of my straw-work tools. Which may have lead to trying to copy some of the mid-19th century straw hat ornaments in the VAM. As one does.

Not a bad, until I compare them with the originals...

It's been an educational first attempt. Observations in no particular order:

• Identifying the different techniques on the originals was much easier than I feared.
• The actual tools and techniques are pretty straightforward. Most of the beauty and interest comes from combining many techniques to make intricate, precise decorations.
• Wrapped beads are THE WORST. It's exactly like making thread-covered buttons with no control over the tension, and despite being straightforward and technically easy, I hate it.
• I need a lot more practice on most of these techniques to get the repetition right.
• Downloading the pictures allows for much closer views than the "zoom in" function in the web browser.
• Relatedly, I'm pretty sure the straw-thread "petals" should actually be a three-end ring plait. Also smaller, and seven in number instead of six. I seriously counted them three times.
• Also the watch-spring rosette should have small flower-shaped straw sequins with beads at the center, not quilled rolls.
• Most of my favorite designs include at least some die-cut straws, nearly all of them too fiddly to cut out by hand. No idea where to source a 1/4" flower-shaped punch, so it'll be an adventure.
• I also need to source a straw spinner or figure out how to hack my spindles for straw thread. The hand-twisted versions are just too slow and rough, and I'm not sure how long my source for pre-made will be available. I really like using it, so I need a reliable source for it, especially if I want to start trying the fun lace-work "fancy braids" for hatbands and trims.

And of course, I couldn't resist trying my hand at the best part of everyone's favorite bonnet veil: 

Prototype bees!

The bees on the VAM veil are two toned: they have a black-and-yellow striped body, with yellow die-cut straw wings, black straw thread outlines, and black glass bead eyes (with a clear bead between). The yellow stripes on the body appear to be smooth and whole, over a more complicated black underlayer. Some of them appear to have black antenna and/or legs, but that might just be the net design fooling my eye. There are also multiple un-dyed straw bees in the technique book I'm using (Swiss Straw Work by Veronica Main), which are implied to be examples in a Swiss museum. They aren't broken down as a project, or even given close-up images, but they follow the VAM bees' two-layer wings and bead eyes. The bodies on these bees are also more clearly textured as knotted straw thread. 

I experimented with two body techniques: a straw thread figure-8 (left and center) and thread wrapped around a whole straw (right). I'm not entirely satisfied with either: the figure-8 is more fun, but it's a little too flat, while the wrapped straw is just a bit too narrow (and also was deceptively difficult to neaten up). I dyed the colorful bee with turmeric (a period receipt) and with RIT dye (not period, because period black dyes are on a whole other level). I have a lot of dyed straw left over, so I plan to keep tweaking the construction until I get a design I like. 

These will probably find their way into my straw-plaiting program on Saturday (time permitting), so please drop in with any questions or comments.

Original: First Empire Hat, c.1811

Hat, French, c.1811. From the Met.

This hat is perfect. I love the contrasting colors, the helmet shape with tiny brim, the plume-like fabric rosettes, and especially that chin-strap. It's trying so hard to be a military hat, and makes me want to assemble a Regency/Empire-themed marching band. I very much want to see hats like this appear in more Jane Austen adaptations: it's just too much, and I love it.

Sunbonnet (take 6?)

Getting back into sewing with graduation presents for some of the awesome living history people I know. First off, a slate sunbonnet from Liz's first pattern. I've sewn it before in children's sizes, as wool hoods, and even for a doll, but this was my first time actually making it up as an adult-sized bonnet. I omitted the optional front ties, as I rarely use the ones on my own sunbonnets, but will add them if the recipient so desires. The material is "Leaf Duo" (cinnamon/parchment) from Jo Morton's "Gratitude" line for Moda.  It's all hand-sewn, and took much less time than I expected.  The slats are double-layers of non-corrugated board.

Sunbonnet.
The crown depth looks more proportionate when it's not flat.

Hemming the curved edge was actually pretty relaxing.
The stripes provided guidance for the slat channels.

New SA Sunbonnet Pattern

Because the thing you need more than a new free sunbonnet pattern, is one made from an original garment by the multi-talented Liz Clark.

[Update: Mrs. Watkins has already reviewed it here.]

Bonnet Veils

Sun protection, and garish colors all at once.

Net half-circle net on bonnet, with silk gauze veils in
black, blue, and green.

Black and white lace comprise the majority of museum collection veils, with the odd smattering of green.  Period documents, however, refer to blue, brown, black and green veils (even used by men).  Non-lace materials, including barege, grenadine, and gauze, are also named; these marginally more utilitarian materials appear to have been favored as dust-protection in the event of travel and/or bad weather--Mary Chestnut's diary mentions ruining a lace veil while travelling, as no cheaper veil could be procured after several years of blockades.

