Reprinted from Dover’s “Victorian Fashion & Costumes from Harper’s Bazaar 1867-1898” ed. Stella Blum.
The hat has a simple cluster of small silk flowers on one side of the crown. There is a large veil that has been edged with narrow ribbon. The veil feeds thru a knot in the hatband.
This View D hat was never featured in a photoshoot but I wanted to tell you how it was made in case you want to add any of the special things I did, to your hat. There are three things that are different from the basic pattern instructions.
Besides the ruching on the crown tip and the crown sides the lower brim fabric is ruched and it wraps around from the upper brim to made an edging.
Under brim
After the upper brim is covered as per pattern instructions. You need to measure around the outside edge of the mulled brim, multiply that by 1.5 or up to 2. Then measure from the edge of the brim to the head opening across the widest part of the brim, add 2″. Then cut a piece of velvet the width and length you just calculated. With right sides together sew the piece together along the short side. Run two parallel rows of gathering stitches at 1/4″ in and 3/4″ in from the edge on both long edges (which is not a tube). Gather one edge edge up until it matches the outside edge of the upper brim. With the right sides together pin or clip it to the upper brim edge and adjust the gathering so it’s even. Sew the velvet to the brim with a 1/2″ seam allowance. Remove the 3/4″ gathering stitch. Flip the velvet to the under brim side. Gather up the stitches on the other side to fit the head opening, pin and hand sew it to the buckram tabs inside the head opening.
While the crown and the brim are still separate but after the crown has been mulled cover the crown tip and the crown following the pattern instructions except for this.
Crown tip
Cut a piece of fabric for the crown tip that is 1.5″ larger all around that the pattern piece given.
Sew two parallel rows of gathering stitches all around one at 1/4″ in and one at 3/4″ in. Gather up the stitching until the fabric matches the mulled crown tip with 1/2 to 3/4″ overlap. Pin or clip it and sew it to the crown as per instructions. It will be puffed up at this point. You need to take ahold of the center and twist you hand until the majority of the fabric is flat to the top. Flatten it by steaming it and pressing down with you hand while still warm. Wait until you take the iron away. Take a tack stitch in several places but take them under a fold so they do not show.
Crown sides
Cut a piece of fabric for the crown sides that is 1.5X longer than the given pattern piece but the same width.
Sew the center back seam and add two rows of parallel gathering stitches at 1/4″ and 3/4″ in from the long edge. Gather these stitches up on both sides until they are the width or the crown tip of the mulled crown. Follow the instructions as if it was an un gathered piece of fabric.
To finish off this hat I wanted to have the flowers and veil like the Harper’s illustration but did not want to cover up all the ruching so I keep the veiling behind the crown and did not bring it thru the knot in the hat banding.
I used a sheer silk scarf with a rolled hem for the veil and experimented with folding it in half on the bias and on the straight of grain. This is the test for bias.
I ended up going with the straight of grain option. I folded the scarf almost in half and with a needle and thread a sewed a large gathering stitch across the center third of the scarf down in a shallow U from nothing to 3″. I gathered that to about 3 or 4″ wide, this was then tacked to the hat and covered with the band of flowers and berries.