If I Had My Own Blue Box:

I moved a few of my information Instagram Reels to YouTube as Shorts. Hopefully, this will make for easy viewing.

I have been very busy adjusting to school season the past few weeks. As such, I have not had much time read or respond to social media posts. I have been tagged in a few posts about hairnets though. I am hoping this single blog post will help with my lack of response in individual threads/conversations.

I am going to try to break down the questions and concerning comments arising in posts & threads. Please be aware most of these points are covered more extensively in previous posts or in my book To Net, or Not to Net.

What is it called? And the word “snood”

The net-like item encompassing the hair would have been called a hairnet, net, or cap in the 1850s and 1860s.
At the same time, the word “snood” was used less frequently as a verb meaning to tie up one’s hair with a ribbon, or very occasionally as a noun meaning the ribbon tieing the hair up. The word “snood” came to mean the net in the early 20th century.

Weight of Nets

Netted and crochet nets of the mid-nineteenth century were nearly always very fine. Picture silk thread nearly the weight of hair. The exceptions were fashionable nets/caps such as those made of silk chenille.

Please be careful about selecting crochet net directions. Many craft project nets or “snoods” do not use an appropriate weight thread to accurately represent the mid-nineteenth century.

Plain Nets vs Ribboned Nets vs Foundations

I’ve noticed in the past year or so there has been a shift to wearing hairnets with pleated or ruched ribbon. Several posts tell me this is being promoted as the norm or even a requirement somewhere. This does not reflect what I have found in my research. When looking at photographs, the majority, even the vast majority, of women wearing hairnets are wearing plain hairnets, meaning nets without a ribbon or other foundation.

This type of hairnet, a plain, fine net, is worn as part of the hair dressing process. The net would be comparable to the hair pins also dressing the hair. These nets are not decorative. They can be worn at home or out of the home, under a bonnet or a hat.

Nets with a pleated or gathered ribbon fall into the decorative realm. These could be called caps in fashion literature. Likely, a foundation would support the ribboned portion of the net. This accessory may or may not fit under a bonnet and will be crushed by a hat worn properly.

Decorative nets and caps were accessories. This accessory could be worn at home or on a social occasion.

Additional Resources

• To Net, or Not to Net – e-book available for instant download (on sale through the end of September 2023. After that, use code WHIMSEY to save.)
• Hairnets – The Basics and More Indepth – Including a video
• Ribbon Hairnets – A 2015 how to
• Velvet Ribbon Hairnets

Common hat shapes during the American Civil War era.

There are 2 main componants to a hat from this era: the crown and the brim. Both thd crown and brim were particularly shaped to reflect the styles of the time.

When selecting hat for an 1860-1865 impression, please keep in mind the situation you are in as well as your impression. In many cases hats had specific purposes and places. These include those for the seaside, watercures, the garden*, and recreation. There are seperate posts for these. I welcome you to explore these. There are also hats appropriate to those of poorer situations, institutionalized or previously so situations, and blockaded situations. (*note: a garden hat is different than one for gardening.)

This next style is called a “Mousquetaire” hat or a “Postilion” hat.
Mousquetaire hats have tapered crowns that rise about four to five inches, not quite double the height of other fashion hats of the early 1860s. The brim is shaped, with a curve dipping front and back. This brim is narrow, only a few inches wide. The decorations are primarily at the center front, reaching the height of the crown. A ribbon may or may not circle the crown with a bow or arrangement in the back.

Additional variations (I have yet to make graphics for):

• Smaller hats including Torque and porkpie

September’s Pocket of the Month is now available for Patreon members. I currently have Pocket of the Month posts scheduled for the 10th of each month.

What is Pocket of the Month?

Each month from mid-2023 through 2024, I am sharing a pocket design with Patreon Patrons.

These designs are as I would create them for myself, maybe a little neater. This means some are hand drawn, and some are digitally created. Most will use original source material such as published fancy work manuals, ladies’ periodicals, original drawings, and original fancy work. Each will be saved as a printable PDF.

Current Pockets include:

• June – Knotwork Design – braidwork or embroidery
• July – Wheat Design – embroidery
• August – Floral Design – embroidery
• September – Grape Design – embroidery
• October – 2 Pocket designs this month: an autumn leaves design and a quilted spiderweb design for Halloween.
• November – tbd possibly applique or quilted
• December – tbd possibly applique or quilted
• January – Already designed
• February – tbd
• March – tbd
• April – tbd
• May – Already designed
• June – tbd

Want to become a Patreon Patron?

