They're All the Rage... A Market Bonnet!

Just as there are trends in modern fashions, there are fashion trends in the reenactment community. In the past few years, market bonnets (also sometimes called 'working caps/bonnets/hats') have come back into style! Colonial Williamsburg has one in their collection, which I based mine off of, and they have begun adding these bonnets to the wardrobes of some of their employees. Well, that was enough convincing for me - I just had to have one!

This is the market bonnet in the CW Collections - Check it out!

I bought some black silk, and made up a pattern. I bought a yard of silk, as recommended, but I cut very carefully and only ended up using half a yard - so I can make another hat and sell it! (If anyone is interested in a market bonnet, please comment or send me an email.)

The pattern pieces all laid out

This was a pretty easy project, the hardest part was getting the brim to fit exactly right in the silk, but even that was not terribly difficult. Overall, this only took about four hours from start to finish. The most challenging part of the whole process was getting a good picture of the finished product!

Some silliness before I gathered the pouf

The first finished picture

It's entirely handsewn, and the brim is a posterboard-type material that according to my research seemed to be pretty close to a traditional brim. I would have liked to use a completely authentic material, but this bonnet was a last-minute project for my birthday outfit while I waited for my linen for my new shift to ship, so I didn't have time to order anything.

This is now one of my favorite accessories, and it's a great talking point at events! Even though there's tons of documentation on market bonnets in the late 18th Century, not many people are familiar with them, so I've been getting lots of questions.

This picture was taken as I was adjusting my birthday dress, but it shows off the hat quite well!

One of my favorite pictures from my birthday, taken by my friend Kirsten in the Tucker House in Colonial Williamsburg, showing off my gown and market bonnet.

I would highly recommend sewing a market bonnet if you reenact a late 18th Century female. This project was super easy, very satisfying, and inexpensive - even though it's made out of silk, it's a very small amount. They were worn by a wide variety of women, including the working class, and are a great accessory to almost any outfit! If you're interested in more of the history of this hat, try searching for things like "colonial silk bonnet", or just start looking at paintings/drawings of women at work in the 1770s. You can also feel free to comment with any of your questions, and I'll be happy to answer them.

Happy sewing!