If I Had My Own Blue Box:

Mid-stitch, I decided to grab the mail since it is so hot outside. I figured the video below would be a funny unboxing as I opened a package of a silly purchase. The photos in the listing showed what looked like an odd, fadded, tattered hood. I wasn’t sure what my $11 purchase was going to be.

If you are looking over at the photo on the right, you may be confused or thinking “what is the big deal about that plain thing?”

Well…. This plain looking hood is an oddity. It turns out I am completely perplexed…. And very glad I bought this on a whim.

As you watch the video, you’ll see me going from assumptions to questions. I suspect my tone changes in the video too, as I start realizing just how odd this oddity is.

I mention a few featured in the video. These photos show those areas better:

The inner lining that looked like it might be net or dotted fabric in the listing. The fabric is tiny printed hexegons in black.

The pink, bias cut cotton ties attached with black threads and (below) the location of previous ties.

The wear spot that made me re-question the fiber content of the exterior and interior fabric.

The neat corner where the crown/bavolet piece joins to the brim. This areaseems to be very skillfully done by hand, while the machine stitched quilting is not even. (I am trying not to jump to the conclusion that quilting by machine was newer to the maker.)

Early on, I say it is not wool and not silk. This was too quick of a statement. Not having a clue what this material is, I asked Instagram and Facebook colleagues for assistance in identifying the material and fiber. The up close images are taken with the little National Geographic phone microscope I ordered from Michaels at the beginning of lockdown.

A

I also took some close-ups of the inner lining.

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This weekend would have been the Civil War event at the Genesee Country Village and Museum. Of course, as with so many events this year, the event needed to be canceled for the safety of all involved.

I thought it would be nice to look back at the event over the last few years.

This is the event where I get to transform the museum’s insurance office into a millinery shop for the weekend. I enjoy taking over the building for the weekend, but I also enjoy the planning that goes into it. Each year, I start planning the day after the event for the next event, then dive deeper into the planning come each January. My goal is to have an authentic shop which is also a welcoming learning opportunity for those visiting.

(I am searching for the non-Wordpress photos and videos from 2017 and prior. There is a slight technological snag. Obviously, I would really like to see the videos and photos from 2017 as those were my surgery year and it is a little foggy. The year prior was when Lily was in the shop with me. Before that, I was in the Dressmaker’s shop, aka the frying pan.)

Lily and I in the shop in 2016

The shop in 2017

What I wore post surgery. The stays I had on kept my incision from fully opening up on Sunday during pack-up.

2018 was my 20th CW event at GCVM. Here is a look through the before and after of the set-up.

Saturday Morning:

What is in my Sewing box:

Sunday morning (and more about the day.)

2019 was one of the hottest events I can remember, or at least since I’ve been aware of the heat as problematic. Read about that here.

Walk through the millinery as it was set up in the evening:

Saturday morning. I am already looking red.

I guess I didn’t take a Sunday video last year. I am sad about that now.

Prior to interpreting the millinery shop in the insurance office building, I set up in the dressmaker’s shop, which has no shade and gets quite warm. Here is the post for the year I did not make it through the weekend. Here is the shop the year prior in 2014:

2013 I was in the Dressmaker’s Shop doing a book signing. Wow. Time does fly. More about that weekend here.

There are no photos from 2012 because I was in the office at that time. In 2011, I stayed with friends in Jones Farm and lead a sewing circle. That post is here.

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I finally photographed each of the plaster millinery blocks today. I’ve been meaning to do this for weeks months.

Lucking upon this last block was a push to get the photos taken. I took each block into the photo studio, aka the converted second bathroom, and let them take their turn on the turn table* I took about twenty photos of each, making sure to capture each side thoroughly as well as the markings I love.

My goal is to create a virtual display of graphics for each block with corresponding fashion illustrations and example bonnet(s). This is going to take me a while to get together. In the meantime, here is a line-up of the bonnet blocks spanning from 1859 through 1867.

Click to enlarge

The image is a little deceiving because I sized all the photos to three inches, when in fact these decrease in size from left to right. The 1865 fanchon, the fifth from the left, is half the size of the first bonnet block.

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*Can I call this a turn table rather than a lazy susan? Is a turn table solely a record player? A lazy susan seems so contrary to how I am using it.

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I have have three great straw pieces waiting for their time in the Etsy shop…. As soon as shipping boxes arrive.

