If I Had My Own Blue Box:

Straw Hat FAQ

This week is a casual Hat Q&A talking about the questions I am asked most often. The focus is on American Civil War hats. I will talk about bonnets in a future video.
How do I wear my hat?
Which is the front?
How do I measure my head?
Where do I put the flowers and ribbon?
How do I keep my hat on my head?

If you have more questions about straw hats or bonnets in the nineteenth century, put them in the comments below. I will do more millinery Q&As in the future.

More details on measuring and fit.

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on March 7, 2022 at 5:05 am Comments (3)

Understanding the Ribbon Bavolet

Reblog from 2014

Straw bonnet from the Greene Collection at the Genesee Country Village

~~~This is one of the many wonderful bonnets found in the Susan Greene Collection at the Genesee Country Village. (To see some of their ribbons, be sure to hop over to the Millinery Ribbon Blog.) ~~~ This straw bonnet shows a great many things from the over-all spoon bonnet shape to the shape of the cheektabs to the fineness of the straw. I would like us to look at the bavolet today. We also know the bavolet as the “curtain.” The bavolet is a fabric or ribbon pleated into the back neckline edge of a bonnet. This can resemble a flounce in that the top is drawn in while the lower edge floats or flares out. The bavolet can, but does not need to be a single material as we see here. It can be made of layers of silk, net and lace. Some high-end fashion plates show beading as well. (Honestly, I don’t think I could handle beads dangling on my neck.)

~~~The construction seams on the underside are covered by a net. Net is used to give the silk bavolet more body and fullness. It is sewn so the net is not seen from the outside and pleated into the bavolet. The bavolet reaches all the way around the back of the bonnet (the tip) and up along the sides while the lower edge connects to the cheektabs.

*The section of ribbon that decorates the exterior of the bonnet can be on the grain or on the bias. The ties need to be on the grain. To see a nice example of the ribbon decorating over the top of the bonnet, see this MFA example that happens to have the bavolet on the grain. Notice how the bavolet flops more than floats.

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Favorite Topics - Millinery/Bonnets/Ribbons

on March 6, 2022 at 6:41 pm Leave a Comment

Rememberance

At times an item is saved in rememberance of another. Such is the case on this sixth day of #historyinherhands . This corded ball is accompanied by a note saying “Earl’s ball”. We do not know for certain the context in which this ball was Earl’s, when it was Earl’s, or even who Earl was. We do know someone kept this ball in rememberance of Earl.

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on March 6, 2022 at 6:05 am Comments (2)

The Mousquetaire 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. This shape is also called a Postilion Hat.

Fig. 3 is a Mousquetaire hat of Leghorn or white straw. Round the hat is a scarf of blue ribbon, with a large bow and long fringed ends at the back; in front is a rosette of black and white speckled feathers, surrounded by an edging of blue flowers or bluets. The brim is edged with black velvet. (Godey’s, August, 1864)

Fig. 7 is a Mousquetaire hat drab straw, trimmed by two narrow bands of scarlet velvet, and having in front a plume of black and red feathers, and one large ostrich feather. (Godey’s, July, 1864)

Hats of the Mousquetaire or Postillion shape from Godey’s 1864:

Hats of this shape from The Lady’s Friend, 1864.

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on March 5, 2022 at 8:11 am Leave a Comment

Soft

For this fifth day of #historyinherhands , I offer this wadded winter hood. These soft, squishy hoods are a functional garment that captures the attention of many modern eyes. This utilitarian garment hugs the head, using pieces of silk, cotton, and wool often carefully pieced together.

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on March 5, 2022 at 6:05 am Leave a Comment

Nourish

For the fourth day of #historyinherhands , I offer this evidence of nourishing curiosity. Within the pages of this edition of An American Girl’s Book is this beautiful butterfly. Evidence of other findings from the natural world appear on other pages, including outlines and discoloring from bits of flora.

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on March 4, 2022 at 6:05 am Leave a Comment

Mend

On this third day of #historyinherhands for Women’s History Month, I share a recent mending project. This millinery block arrived broken and needed to be repaired to join the collection. Few of these plaster millinery blocks remain compared to how many were in use, due to their fragile nature and how quickly the fashions and shapes for bonnets changed. Of those that survived the years, each shows its own wear and at times mending.

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on March 3, 2022 at 6:01 am Leave a Comment

Red

For the second day of #historyinherhands for Women’s History Month, I offer this doll pen-wipe with her red and white wool skirt.
Pen-wipes or pen-wipers were used for dabbing off or cleaning ones pen while writing letters, journals, and such. Some pen-wipes were simple, being rolls or circles of fulled wool. Others were fanciful decorations as well as tools. This particular style doll pen-wiper is attributed Shaker origins, being made for purchase. Her folds of red and white wool act as a skirt holding her jointed body upright.

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on March 2, 2022 at 7:22 am Leave a Comment

Sharp

For the first day of Women’s History Month for #historyinherhands “sharp” I offer straw splitters. Straw splitters were a small yet powerful tool in the hands of women both in the New England to Mid-Atlantic region of the US and in England as well as Italy. This tool split tubes of straw into narrower pieces which were plaited, or braided, into straw plait for hats and bonnets. Plaiting and sewing straw was a cottage industry in which women could earn money for themselves and their family.

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on March 1, 2022 at 7:37 am Leave a Comment

Repaired!

Good News!

I was able to repair the collar for the miniature millinery block I unboxed. (see that video here: https://youtu.be/z5Ca-VjeYSE )

I talked with a couple friends who are curators and did a little research on repairing plaster. Then, over three sessions, I repaired the collar part of the millinery block. It had broken into 3 large pieces and a chip. (there was an area of old loss previously there.) I am pleased with the repair visually. I do not know how strong it is. I won’t be wiggling it to find out. This piece will be a display piece among my full size millinery blocks. It will be getting a cushion and storage support of its own though.