1850s Second Mourning Bonnet

Good Sunday to you all!  I hope that the week was good to everyone and that you did fun happy things!  Me?  My week was going fine and dandy until I woke up on Wednesday to discover that my back had gone out.  Like the "big go out" that long time readers know plagues me at least once a year.   This event lands me in bed with pain so severe that walking up stairs, sneezing, coughing or laughing reduces me to tears.  And forget about any sewing or having any sort of fun. My crime this time around?  Waaaaait for iiiiiit!!! 

I. Was. Sleeping.  

Yup.  Nothing so exciting as lifting a car off a child, oooor climbing Mount Borah, ooooor wrestling an alligator.  Nope.  The activity I was participating in this go around was catching some z's.  Exciting huh?  Bet you wish you could live my life! hahahahahahaha!!!

Anyhoo, I had planned on getting one more sewing project in before the new year.  Well, two actually.  You see, my blog's anniversary is December 16th and I was hoping to make an 1830s pocket as a give-away gift, along with some other fun things.  Well, I am going to have to do that probably after the holidays and certainly after my back heals.  I also wanted to make a yellow bonnet using my new Timely Tresses pattern.  At present, my time is taken up with lying in bed, watching movies and TV shows on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, and YouTube, binging on Pinterest, stretching my back muscles, and generally feeling sorry for myself.  Pretty sad huh?  Pain is not my friend and the presence of it, specifically this kind of horrific pain does a real number on my psyche and plunges me into a deep depression.  This time around however I have been using my HiDow T.E.N.S. unit and it is really helping and I believe it is bring healing about much faster than in the past.  Plus, my chiropractor is back from his vacation this week so I will be paying him a couple of visits!!  I am looking for that silver lining and praying that the duration of this round of back issues is greatly diminished!

One of the things I felt up to today was taking pictures of my 1850s second mourning bonnet.  This bonnet was my first use of Timely Tresses' patterns.  I used the Flora Francine pattern and can I just take a moment and gush over how fabulous this pattern was?  I have made patterns for my own bonnets in the past, but really wanted a true to the era look for my MET moire mourning ensemble.  First of all, the pattern came with a book for its instructions.  A BOOK!!  I couldn't believe my eyes!  And it's quite the lovely papaer back book!  I wish I had happened upon these patterns when I first started out making hats and bonnets as I wouldn't have had hardly the frustrating time I had in the past!  If you are a visual learner and wish to make bonnets, I strongly suggest investing in Timely Tresses patterns.  The Flora Francine came with three different brim choices for mid 1850s to early 1860s.  Perfect!  Having made many bonnets, I adjusted some things like adding tabs to the brim to sew it to the crown (not 100% sure if that is era correct) as that is the construction step I am used to, but there are instructions that are different in the book (I still can't get over the fact that they have a book for their instructions!!!!!  EPIC!!)

The inspiration for my bonnet came from the FIDM Musuem.  Sarah Elizabeth Craft's Easter Bonnet to be specific.  I have made an 1863 half mourning bonnet and an 1840s mourning bonnet and was looking for something different from these previous ones.  I was perusing Pinterest (shocking, I know) and came across little Sarah's sweet yellow bonnet and fell in love.  I knew it would be the perfect one for what I was wanting.  Happily, I was making my ensemble second mourning, so I could add the white, some flowers and add a little bit of flourish to the bonnet itself!

Made of black Thailand Silk (very similar to dupioni silk) gifted to me by a lovely lady who purchased it on a trip to Thailand from the factory that she toured!  How cool is that?

White dupioni silk

Antique black moire ribbon

White antique lace

Antique soft silk flowers

cotton cording

After I put on the dress with the bonnet, I'll see about the length of the ribbon tails.  For right now, I like them long!

The inspiration for the placement of the flowers came from the below image from The MET

For some reason, the fact that the flowers on the inside of her bonnet weren't perfectly even made my heart happy!

The flowers have been in my stash for years and I was thrilled that I hadn't used them before now!  I hate it when I have flowers already on hats or bonnets that would be perfect on the one I am currently creating...because I can't use them!

When I tried the bonnet on, I LOVED the way it framed my face.  The bonnets I have made in the past have never done this and it just seemed so very sweet!

There are 12 layers of cording and pressed ruffles on this bonnet.  Needless to say, I was thrilled that the silk was super thin!

View from above.  This makes me happy!

The "C" shape of the brim can really be seen here.

Inside.  I'm pretty sure the inside isn't historically accurate as the gathering goes clear to the back of the bonnet.  The gathers should stop where the brim and crown meet, then non gathered fabric should go from the crown to the crown tip.  At least that is what I have seen on the extant examples from the internet.  I really didn't want to fiddle with that, so just took the gathering all the way to the back.

Close up of beautiful antique lace.  It's so fun to have such pretty things in the stash!

Fabulous, fabulous pattern booklet from Timely Tresses.  I have since ordered the Verretta Louia 1847-1854 bonnet pattern!  I can't wait to make it up!

I hope that the coming week is a great one for you!  If you celebrate Christmas, do you have your house decorated and ready for the holidays?  Happily, I got my decorating done before the back went out.  Hey!  Maybe that is why my back is in rebellion!  hahahahahaha!!  

Be Blessed my friends!

g