If I Had My Own Blue Box:

The most common sewn winter hood of the early through mid-nineteenth century was the quilted hood. This type of hood most often consisted of three pieces: the brim, crown, and bavolet, each of which were quilted with a lining fabric, outer fabric, and wadding or batting inside.

The shape and proportions of the individual brim, crown, and bavolet pieces and some construction details evolved from decade to decade, reflecting the needs of changing hair styles. When the coiffure was placed high on the head, more space was needed high in the crown. When the coiffure was placed low on the neck, an adjustable bavolet to crown seam was needed.

Most commonly, a tight weave silk taffeta was used for the exterior material. A tigh weave, smooth wool is also seen in originals for the exterior. A tight weave with a smooth surface helps snow slide off of the hood with minimal moisture absorption.

The wadding or batting is most often wool, though occasionally other fibers. The bits of wool batting peeking through seams, fractures, and holes in original hoods range from white to golden/orangey yellows to dark browns. I have observed both cleaned and uncleaned wool with plant fibers inside. I have found fulled wool fabric quilted inside original hoods as well.

Inside quilted hoods, linings most often consist of polished cotton or silk, though to a much lesser extent printed cottons are also found. The smooth surface of a polished cotton or silk causes less disruption to the wearer’s hair. The front few inches of the brim can be faced with another silk, solid, striped, or plaid. Often, this facing is on the bias. On multiple pieces, I have observed ribbon used for the facing, pieced together on the bias.

Some quilted bonnets have structural support used in the construction. So far, I have found: wires, cane, paper, pasteboard, buckram, and straw.

New Quilted Winter Hood Workbook

The next winter workbook will either be doll hoods or children’s hoods. Which would you prefer?

Now that wi ter has finally settled in to the North-East, many are thinking about how to keep warm in their nineteenth century attire, including how to keep their head warm.

The great news is there were several styles of winter hoods worn in the nineteenth century.

The challenging news is there were several styles of winter hoods worn in the nineteenth century.

With the many styles available, how do you pick the one right for your impression or interpretation?

I have this ongoing love (obsession) with sewn winter hoods. I am fascinated by how each is put together, what
the commonalities are, what the uniquenesses are, and which suits which situations best.

This overview looks at sewn winter hoods focusing on the mid-19th century. It does not include the many knit
styles that were made.

Let’s start with some basics.

Sewn winter hoods generally fall into two catagories: quilted and wadded, with some draped hoods which do not have interior guts. Winter hoods were most frequently made with a silk exterior and a silk or cotton interior. They could also be made from wool. The breakdown lands somewhere around ⅔ silk with ⅓ wool. The silk used is most frequently a tight weave taffeta, with the occasional fraille or tight jacquard weave. The tight weave and smooth texture is important for resisting water. Think about how an umbrella resists water. If rain or wet snow fall onto a silk hood, you want the moisture to roll off. If dry, fluffy snow falls onto a silk hood, you want it to slide off. The same principle applies. Similarly, when wool is used, it too needs to be a tight, smooth weave. A tight weave will minimize absorption. A smooth weave will encourage snow to slide off. A fuzzy wool will act almost like velcro, grabbing and holding onto snow. In terms of weight, the vast majority of original wool hoods I’ve examined have been light weight with some slightly medium weight wools.

Turning to the interior, silk and cotton are commonly found. Silk is often a solid color, either a taffeta or tissue taffeta. Cottons is more often a polished cotton in a solid color or a sateen, with the occasional smaller print. Often, the interiors include multiple fabrics of the same fiber. The color selection can be a dark neutral, black or brown, or a bright, vivid color such as pink or yellow.

Now, let’s talk situations and styles.
I break this down environmentally.

If you are doing an event that is likely to be windy and/or stormy, you will want a hood that can protect your face. For this situation, I recommend a hood that comes forward, protecting the face. A lappet style hood is a good choice for this. The brim extends forward of the face with the lappets hanging below. This was the style I had on when a sudden heavy, icey burst of rain hit. I found while walking through the village, my face was fully protected and dry. A capote style hood, one with minimal structure and a deep brim, would work well for a stormy situation as well.