I want to write a quick note to my regular video watchers. You’ve noticed I have not posted videos for the past few days. I find myself in a slump. Some of it has been pandemic related stress, much has been the dominos of the pandemic. One of my main goals of doing the videos was to keep each video positive and productive. My slump has jade it difficult to come up with positive and productive things to talk about and do. I had several projects in mind for the summer portion of the series, but find I have lost interest in doing them. So, I’ve decided to take a break of sorts. When I have something to share, I will do a video. I’m not sure when that will be. I may just decide to start doing them daily again. I may decide to do something more topical. I’m not sure just now.

Thank you all for watching over the past many weeks.

Btw…. Up through Tuesday, there are 1,969 minutes of video or just shy of 33 hours.

This morning and mid-day I discovered just how many times I could hit the refresh the Informed Delivery page.

“Delivered” is such a lovely word.

Clara turned off the camera at the end. Sorry. I was going to say this bonnet block gives me a nearly complete timeline of 1859/60, 1861, 1863, 1864, 1865, 1866. I plan to take some nicer photos of the blocks and do a post featuring them in a timeline.

I had previously seen the name “Caledonian” adjacent to the Chapeaux Cloche I find to be a most sensible style.  In this case, the hat was more petite with an abruptly turned up brim. I found it to be closer to a toque style hat.

The black brimmed and white crowned Caledonian from the August 1861 Peterson’s Magazine essentially takes the fashionable shaped hat of the era and turns up the brim edge. The brim retains its curve while turning up substantially all the way around.

This type of turned up brim appears in fashion illustrations with other names attached as well. In Madam Demorest’s publications, we see it called the Burnside Riding Hat and the Boulevard.

This turned up brim does appear in photographs as well. I was pleased to acquire an image with a nice example of this upturned brim. This image shows how the brim is turned up significantly while remaining shaped all around. The brim dips in a curve in the front, and dips in the back.

This is a hat I need to replicate. I am thinking through how to develop the upturned brim while fashionably shaping the brim without a brim block in hand. I anticipate some wiring hidden further in the brim, as well as on the edge.

You may have noticed, I have been making several millinery pieces of white straw lately. This is because with the pandemic induced straw shortage, I ordered a bunch of white straw since I couldn’t get my natural Milan straw.

Of course, this prompted me to look further into white straw. I knew I had read plenty about white straw hats and bonnets in the past. But, now, I wanted to take a closer look at the use of white straw and what it was commonly trimmed with.

The July 1861 edition of Peterson’s shows that white hats were worn by children, young women, and women with these descriptions of a “Child’s Hat”, a “Misses’ Hat”, and “The Caledonian Riding Hat”. I am, of course, intrigued by the “fancy straw button”, the “large black straw button,” and “straw ornaments.”

The month following shows this Caledonian hat with the white crown and black brim. (August 1861 Petersons) I will be coming back to this style hat in a near future post.

White straw was not exclusive to hats of course. Madame Demorest shares a few white bonnets with us in her M’me Demorest’s Quarterly Mirror of Fashions, 1863

The irony of the moment is that as I finish up writing this post I started last Monday, this Monday I am working with some pink straw. Go figure.

I am parting from today’s Millinery Monday plan to bring you some living history community news.

You can find the GoFundMe for Melissa and family here.

If you are not already familiar with In The Swan’s Shadow you can find it here.

For today’s video, I decided to do something a little different. Last minute, I decided to take Liberty with me this morning. I am glad I did.

This was a different Independence day at the museum. Instead of parading or picnicking, I attended as a visitor. I only stayed about two and a half hours. That was just about right for my head. I picked up a commemorative pie plate for myself and for Lily. (I should message her that I got her one.) I got the only marzipan in the Confectionary and some hand pies. I did record a video of me talking while I was there. But I like this idea better. (I may add the other as that has some personal thoughts.)

By the way….. Someone worked really hard in the off season. The Flint Hill Store looks incredible. I love the layout, the lightness, and the floor. Nice work. (This may be the only store I go in this summer.)

I am a little irritated that much of the text moved from where I put it in the editor. This is the first time I’ve had this happen with WeVideo. Since I am using the free version right now, I can’t go back and fix it.
(Wevideo Link – https://www.wevideo.com/hub#media/ci/1766388978 )

Yum pie……