(Sorry about the phone glitch)
This bonnet if for those who do an impoverished impression. The low brim shape can span from 1855 to 1865 for this socioeconomic interpretation.
Here is a comparison of the finer Milan straw I like working with and this coarser straw:
Last week, I decided I wanted to try some new to me hat styles. One of the shapes I found interesting was the higher small crown with little to no brim. By the book, hats with little to no brim are toques. Those with small upcurving brims and recessed crowns are pork pies. These seem to land closer the the definition of a toque.
My hat became a little higher in the crown as I got swept away in the sewing. It resembles this hat 
more, with the velvet bound turned up brim. I envision this hat being finished with the brim either bound with velvet or the underside lined in velvet.But, it could be finished in many different ways…. 
I think it is a rather nifty hat worn tilted forward at an angle. I may work well for my Steampunk or cosplay clients to play with.
This little hat will need a set of ties, loops or elastic to help keep it perched in place. Inside the crown it is 18″ in circumference, 5″ wide and 6.5″ front to back. It does perch forward on my 22.25″ head.
This shallow hat is rounder than the first one I did a few days ago. The center of the crown is a circle. The crown slowly curves down and subtly transitions to the convex brim that evenly curves around the head. I had the hat in the bottom right trimmed in brown in mind as I made it.
This little hat is all about fashion, not keeping the sun from the face. When I put it on, I like how it looks when it sits angled forward just a bit. It will definitely need a narrow ribbon or string tied under the hair to help keep it on.
This hat could also be one to grow with a younger girl. Put a little veil around the edge when she is small. Then change the decorations as she grows.
[I wrote this around this time last year. It was just requested on a FB group. You may also be interested this chart “The Cost of Authenticity” from 2010.]
This is a question that comes up fairly regularly. Bonnets are expensive.
This is because they require multiple materials and require time to make them. 
To give you an idea, here are the materials that go into finished drawn bonnets and straw bonnets along with the price ranges for each item:
Straw Bonnets
Drawn Bonnets
To hand sew a straw form from straw plait, it takes between 6 and 10 hours depending on the type of plait and the shape of the bonnet or hat. Finishing and decorating varies.
I can’t quite pinpoint why I found this article from the 1867 The Lyceum Banner, (Chicago), but I did.
Pin Fair
The enterprises of boys are never recorded, no matter how much energy, talent and taste they display. It gives me great pleasure to be able through these columns, to describe to other boys and girls, an enterprise on which I know there was a great deal of energy shown, but of the taste and talent, I will leave others to judge.
I had just attended the Rock Island Fair, and having examined the grounds, buildings, articles entered, and race-track, and inquired how it was conducted, I proposed to open a Pin Fair on an empty lot near my home. Johnnie Gow, brother Roddie and myself constituted ourselves a stock company, and agreed to plan, execute and control the fair without the assistance of the grown folks. We spread tables in the open air for display of articles, built an amphitheater of raised seats under some trees, and made a race-track in a circle, Oscar Dow as Marshal. Cousin Carrie printed some handbills, and the following saw the price of entry and the premiums awarded:
We only sold tickets to children in our neighborhood, because we were afraid we could not control a large crowd, without assistance of the grown folks. The day was pleasant. The tables were covered with beautiful articles tastefully displayed and interspersed with splendid bouquets and wreaths. The most noticable among the premiums awarded to Nettie Guyre, for best embroidery and prettiest doll; to Lizzie Whitman, for best bead basket, best charm; to Charlie Riggs, for best collection of geological specimens, best original drawing, best puzzle, largest bunch of grapes and larges apples; to Lucy Harper, for prettiest toy lamb; to Jennie Gow, for best collection of sea shells and prettiest toy dog; to Minnie Hakes, for prettiest paper doll; to Cornelius Smith, for the best worsted knitting; to Mary Gale, for best bouquet; to Lucy Gow, best pin cushion, best crochet work; to Roddie Riggs, best collection of river shells, largest pear, largest toy chicken; to Clara Whitman, largest glass marble; to Minnie Gow, prettiest bead ring, largest doll, prettiest pen-wiper; to Carrie Conant, largest collection of carnelians; to Harry Carter, best crab apples.
[paragraph on racing]
Our receipts were 187 pins. We spent a very happy day in the open air, increased our love of the beautiful, gave an impetus to our industry, and I hope improved our health and by social intercourse, our good manners. Next year, if we get larger grounds and if the grown folks will control it, we can open it to the public, and get up a big Pin Fair. Charlie.
For lack of a true name, I am going to call these “flatties.” Cheesy, huh? The nickname sorta reflects my initial skeptical thoughts about these hats. Don’t worry, as soon as I figure out what the original cast called them, I’ll use that.
These hats have a very low, rounded crown that subtly transitions into a convex brim. They appear almost flat compared to other hats of the 19th century. The montage to the right shows some examples. The lower right one appears to have a brim that falls evenly all around. The one above it, with the green ribbon, seems to be the flattest of the bunch with a brim curve dropping front and back. The same drop appears in the upper left hat. The one with the daisies has a neatly upturned brim, letting us see the brim lining. Top left. (one more)
I’ll have the Etsy listing as soon as I get home tonight. (My phone is being cranky. I don’t know if it is the reception in the car or the site.)
One oops. I made my version without the images next to me. I usually have working images on my phone. But, my phone died. I made the hat with the oval tip center like the other fashion hats of the mid-century, rather than the small circular center each of these has. Errr.
Some weeks back a blog article found its way on to my feed from a blog I was unfamiliar with. “Social Media and the Myth of Perfection” is not the common “look at this pretty” blog post. Instead, it takes an honest look at all the realities of life behind the costuming and writing.
My blog is by far not the prettiest, filled with fabulous photos and shiney awesomeness. Yet, I do have a bit of a regular readership. (a huge thank you to all of you.) Despite being an infamous Facebook whiner, I don’t always share the raw details in my blog posts. This week, this could include how I’ve had to glue parts of my fingers together because of the straw cuts or the avalanche that took place in the sewing room while trying to balance the phone on my shoulder and numerous garments in my hands. I’m not going to share photos of just befores, just afters or whiles, because I simply can’t even match the events up in my head anymore. In the time I’ve written this blog I have lost my father and grandparents, been homeless, dealt with family and personal medical problems and had heart-aches I’m just not ready to share.
I think these follow-up posts are also worth the read:
“Is This The Real Life? Is This Just Fantasy?” – The Myth of Perfection by American Duchess
The Myth of Perfection by A Damsel in This Dress
This second bonnet of the weekend was finished just before midnight last night. It was actually still damp when I took the photos this morning.
It is one of the highest brimmed Civil War era bonnets I have done. The brim has a slight flare and spoon shape.
If I Had My Own Blue Box: 
