Two Amazing Bonnets

I am loving how these two bonnets came out.

They were inspired by the striped straw (and other fiber) bonnets of the 1850s.

Each bonnet is made with alternating rows of wheat straw plait and abaca plait. I tried two different techniques in stripe placement. One emphasizes the wheat plait, while the other shows both evenly. Each bonnet took about 20 hours of handsewing and blocking using an original 1850s millinery block. The natural with natural stripe is slightly smaller than the larger walnut and natural stripe.

This bonnet combines natural wheat straw and natural abaca plait. The pairing creates a light, airy look, playing the two textures off of each other. The very front edge of this brim flared up in the blocking process.

This bonnet pairs a dark walnut brown wheat plait with a natural abaca plait. This construction balances the two types of plait, playing the two colors off of each other.

I had a difficult time pricing these two bonnets. As always, I want my work to be affordable. But, at the same time, I need to stay on budget and account for the 20 hours of handwork and the materials. I settled on $200 each. If you use a coupon code in combination the Share & Save url, you can save 10% (STRAWWHIMSEY) while giving me back 4%.

I have two more stripe combinations I want to make. If these are appealing for people, I will get materials to do more.