"White veils have a tendency to promote sunburn and freckles, by their increasing the power of the sun's light. They are also very injurious to the eyes.  Green is the only color which should be worn as a summer veil." -The Lady's Guide to Perfect Gentility (1856)

The surviving lace veils that I've seen are rectangular or half-circular* in form.  In general, the decoration is concentrated toward the bottom and/or sides of the veil, leaving the face--and especially the eyes--clear.  The half-circle or "D" shaped veils are mostly black, though the Met and Smithsonian each have at least one white veil of this sort. The VAM has an adorable black veil with yellow trim (and BEES!).

White lace D-shaped veil from Belgium, early 19th century.
From the Cooper-Hewitt/Smithsonian Design Museum.

Black lace veil from France, early 19th century.
In the Met.

My simpler version is made of cotton net with lace sewn along the curved edge (net from Mill End in Portland, lace from Fine French Laces). I dyed it with forest green fiber reactive dye from Dharma Trading Co. While this veil worked very well for me, I am considering dying it black and embroidering spots on it.  I started with green because 1) I like green, 2) I'm tired of people deciding my black veil is mourning attire, and 3) colorful veils existed in the time period but aren't represented in any of my usual reenactment venues. However, I haven't found an example of a green half-circle veil, yet, so it may be necessary to dye it the better-documented black (though it still won't be quite so sheer and lacy as most of the examples).

The rectangular veils I made are silk gauze with silk ribbon (dyed "forest green" and "mountain blue" with the Dharma dyes, though the silk gives a brighter and yellower green than the cotton net did). Both are loosely based on this brown original veil posted to the SA by Pam Robles some years ago.  I also used it as the basis of my first bonnet veil (in black), though I could not duplicate the narrower stripes, and merely sewed ribbon to the silk gauge to imitate the thicker lines. I attempted something similar with the green, and blue, but the ribbon I dyed for the project snags and runs very easily, so I only put one stripe on each--I may add the other three if I can find a better way to sew it. I did hand sew the new ones, which went much more easily than the machine sewing on my first veil. The black gauze, however, though nominally the same weight, seems more light and delicate than the dyed material.

While I would like to find more diaphanous materials for future veils, these three have performed adequately at shielding my eyes from sun glare, while not impeding vision (and, as a bonus, distinctly reducing the number of people declaring me a widow). They've also sparked some interesting conversations with visitors and other reenactors.

*More like a half circle with a two-inch strip added to the flat side.

Pattern Review: 1859-1862 Low Spoon Straw Bonnet by The Dressmaker's Shop

1859-1862 Low Spoon Straw Bonnet by Kimberly Lynch of The Dressmaker's Shop

I made this up in 1/2" hemp straw braid, purchased from the same shop.  Between making the largest size and overlapping some of the brim rows more than was probably necessary, I ended up 7" short on the straw braid--fortunately, at that point, it was just covering raw edges in the interior, so I supplemented it with some cotton bias tape.  In purchasing the pattern, be sure to select the appropriate brim size; instructions are provided for adapting the bonnet to your own back-neck measurement during construction.

The form: sewn and wired, prior to stiffening.

The pattern really covers how to make the straw form, and decoration is left to the maker's initiative; the reader is advised to consult original images and bonnets in doing so, which makes this pattern less-susceptible to “cookie cutter” issues. Each step of the process is illustrated with color photographs.  The brim rows may be sewn by hand or by machine, but the crown portion needs to be worked by hand.

What you get: 12-page instruction packet

brim pattern sheet (printer-weight paper)

What you need: 1 roll straw braid (18 yd of 1/2” or 36 yd of 1/4”), bonnet wire, thread, parchment paper, wire cutter, pressing ham, fabric stiffener (optional); ribbons, lace, trim, etc., as desired

Score: 4.5 stars

Difficulty: Intermediate and up. The instructions are clear, and the only specific techniques one needs be acquainted with are a back-stitch and a modified whip stitch (method shown). However, the shaping was tricky, and I wouldn't recommend it for a beginner. New milliners may find a buckram form slightly easier.

Accuracy: The shape closely follows surviving bonnets (such as this, this, and this), though pictures of originals are not included with the pattern. It does, however, include period images of and magazine excerpts on straw bonnet production.

Strongest Impression: The pattern instructions could be more polished in their presentation/formatting, but the steps are clearly explained; the shape and methods appear well-researched.

Red Fanchon, Spring/Summer 1865

And now, the second and final half of the fanchon-drafting adventure (started here, continued here and including the half-crown version here).

Crownless fanchon-shaped bonnet, decorated with self-fabric ruffles and ties, and trimmed with lace.

Based particularly on this original from the Met:

Full entry here

I also briefly messed around with attaching some flowers under the brim and along the crown, as per Peterson's April-May 1865 illustrations, but didn't like the effect.  I'll likely revisit this later.

