If I Had My Own Blue Box:

It is always a disappointment to see photos like this. I put a lot of work into each millinery piece and take the time to make sure each is packed well.

This particular photo was a shock because it came in a review rather than a message from the customer. 

Lemons:

As many of you know, I list my items with 3-5 business days for shipping, but I try to get items shipped the day after payment arrives. This usually means packing up the piece after work, taking it with me the next morning, and stopping at the Post Office after work. In this case, the bonnet was purchased on Monday,  June 9th. Payment transferred on Tuesday. I boxed up the bonnet Tuesday evening. Wednesday and Thursday, I worked 11+ hour days getting out after 5, when the PO closes. Friday morning, I made arrangements to run to the PO near work to get the box out. This was within the shipping window in the listing.

Lemonade:

I am taking this moment to talk about the importance of ordering millinery (as well as many other garments & accessories) well in advance of any event. For millinery, I recommend a minimum of 1 month for off the shelf millinery and 6-12 months for custom millinery. 1 month for off the shelf millinery allows for processing of funds (2-4 days), packaging, and the actual shipping followed by the time you will need to line & decorate for wear.

You’ll notice the review mentions the bonnet arriving the day before the event she needed it for. In the message I received June 12th, the customer mentioned she needed the bonnet for the 21st. That gave only 11 days (8 business days) between purchase and need. I strongly recommend Not purchasing this close to an event.

Based on the comments about the bonnet not fitting comfortably and passing it along, I infer that the bonnet survived being inside a crushed box.

This millinery restock has only 1 1860s hat. June has been a very busy month with 10-11+ hour days at school.

I am working on a set of Bergère hats for Fort Niagara’s event over the Independence Day Weekend. 

PS – Remember,  blog followers have their own special discount code: STRAWWHIMSEY

I decided to have an epic end of the school year sale:

25% off for 2025

Save on select items through the end of my school year. Currently:

This is the last few days to get From Field to Fashion FREE when you buy my Straw Bonnet Workbook

This sale ends May 30th!

This month – 1860s high brim spoon bonnets.

I just added a limited selection of high brim spoon straw bonnets to my Etsy shop.

I am making millinery and adding it to my shop in groups this year. Next: I will be shifting to the 18th-century to create a batch of Bergère hats for Fort Niagara and the 1840s to fill some bonnet requests.

An update on what I am focusing on is overdue.

Research – Rural and Small-Town Milliners

I am diving into the history of rural and small-town milliners across New York State and a bit beyond. This ongoing research aims to piece together who owned, operated, and worked in millinery shops, exploring how this craft shaped the lives of individual women and contributed to the broader economic and social fabric of the region. This project is focused on highlighting the significance of women’s work in these communities,  providing a deeper understanding of their roles in local industry and culture.

Research – Connecting Fancy Work

If I could call a research project “dabbling,” it would apply to this. I pick up and drop my on- going interest in Fancy Work throughout the year. I am fascinated by these creative yet functional projects that integrate aspects of math and science into women’s everyday lives.

Millinery – Experimenting With Conservation Techniques

I have begun appling techniques I learned in making reproduction straw millinery to repairing and conserving extant straw millinery. This venture is very much in the experiment stage. I hope to share my progress soon.

Presentations

After decades of multi-day costumed interpretation programs, I am shifting to small to mid-size lecture and discussion formats. I find this format allows me to share aspects of my research more thoroughly. 

Sometimes, the process of making lemonade out of lemons is a very slow one. Bringing this original 1850s-1860s black straw mourning bonnet back to life is one of those times.

This beautiful straw mourning bonnet was shipped in a soft mailer without any protection. It arrived nearly flat with a fracture down the center top and a crushed crown tip. Given my plans to have this bonnet accompany me for spring millinery presentations, I felt as crushed as the bonnet when I took it from it’s poly-mailer.

Trying to make the most of the situation and not wanting to give up on the piece,  I’ve been experimenting with techniques for stabilizing the bonnet.

I had to make a difficult decision when it came to the support. Ideally, I would remove the trims and lining, then add the support. But, with the extent of the damage I knew picking out all the stitches would likely cause more damage and potentially cause the whole bonnet to fall apart. I decided to place the support over the lining and work through it. Sadly, this covered the maker number tag inside.

It still needs some work, including another spa session on a millinery block, steaming the crepe frill back to shape and carving an archival foam support.

I’ve had a couple messages about Civil War events this May, particularly GCVM’s Muster in Mumford and a Civil War encampment at Sonnenberg Gardens.

I will not be attending either event this year.

This decision came about for multiple personal reasons and should not be seen as a change in support for either museum or their programming.

As with many, my financial state is precarious. As such, I need to focus my time on paid engagements rather than volunteer. What many people don’t see is the amount of planning time behind a single interpretation. Even an interpretation done many times before needs preparation & planning (assembling display items, creating new pieces, printing, packing, set-up.)

At the same time, my responsibilities at work are demanding this time of year. I would last May, doing both full days for GCVM’s event in the midst of Regents planning, AP exams, and Field Testing was far too much.

There is a sentimental aspect to saying no to the event at Sonnenberg. I have a strong sensory memory of the gardens from my childhood. Each time I visit, I feel a connection to my Grandma and Grandpa. As much as I would love to do a dressed picnic there, I do not want to do that with an encampment on site.