The Ultimate Winter Wind Hood

Here we are, the first bonnet of 2015.

This winter hood is taken directly from an original in my collection. The original is a dark, royal blue on the outside with black silk on the inside. I went all black for this one. This is one of those hoods where I really wanted to know why it went together the way it did. All the measurements are as exact as I could get. I kept with the original seam construction as well, right down to the use of salvage which I’ve come to love for its great reduction in bulk. I did make two additional changes besides the color. The original has a piece of half inch broken cane. As it is only a fragment and the pinholes that previously held it only showing in a small area, I could not determine exactly where it ran. I have not included that. There is a piece of black ribbon attached flat along the bavolet seam on the outside that is just off. I suspect it was either added later to cover pinholes from where a decorative ribbon was placed or to cover wear. (Here is the Etsy link.)

Now, I’m sure you are wondering why I’m calling this “The Ultimate Winter Wind Hood.” When I finished it and tried it on, I was greatly impressed by how wind resistant this hood is. The brim comes very forward of the face. At the same time, the ribbons inside the brim draw the interior of the hood down around the head, holding it snuggly and comfortably in place. The photo to the left an show you sort-of how those ribbons draw the interior down.

The bavolet that appears flat and rather long is just right for keeping the wind off the neck. It sits right around the neck so to not let the wind catch underneath.

Trying it on was truly a moment of understanding.

Back to the exterior, you’ll see an interesting combination of quilting. All the quilting is made of diagonal stripes spaced at 1.25″. But, the front of the brim and where it turns under to the inside the quilting makes diamonds, while the mid to back section of the brim is simply diagonal stripes. I happen to really like the way the look comes together. The bavolet and tip both have the full diamonds. (I can tell you, this is a lot of quilting.)

For 2015, I’m going to try to share the time and materials for projects. (which I know may be a little weird since many of the pieces will be available for purchase. But, I really like how others share their numbers on their blogs and for challenges.) So, here we go…