Nice bonnet, but the disembodied head is creepy

Another concept which was considered.  

And here's an action shot, including the front of my bonnet as worn (thanks to Betsy, who snagged it off of C-SPAN):

The lady in purple with the straw fanchon is, of course, Miss Connolly.  Miss Middleton has the straw bonnet with the black veil thrown back, and the striped parasol.  Mama is on the far right, with the pink bonnet and black plaid dress.

Pink Bonnet, Winter-Spring 1865

Partial continuation of the fanchon research and drafting posts:

Inspired by this bonnet from Peterson's (February 1865):

"Blue Satin Bonnet, Puffed Lengthwise, trimmed with a large blue rose and black lace, with the puffings fastened with black beads."

Buckram and wire 'fanchon'-shaped base. Covering of pale pink sheer silk, “puffed”, and extended to form an abbreviated soft crown. Self fabric ruffle along the back edge. Ties of green silk taffeta, with back bow of the same. Cluster of white flowers to trim (left side only). Interior lining of cotton crinoline, with cap of vintage lace along the brim interior, gathers concentrated at the top.

The lace edging on the back of the cheek tabs was omitted; with the back bow switched to silk (to better relate the bonnet ties to overall design), a lace edging lacked cohesion, while a matching silk trim in that location looked excessive.

Fanchon Drafting, Part 1

Continuing from the research post, which got too long.

Bonnets from "Der Bazar", May 1865

So, spring 1865 fanchons, to recap:

• Have three corners, like a "half handkerchief"
• Have cheek tabs
• Sit close to the face at the sides and peak up at the top (but less than the spoon bonnets did)
• Have a little trim and some lace under the brim (but less than before)
• Have soft crowns (description, January, Peterson's)
• OR appear to be cut in one piece (images showing brim-crown combo; February-April, Peterson's)
• OR have no crown (May-summer, Peterson's)
• Have little to no curtain (may have a short ruffle or some trim along the back edge)
• Some bonnet ties continue either across the middle of the brim, or along the now-curtain-free back edge 
• Are "easily made at home".  The editor of Peterson's thinks this means the fashion establishment will keep pushing the "empire" bonnet, but didn't think a pattern useful to include.

Some poking around eventually produced a diagram of a '68 fanchon (courtesy of Cornell University's Library) in Harper's Bazaar for May 9, 1868:

Harper's Bazaar, page 436, 5/9/1868

(Just to annoy me, Google books finally turned up the same page; neither, however seems to contain the elusive "Fashion Supplement XIII", which promises a pattern)

Close-ups:

1868 Bonnet wire diagram, Harper's

1868 Fanchon frame diagram, Harper's

Der Bazar has some schematics a little closer to the target date (again, without the supplement which promises a cutting diagram):

Der Bazar, January 1865

Der Bazar, April 1865

The '68 images are crown-free, but it's still there in the '65 images, however abbreviated.

For the actual drafting, I started by cutting a triangular piece (like a handkerchief folded in half) out of newsprint, and fiddling with the length and depth until it sat properly.  I then drew in the cheek tabs, and tweaked those until a satisfactory arrangement was attained.  This suits for the crown-less "May" fanchons.  For the earlier winter-spring styles, I added a small semi-circular half-crown as in the January image from Der Bazar.  Small darts on the lower edge help to shape this piece.

c. 1865 Fanchon pattern with cheek tabs (self-draped)

The actual bonnet forms are cut of buckram, with millinery wire around the edges to help shape them (cotton crinoline bias tape covers the wires).

Fanchon form (no crown)

Fanchon form, partial crown

In comparison to the Der Bazar image, the partial crown should be deeper and a little less abrupt at the transition, but I haven't been about to make that shape work in paper.  Hopefully, the silk and trim will cover these minor sins. 

Fanchon Research Post

Still working on '65 ensembles.  My bonnet research has gotten ridiculous, so I'm posting the first part of it alone (pattern-drafting adventures to follow).

In period illustrations and descriptions:

New Style Bonnets, from Peterson's Magazine, February 1865

Notes: Brim low on the head, cut in one piece with the crown, short curtain/decorative trim, cheek tabs still in evidence.  Contrast with the previous year, which had more substantial bavolets, and higher brims (whether in one crown-brim piece, or with two separate ones).  External trim placement has also shifted.

Bonnets from Peterson's, February 1864

Back to 1865:

Peterson's, April 1865

The April '65 bonnets still have the same general shape as February (tabs extending past the ear and down the cheek; brim moderate, lower than the previous year, but still has room for some decoration; crown and brim cut in one piece), with even less of an obvious curtain.  The fashion illustration below (from the same issue), however, still shows a slight curtain, as well as trims under the brim, on the outside of it towards the back, and trailing down behind the bonnet

April 1865, Peterson's Magazine

 And then another change comes between April and May:

From Peterson's, May 1865

Another bonnet from Peterson's, May 1865

A third bonnet from Peterson's, May 1865

The May bonnets are "very small and have no crowns"; they fit "rather close to the head", and "admit no cap, only a bit of lace put on with a slight fullness" at the sides of the face (continuing a trend over the previous decade of shifting under-brim decoration from beside the face to above it).  Compared to the April numbers, the crown does seem to be omitted, but small curtains (or edge trim suggestive of curtains) are more in evidence than they were the previous month, perhaps easing the the transition to the new crown-less shape.

