This Beautiful reproduction of an 1800s visiting bonnet hat is all hand formed and hand sewn. This would be great for costumers, Regency, Victorian, or Civil War re-enactors as well as SASS members.

This bonnet was created for the MOE Hats for the Silver Screen contest and therefore will be available after the judging has taken place - can be shipped after June 15th.

I chose the 1940s movie Pride and Prejudice. Before the wonderful A & E production or the newer movie the only interpretation of the book was the 1940s movie which used updated costuming rather than period correct. I created this hat for a more period correct version. This formal Bonnet would have been worn by Miss Jane Bennet when she first meets Lady Catherine de Bourgh when visiting Charlotte and Mr. Collins.

All stitching on this bonnet was done by hand.

The bonnet was first blocked in buckram, cut to shape and wired. The wire was covered with cotton binding to smooth the edges. The next step was to lightly pad the buckram with a silk batting which was then covered in muslin.

The under-brim was covered in a black silk dupioni and slightly gathered for fullness around the face. Once this was done a vintage piece of lace was added to the inside so as to just frame and highlight the face.

The silk lining was prepared with my logo, the lining sides were pleated around the edges for a more formal period appearance, and then was hand stitched into place.

A black and gold stripped silk dupioni was sewn to the brim and the crown was covered with a black and gold plaid silk dupoini that had been shirred (by hand) to curve around the crown and give a softer appearance to the back. The same plaid silk was then gathered and hand sewn around the edge of the bonnet brim. A black pico edged taffeta ribbon was attached to the crown and also acts as the ties for the bonnet.

To give the bonnet a more grand appearance a large bow was needed so I used a third silk dupioni fabric with much larger block of matching colors. The fabric was cut sewn and wired on the inside so the loops of the bow would hold their towering shapes. Curled ostrich feathers in the 3 colors of the bows were bound and attached to the bow. I hand made a large velvet and silk flower with velvet leaves to be the center piece for the bow and feather accent. All this was then sewn onto the hat. The result is a very flattering bonnet.

The bonnet fits many sizes and is held onto the head with the ribbon ties.


https://www.etsy.com/listing/236582006/repoduction-of-1800s-formal-bonnet-black?ref=shop_home_active_1