c1810 Cottage Bonnet

Kitty Calash and I are prepping for an 1812 millinery event this summer. I  consider myself new to the 19th century and don't have an extensive collection for this era. Since I'm to portray someone in the accessory industry, I have a bit of accessorizing to do...and oddles of bonnets I'm itching to make.

I started with the easiest project: a c1810 cottage bonnet. Inspired by the bonnet below from Meg Andrews, I used:

• Vintage grosgrain ribbon from Farmhouse Fabrics. It's three inches wide and has a really nice weight.
• A straw bonnet from Hats by Leko.
• And I couldn't resist adding some paper millinery flowers from Dames A La Mode.

c.1810 Plaited straw bonnet with a shallow brim and bavorlet. 

(What's a bavorlet?!)

It was super simple to make. Looking closely at the Meg Andrews photos, the ribbon wraps around the bonnet so there's no need to sew the ties on separately. The photos below show how I attached the ribbon.

Much like the original, I made a little pleat in the ribbon at the side of the crown, which I prick stitched in place. I also sewed the ties in place close to the brim since the extant bonnet seems to have a seam there.

 From the inside the stitching looks a bit messy, but who's going to see it?

Notice that new/vintage candlestick holder-turned-hatstand? As a frequent Instagrammer, I was excited to stumble upon the print below from VintageandAntiqueTextiles that nicely documents this. (Notice the hat in the bottom left corner.)

The Straw Hat Maker.

My three year-old was very eager to model the cottage bonnet for you all...

And now onto the next bonnet!