Bonnet, from Peterson's Magazine, June 1865

Coming into June, the shape follows similar lines: no crown, but the brim still extends a bit to the back, slight hint of a back ruffle which suggests a curtain, brim close to the sides of the face, and still peaking up above the forehead.

Peterson's, July 1865

  This bonnet from July looks almost like a visor: just the brim and trimmings.  I like the repeated bird motif on the ties.  The tabs still appear to extend down the face.

Peterson's, July 1865

Peterson's, July 1865

As worn, the July bonnets show that tabs still extend down the cheek, with the front brim close to the face at the sides and raised above the face at the top.  The hair is dressed low in the back to fill-in for the absent crown; between June and July, the rear section of the brim appears to have shrunk/raised slightly, giving more space to the hair.

And the bonnet play-by-play from Peterson's Fashion Section:

Jan 1865

May 1865

June, 1865

August, 1865

From Peterson's Magazine, Sept 1865, page 218

The referenced (reviled) Empire Bonnet:

Peterson's, September 1865

(Edited to add: the author of Arthur's Illustrated Home Magazine actually likes this style of bonnet, finding the fanchons "common" and the waterfall hairstyle they accommodate "never very tidy".)

And now for some originals:

Bonnet, 1840-1869*, from the Met

Notes: rounded triangle shape; cheek tabs maintained. slightly raised brim; no crown; decorative edging/minimal bavolet.  Fits in with the illustrations and descriptions of fanchons in Peterson's for the summer of  '65.

Fanchon, (French) c. 1865, from the Met

(More "fanchons", of the silk lace variety, from the Met).  I believe these to be indoor caps and headdresses, rather than bonnets. To quote from Peterson's again:

Peterson's Magazine, February 1865

Bonnet, 1865-1868, from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Another of the "bewitching three-cornered" bonnets.  Compared to the blue article above, the "cheek tabs" are shorter (end around eye-level on the mannequin, instead of being on level with the lips); front brim still rises above the head, allowing for some decoration beneath; no crown, bonnet does not extend past the back of the head; no curtain/bavolet.  The shape could be appropriate to the summer of '65, but I think that longer cheek tabs would make it look more like the illustrations; the addition of a minimal curtain at the back would bring it more in line with the April 1865 illustrations.

The two originals above have a lot in common with this "half bonnet" c. 1870 from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston:

Half Bonnet, c. 1870, from MFA

Given the dates are ranges on all three...  Anyway, they share a number of similarities with each other and the 1865 illustrations (triangular shape, no crown, lower brim).  The cheek tabs on this straw-and-green bonnet , as on the orange one, are shorter than the blue example and the illustrations, which leads me to suspect that they are later than '65 (the blue may be '65).

Bonnet, c. 1860, from Historic New England

Crown-less, curtain-less bonnet, tagged as "child's".  I'm curious about how long the cheek tabs are (ie, would like to see this on an appropriately-sized model head).

Some British bonnets:

Bonnet, c. 1865-70, from the Snowshill Wade Costume Collection

Long cheek tabs, crown and brim cut together, no curtain (but ties are run along the lower edge in a sort of homage to a curtain): spring '65?

Bonnet, c. 1865-1870, from the Snowshill Wade Costume Collection

The cheek tabs and curtain-like trim remind me of the late spring '65 illustrations, as the crown morphs into the brim and then vanishes.  Here's another like it, with two sets of ties surviving:

Bonnet, c. 1865-70, from the Snowshill Wade Costume Collection

A silk crepe bonnet from the Henry Ford Museum (not sure what's going on with the tabs, but the "visor" shapes reminds me of the summer of '65 pictures):

Bonnet, c. 1865-73, from the Henry Ford Museum

Then there are these two examples from the Met, dates c. 1865 and c. 1866, which I'm not sure how to interpret:

"Poke Bonnet", c. 1865, from the Met 

"Promenade Bonnet", c. 1866, from the Met

The lack of curtains does suggest an 1865+ date, but the presence of crowns and the low brims make me think "late 1850s to early 1860s" (before the high brim 'spoon' bonnet shape rather than after it); the cheek tabs are still low, as in the first blue fanchon and earlier styles, suggesting a pre-1870s date. These examples are straw; perhaps they originally had silk curtains which were later lost, or removed to update the article?  Perhaps something altogether different is going on?