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.
Wearing nineteenth century clothes, we find they fit differently than our modern clothes. The waist is in a different spot. The bust sits differently. Seams are used to accent or de-accent parts of the body. The fit feels different and moving in the clothes is different. The same is true for hats and bonnets. In previous posts I’ve talked about bonnets and perch. Here, we are going to look at how a hat was worn and how it “fits”.
In the 1850s and 1860s, hats were worn much higher on the head than we are accustom to in the twenty-first century. Think about when you wear your modern beach or garden hat. You know that line across your forehead where it sits after a long hot day? You do Not want that. A mid-nineteenth century hat sat higher, at the top of your forehead, at your hair line, or even higher. Take a look at these fashion illustrations from 1860-1862. Notice where each hat sit. In a few illustrations, the front hairline is obviously below the crown line. In others, the crown sits just at this line. The hat sits atop the head, not encompassing it. The curve of the brim is what dips to the eye line, not the hat itself.
What does this mean for you when picking a size?
There are two factors for finding a comfortable fit: Size and shape.
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″
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″)
Just like every head measures a bit differently, they are each shaped a bit differently.
When looking from above, some people have rounder heads while other have more oval heads. Both of these shapes to the right can have a circumference of 22.5″. Yet, the same hat would fit each head differently.
I will try to indicate which hats have rounder crowns or more oval crowns. I am in the process of naming the crowns. Hopefully, that will help.
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.
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 tierto 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.
To wrap up Winter (head)Wear Week, I thought you might enjoy this selection of past unboxing videos as I open winter hoods when they first arrive.
While it is nice to have pristine or exceptional examples, I prefer pieces that allow me to explore how they were made, the details of construction. Some pieces show piecing or little make-dos. Others show wear patterns. Fractured silk can allow a look inside. While some are fairly clear puzzle pieces falling into place, others are little oddities, offering more questions than answers…..
Plaid silk wadded
Lots tbd..
Black silk
Plaid wool hood
Doll size wadded silk hood
Quilted silk hood/bonnet
From the Winter Millinery series I started but got distracted from:
Quilted winter hood with silk exterior. Featured in my upcoming Quilted Winter Hood Workbook.
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.
Quilted winter hood with larger crown full at the top and wired brim edge. I theorize this bonnet was worn in the 1820s or 30s. When it arrived, it was obvious it had been stored flat for many decades with the brim and crown misshapen. I’ve slowly been adding support to the crown and brim to reveal its original full shape.
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.
Quilted winter hood with plaid silk facing.
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.
Quilted winter hood with paper quilted into the brim along with wool wadding.
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
I am currently working on a new workbook focusing on quilted hoods, ca 1840-1860s. This workbook will include an assortment of quilted hoods in my collection with detail photographs and walk through how to make a quilted hood with patterns for three hoods.
I had planned to have it available this week, but I over scheduled myself and find myself behind. The good news is I finished the first of three samples for the directions section last night. I will focus on finishing the workbook during Thanksgiving recess and have available asap.
The next winter workbook will either be doll hoods or children’s hoods. Which would you prefer?
She is wearing plaid lappet style winter hood. The plaid is cut on the bias for the brim. It may be silk or wool. There are extant lappet hoods of both wool and silk.
A lappet style winter hood is distinguished by its elongated cheektabs reflecting the look of a lace lappet. These extended cheektabs align with a deep brim that comes forward of the face. Lappet style hoods are batted thinner than many other hoods. This makes it easy to fold back the brim. Laid flat, this deep brim and long lappets can protect the face. Folded back it allows for ease of vision.
This style hood is distinct among its quilted and wadded counterparts, yet lacked a name. The distinct long, wide cheektabs so similarly reflect a lappet’s shape and position of wear, the name lappet became obviously appropriate.
Lappet style hoods are found with three piece construction and two piece construction.
This lappet style hood is a three piece construction. The exterior uses two different brown stripe silks: one for the brim and bavolet, one for the crown. The lining is a bright blue solid silk taffeta. The ties and back bow are made from the brown stripe silk and the blue lining. For more details.
This hood is a three piece construction: crown, brim, and bavolet. This example has a green wool exterior and pink silk interior for the brim while the crown and bavolet are lined in green polished cotton. The pink silk interior would be visible if the brim was turned back. In most of this style, the neck edge of the crown, where the bavolet is attached, a channel is created so it can be drawn up for fit.
This next hood is a two piece construction: a combined brim/crown piece and a bavolet. Notice the bavolet length is on the longer side compared with other styles of winter hoods. This hood had the same green with pink color combination as the one above, but the exterior and interior are both silk.
This all black example is a three piece construction with an silk exterior and interior. You can see a line where this brim was turned back.
Lappet style hoods in other collections:
This pink lappet style hood is currently on display at the Genesee Country Village and Museum. It is shown with the brim turned back. You can see how the neck edge of the crown can be drawn up inside for comfort and fit.
If I Had My Own Blue Box: 