Join Here

With this soak-you-to-the-bone weather leading up to and likely through the weekend event, I am thinking about ways to keep dry. As I think through my list, I realize most of them won’t happen because the bits and pieces needed are buried deep in storage. That doesn’t mean I can’t share them with you.
Reenacting events inevitably mean walking, likely through grass or even mud. With wool boots, I find my rubber over-shoes a must. They slip right over my boots covering up to about my ankle. Extant rubber over-shoes were found when the Steamboat Arabia was uncovered. Those made by Tingley seem to be the closest.
Just in case, still pack extra stockings or socks for everybody.
A wool coat can help keep the wet off of most of you. A long paletot gives you great flexibility in the arms while buttoning up the front to keep you dry.
If you don’t have a coat, consider the largest, plain or plaid wool shawl you have. Wrapping this around you will help keep you dry.
We talk a lot about parasols in reenacting but not much about umbrellas. Use an umbrella, a period umbrella of course.
Skip the fashion bonnet. Instead opt for a sunbonnet or for a hood. Water can cause a bonnet to soften, warp and even run.
If you carry a bag, make sure it is water-resistant. You may want to try a pocket instead. A pocket hidden under layers of skirts can usually stay dryer than a bag carried out in the open. If you must carry medicines or modern technology put them inside painted canvas bags or zip-lock bags just incase.
For larger bags, choose one with a heavy carpet and good closure. If it has a leather or painted canvas bottom, even better. Leave the bandbox at ‘home’.
You will be happier with your tent if you have sod-flaps and overlapping doors. Also put down a good water barrier under your flooring. I find a wool rug helps control the moisture better than other fibers.
Inside your tent let wool rule. Wool rugs on the ground help keep the area more comfortable. Put a wool blanket layer over your cot or ticking first. Be sure it drapes almost to the ground on each side. This keeps the moisture from coming up from underneath. Make you bed how you prefer. Then cover it all with a wool quilt or blanket. This will keep the moisture from getting in during the day. If you are sensitive to a moist pillow, wrap it with an extra wool shawl during the day to keep it dry.
Don’t hang your clothes. Put them in a trunk or box with a layer of wool covering them to help keep moisture down. You may consider a layer of wool on the bottom as well.
As you settle in for the evening, light a candle or two (safely). Whether the candles really do help cut the moisture or not, they help psychologically.
What do you do if you do get drenched?
If you can lay or drape your dress flat that will be best. Hanging it can cause it to stretch under the weight of being wet. If you have a trim that can run, be sure to lay the dress so the fabric does not lay back on itself particularly the trim.
If your bonnet get damp, set it up on a hat/bonnet stand. If you don’t have on make-d0 with something like the back of a chair. Do not lay it on its side because it will warp.
If your bonnet gets particularly wet, try to blot the trimmings so there is no running water. If your flowers are pinned in or on, consider removing them so they will not run on the bonnet itself.
If your boots get wet inside, stuff them with newsprint or fabric to absorb the water. Do Not put them near the fire as they can be damaged. (most warranties do not cover fire damage)
If your corset gets wet, layer it inside material to press out any excess moisture. Drape it over the back of a chair to dry.

There are two factors for finding a comfortable fit: Size and shape.

Size

The difference in wear or placement means we measure for a mid-nineteenth century had differently than we do for a twentieth or twenty-first century hat. The modern hat is measured just above the eyebrow. (This is also where many of us measure for bonnets. We want to keep you on your toes.) For mid-nineteenth century, we measure higher, at the hair line. In this illustration, we can see the difference between where the two measurements would be.

These higher, hairline measurements are often smaller than those taken at the eyebrow. A hat worn at this point can be slightly smaller to slightly larger for comfort. So, add and subtract an inch to your hairline measure.

For example: I am 22.5″ around at my eyebrows and 21.5″ at my hairline. The vast land of the internet tells me that the average woman’s head measures 22.5″ to 22 5/8″ around at the modern measuring point. So, I am about average. I comfortably wear a mid-nineteenth century hat that is 19.5″ to 21.5″

Here is my head with the tape showing where to measure. This is where I wear most CW era hats. This is the circumference of my head. My measurement is 21 1/2″. (Note: this is a full inch smaller than the modern measurement take lower.)

General guidelines I use:

• Small = Less than 21″ at the hairline (crown less than 20″)
• Average = 21″-22.5″ at the hairline (crown 20-21.5″)
• Large = Greater than 22.5″ at the hairline (crown greater than 22″)

Shape

It is helpful to know whether your head is more round or more oval.When looking from above, some people have rounder heads while other have more oval heads. I have an average oval head. Very round hats don’t work for me without adding to the lining.

