This page goes with my Late Victorian Small bonnet pattern. Below are both pictures of the views in the pattern and some other hats made from the pattern along with some vintage examples and fashion plates. Hopefully these images can help you make your hat.
An Evening Hat; from the pattern
This hat was made from the same pattern differs from the views in the pattern as it does not have the same # of wires, the round ones are eliminated except for on the outside edge. The wireframe was covered with a net lace with a corded appliqué. It has two ruffles. The one on the bottom is white silk and the one above that is black net.
It also has brown netting near the back “V” where there are burnt, trimmed and beaded ostrich stems. There is a pearl strand with drops on each end at the back before the brown netting. The center back has a double ribbon bow with the corners folded back on the outer bow which forms an arrowhead shape.
Vintage Hat
This is the vintage hat that all the others were based on. It is a wireframe with brown chip plait covering that. It has a velvet ruffle, silk leaves, ribbon loops and some burnt ostrich feathers.
View A
The base of this hat is a wireframe that has been covered with black straw and then decorated with a black ruffle in front and a stack of ribbon loops and a faux bird.
View B
This also has a wireframe base but this time it is covered with the pleated fabric. It is decorated with edge ruffles and some burnt ostrich stems at the back. A lace veil was added. Claudine modeling wearing a vintage jacket (Lapels replaced) and a new wool skirt from a Janet Arnold pattern (made by Stephanie Flora).
View C
The base of this hat is also a wireframe that has been covered with natural straw and then decorated in front with two ruffles, a black and a blue. Also, the has some shirred fabric and a cluster/spike of silk flowers. Many of the bonnets and hats of this shape and time period have a vertical element, it could be flowers or feathers.
View D
Another wireframe covered with straw, this time green. this one has a single velvet ruffle. Some shirred red silk, red berries, red feathers and some peacock feathers.
Other Hats
This is another wireframe covered with straw. Two types of straw, I used Batwing plait on the outside edge. between it I added some ribbon loops. There is a ruffle of net under the straw. More ribbon loops and ostrich feathers at the back.
This wireframe was covered with purple taffeta and then decorated with silk pansies. There is a lace ruffle and a vertical lace fan (something you see a lot in fashion magazines in the time period). The center back has a double bow or embroidered ribbon with similar flowers.
This lovely Vintage Bonnet owned by Diana Riley was built on a wireframe base very much like my pattern. It was covered with silk and has silk bows around the edge and over most of the surface. The two purple silk flowers might have originally been made to fade to white centers or perhaps have faded to white. The black fabric on the hat does not show any signs of fading. There is a white turkey flat decoration where the feathers where trimmed with pinking shears. Also one dark prune colored silk rose bud. What gives this hat most of it’s charm are the ~10 trimmed Ostrich drab shafts that have two each black beads and a small silk flower glued to the outlying tip (shown in close up in the pictures on the left).
I would like to thank Diana for bringing it to class so I could get photographs of this charming hat.
This bonnet is a vintage white straw bonnet with a navy elastic chin strap covered with silk gardenias . It is very similar in shape and size as my pattern but it does not have a wire frame or the inverted “V” cut out in back but other than that the base hat is almost identical. It has a long bow from wide Navy Blue grosgrain ribbon. The bow is not gathered in the middle but spans 6″ across the back one third of the hat.The maker/seller is Carson Pirie Scott & Co, Chicago and the hat is 22 1/2. The plait is fine between 3/4 and 1″ wide scallop. There are 9 rows that have been machine stitched. The decorations are sewn on by hand with large stitches you can see in the photo.
Some fashion plate examples of similar hats which show the variety of decorations that one could use.
Pictures above with an “a” are from this source “ Shoes, Hats,and Fashion Accessories a Pictorical Archive 1850-1940” by Grafton, Dover Books; ISBN: 0-486-40103-0
Pictures above with a “b” are from this source “Victorian Fashion & Costuming From Harper’s Bazar 1867-1898 by Stella Blum, Dover BooksISBN 0-486-22990-4