Day 19: Ornament

This is the first post for this month that I really struggled with. I don't do a lot of ornamentation because so many of the things I make and wear aren't displaying that sort of wealth or that type of life style. However, I realized that there is one way I like to ornament my ensembles, and that's with a hat that makes a statement. Usually, that means a market bonnet!

I know that I've posted about market bonnets before, but I wanted to highlight the many different ways that they can be ornamented.

Plain black silk goes with pretty much every wardrobe - even in the 21st century!

While black was certainly the most common color, every now and then it's nice to be a little bit flashier - I trimmed this red silk market bonnet with scalloped while silk and a bow with pinked edges!

Here's another market bonnet that I made, this time a standard black bonnet with a pretty teal bow and scalloped trim!

And one of my more recent projects, a white market bonnet that I added scalloped green silk to this summer for a friend!

Market bonnets are a great statement piece for any wardrobe, and there are endless ways to ornament them! They're one of my favorite things to sew, and if you want one for yourself, send me an email and let me know (stacylynnsews@gmail.com).

A Jacket and a Holiday

I posted a bit ago and mentioned that I bought new fabrics during a sale at Mary Dickinson's. Well, I have already made a new jacket with one of the fabrics that I bought!

I wanted to make a swallowtail jacket, so I used the JP Ryan jacket patterns and did view D with a modified front that pins closed like view A.

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of the construction, because I sewed the entire jacket in one day during work, and therefore couldn't take my phone out to snap any documentation. I cut out the fabric the night before, and after leaving work the next day I put on the recently finished jacket and wore it to a cricket match.

Then, on the Fourth of July, I paired my new blue and white jacket with a red petticoat, a white apron, and a red silk market bonnet that I whipped up that morning and trimmed with a white ribbon for a most patriotic look. Even though I had the day off, I went into work to compete in the annual Independence Day tug-of-war. I was on the Patriot's side, and we won two out of three times!

I'll try to do another post on market bonnets soon, hopefully with all of the documentation that they deserve - they seem to be coming into fashion in the reenactment community, and I want to have one easy reference to send anyone with questions to! I have been sewing a lot of market bonnets recently, both for myself and as commissioned work, so if anyone is interested in buying one, please feel free to contact me! (I've been charging about half of the going rate on Etsy, so it's a good deal, and they're entirely hand sewn!)

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!