Hat blocks can be more round or more oval with the same circumference. To illustrate: Both of these shapes to the right can have a circumference of 22.5″. Yet, the same hat would fit each head differently.

My straw hats and bonnets are available in my Etsy shop as I finish them: https://www.etsy.com/shop/AnnaWordenBauersmith

Are you one of the many readers enjoying my millinery blog posts?

Consider becoming a Patreon patron. Doing so helps support my work and helps me write more useful articles.

https://www.patreon.com/AMillinersWhimsy

I am concerned about something I am seeing lately: Inaccurately constructed bonnets posted & promoted on social media.

I theorize this increase in inaccurately made items is due to an upsurge of new people reenacting following the lull the past few years. While new reenactors can be wonderful, they can also be vulnerable and taken advantage of as they try to develop their waredrobes in an accurate yet cost-effective manner.

I fear these inaccurate millinery pieces appeal because they are comparatively less expensive and are often pretty with an ubundance of trim, which are in themselves inaccurate. While these pieces may cost less initially, in the long run, they are more costly as they will need to be replaced.

How do you know a bonnet is inaccurately made?

There are two key parts of a bonnet that are quick to spot and eliminate a piece:

The Tip and the Cheektabs

First, the tip:

The tip is the back part of the crown that sits on the back of your head. For the 1840s through the first half of the 1860s, the tip is round, either a circle or an oval. The circular or oval tip is consistent in extant bonnets and millinery blocks:

If a bonnet has a horseshoe shape tip or a semi-circle tip, eliminate it.

Next, the Cheektabs:

The cheektabs are the part of the bonnet on each side that extend down from the brim. As the 1840s progressed, these became elongated. They continued to thin or narrow in the early 1850s. By the mid 1850s, cheektabs were several inches long and narrow. This continued through the first half of the 1860s. Cheektabs took two primary shapes: either narrow and curvey with a twist or triangular.

If a bonnet does not have cheektabs or has short, nubby tabs, eliminate it.

These two factors will hopefully help you quickly eliminate inaccurately made bonnets whether you see them online or in person.

I have one additional aspect to look out for as you shop. If you are looking at straw bonnets, please be aware of how some mass-produced bonnets are made.

More information on the Anatomy of a Bonnet:

I am reposting favorite helpful posts each Monday throughout March, April, and May.

My recommendations for a basic hair kit:
● Straight hair pins
● Faux tortoise hair pins
● Plain black elastics
● Hair Pomade
● A Plain net or two
● Faux horn hair comb or two

I am lucky enough to be able to purchase these items in person, includong the straight hairpins during a day trip through the Finger Lakes. Not everyone has similar local resources. With this in mind, I am including two shopping lists: one that can be done online from home and one that can be done mostly in person. The online list supports small businesses, with the exception of one item through Amazon.

Shopping from home for approx $38.00:
Order from Timely Tresses:
~~1 set of faux tortoise hair pins $4.00 or 4 chignon faux tortoise hair pins $5.00
~~1 plain hair net $4.00
~~1 back comb $4.00 or 2 side combs $4.00
Amazon:
~~2 sets of 12 straight hair pins in 2” or 3″ and 2.5” $12.00
Talbott and Co on Etsy:
~~1 tin of pomade $14.00

Shopping mostly in person for approx $25:
Local pharmacy:
~~Plain hairnet $2 for a set of 3
~~Faux tortoise hair pins $3
~~Hair elastics $2
Amish dry goods shop:
~~Straight hair pins 2 sets for $4
Talbott and Co on Etsy:
~~1 tin of pomade $14.00

Sources:

• Timely Tresses http://www.timelytresses.com/store/c20/Hair_Dressings.html
• Talbott and Co. https://etsy.me/3pH7zNH
• Beth Miller Hall https://etsy.me/3pJ1UXb
• LBCC https://etsy.me/3cGXdYB
• Amazon items: 2.5″ Straight hair pins

Are you one of the many readers enjoying my millinery blog posts?
Consider becoming a Patreon patron. Doing so helps support my work and helps me write more useful articles.
https://www.patreon.com/AMillinersWhimsy

This video was on my holiday recess to-do list. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to sleep or enjoy my last day off without doing the video tonight.

My hope is this video helps give a better understanding of cheektabs – what they look like on original bonnets, how they should look on reproduction bonnets, and how they should frame the face.

I also just had a great question about how a straw bonnet stays on the head. I talk a little bit about how the cheektabs, ribbon, and inner brim decorations work together in tonight’s video. I plan to do a video that looks further at this. In the meantime, here is information on how a bonnet stay works and helps a bonnet stay on:

It isn’t very often I have three different examples of something from the same fabric at the same time.