If you are doing an event that will be very cold, while you need to be active, you will want a warm hood that stays in place while giving you a good line of sight. For this, I recommend a wadded hood. A wadded hood is likely the warmest of the hoods as it is filled full with wool wadding or down. A well fit wadded hood will snug the head, keeping out drafts, and stay put while you actively work. The edge of the brim frames the face giving you full range of peripheral vision, which is important for working with livestock or visitors.

If you are doing an event where visitors need to see your face while giving you protection from the cold weather, I recommend a quilted hood with a brim that can be turned back or is shaped with wire. This style hood can be made with lighter or cotton batting for subtle warmth or with heavier or wool batting for more warmth. A channel can be added to the inside of brim so the hood can be drawn in to hold in place if it is windy or the interpretation role is an active one.

While some winter hoods are trimmed, the majority of the everyday/common hoods I have studied are not trimmed. Simple trims can include ruched ribbon or pinked silk along the brim edge or simple bows on the crown or along the center top of the brim.

I decided to start the year with fun doll sets. These were so much fun to make.

Violet is modeling two sets. Violet is a reproduction doll with a Jenny Lind hairstyle. She stands 18″ tall, while her head measure 8.25″ around. There are three pieces in each set she models. Each trio includes a straw hat, straw and silk workbag, and cotton pocket. The fashionably shapped straw hat is made with straw plait and brown, faux horsehair plait. It is block firm, without wire. The workbag has a straw base and silk bag, which draws closed with a ribbon. The bag is lined but the straw is not. The pocket is cotton in a mid-nineteenth century appropriate print. The pocket is lined with cotton sateen ribbon for the ties.

The final set from today is model by a popular modern doll who also stand 18″ tall with a head measuring approximately 13″ around. She shows off a trio that includes a straw bonnet, silk workbag, and cotton pocket. The bonnet is a high brim straw bonnet appropriatefor the late 1850s through early 1860s. The workbag is silk with pasteboard centers. itnis a style seen through out the century. The pocket is an Heirloom Family Weavers cotton. The pocket is lined with cotton sateen ribbon for the ties.

I am currently trying to squeeze in one more thing for New Year’s Day. So, this Year in Review will be mostly photos.

Introducing my Quilted Winter Hood Workbook, an in-depth exploration of original quilted hoods from the 1840s through the 1860s, complemented by patterns and instructions for making three quilted hoods.

To enhance accessibility, the workbook is divided into two halves due to its file size. The first section opens with a brief introduction and transitions into a detailed examination of original quilted winter hoods drawn from my personal collection—designated as A through J—dating back to the 1840s and spanning through the 1860s. The second section of the workbook features comprehensive guidelines for creating the first three quilted hoods detailed in section 1.

This Workbook includes 3 downloads:

• The Pattern Pieces (20 pages) (Hand-drawn)
• 2 files for the Workbook (58 pages total)

The Quilted Winter Hood Workbook is a PDF. This means you can read it on almost any device. You can even send it to Kindle. Of course, you are welcome to print your own paper workbook.

Please Note: I am working on a supplemental page for increasing size. Please message me if you need this.

I added a few things to my shop this evening to go towards my car fund. There are 3 wadded hoods and two nest pen wipers that would look cute in a tree.

I did put together a trio of doll millinery. It sold nearly instantly. I was already planning to have a second set done for tomorrow (Thursday) night. The straw hat is currently drying.

Normally, I have a sale for my e-publications at the end of the year. This year, I need to start it a little earlier.

Sadly, I need to replace my car. My car is old enough to graduate high school. I bought this car shortly after my Dad died in 2008. It has across the country and back with me. It has seen me through a lot. If I could afford to keep it running forever, I would. But, I can’t. The repair bills keep adding up. It’s reached the point where I start to panic each time it pulls or creaks as I envision a wheel falling off. (I’d like to say that is an irrational fear. But, it happened to a previous car.)

I plan to sensibly buy a used car of a similar size and good safety rating. I have an appointment with my local dealership on Thursday. Everything from this past week’s sales will be going towards the down-payment. Ideally, I would like to come up with another $4,000 to get the payment where I would like. I know I can’t pull that off this time of year when shipping is so high risk. Thus, this early sale.

All e-publications, including patterns, workbooks, and FanU In Details are 25% off through the end of the year.

I may have some additional items to sell once I think a little more. (I am too cautious to sell antiques this time of year.)

I was asked to add my PayPal tip link.

I was ecstatic to see the response to my Fanciful Utility theme Mystery Boxes. Fanciful Utility was published twelve years ago. In this day of social media and high-speed digital information exchange, that may as well be a lifetime.

Or, so I thought.

The near immediate sell-out of my FanU themed boxes tells me first, Fanciful Utility still has a strong following, and second, I’ve been neglecting FanU fans.

With this in mind, I’ve added a new FanU Fan tier to Patreon with the plan to add a monthly FanU Spotlight post.

FanU Spotlight posts will take a look at current, past, and future FanU and fancy work projects ranging from pin cushions to pen wipes; work-pockets to boxes. Some will include templates, too.

This tier will also be able to see the Pocket of the Month posts. (I think Patreon allows you to see past posts & content as well.)

My goal is to have 30 Patrons by the end of February and 40 by the end of 2024.

I decided I am going to start something new. This may be uncommon in the “business world,” but I want to do it.

Thank you to everyone who made a purchase this month! Your purchases literally help me pay my rent and bills. This month’s sales are just $100 shy of last November’s, helping me catch up to only 16.1% behind last year’s total sales. Nearly everyone used the “Share & Save” link to reach my shop. By doing so, you saved me $56.20 in fees.

Thank you to my Patreon patrons! I am excited to currently have 20 patrons. Your support pays for my WordPress platform and software. I was also able to buy a few exceptional CDVs for research this past month, which I will share with you soon. I have pockets for Pocket of the Month designed through February, plus June. I hope you love them.

Thank you to everyone who continues to follow my work! Each time you comment or share my posts, it helps.

Here is a cute photo of Clara, who is snuggling with me as I write.

I spent this past weekend talking about winter weather wear at GCVM for their Preparing for Winter event. I admit, there is a bit of irony to my fondness for this event given my disdain of winter itself. For me, it is all about the people, the visitors, those I see again and again, as well as those who are visiting the museum for the first time. I love the conversations, the questions, the tangents, the moments of connection, and understanding.

Friday night, as I drove home in the rain and dropping temperatures, I questioned whether I should really be doing a full weekend in the village given how completely worn down I felt from my day job. The world felt dark, wet, and cold while I felt tired, sore, and disheartened. Come Saturday morning, the sun was out and shining. As I walked into the village, music played while the ground was scattered with droplet speckled leaves reflecting the sunlight.

It was a beautiful pre-winter day.

My third group Saturday morning, moments after 10am, was a pair of families with 11 young children. They all lined up around the tables and gave me all of their attention. This was the moment my stress of the previous couple months melted away. I was able to let go of all the work baggage and truly enjoy engaging with people, sharing this little corner of history.

My topic for the weekend was winter weather wear, which allowed me to talk about both layers of clothing and my ongoing winter hood research. I was beyond pleased with how genuinely interested people were in which hood was good for what. Here are two of the short videos I did while there.

On my way out Saturday, I noticed one the photo stand in front of the Doctor’s office. This is one of, I think, two decorated photo/selfie stations the museum set up. Someone created non-intrusive wooden stands with grooves for holding phones or tablets. I made time to take a few photos with it Sunday morning.

When I left the museum Sunday, I stopped for my traditional post-program Chinese dinner and popped in one of my favorite antique shops, where I picked up two cdvs. I came home and got ready to launch my Mystery Boxes and Clara’s Corner bookmarks. By 9 something, half my boxes were sold, and I could curl up with the book I’ve been waiting to read. I may have been eating a most delicious molasses cookie at midnight as I read. This morning, when I woke, I found I was disappointed I wasn’t headed back for a third day.

Next event: Holiday Open House – December 17th – Find me in Jones Farm this year.