Maggie from Serendipitous Stitchery’s 18th Century Market Bonnet Pattern has been making the rounds lately (you can buy it here), and I thought I’d share how my version turned out.
To start out, the pattern is very well put together, with lots of information and good instructions! It helped soooo much, because bonnet making was pretty much a mystery to me before this.
Here is how the bonnet turned out! It’s so big!! There were a few ways that my version differed from Maggie’s instructions (I learned my lesson there!! Stick to her instructions!)
First of all, I lined the cap portion of the bonnet, which I hoped would make it a bit cooler, and if any sweat happened to get in the bonnet, it wouldn’t ruin the silk. However, this weighed down the silk, which now wants to collapse towards the back of my head (I kind of think it looks like an octopus sitting up there!). Leaving the silk unlined in my second bonnet helped with this a lot. (I was jealous of the nice volume everybody else was getting in their bonnets!)
The second way I deviated from the instructions was to use a double layer of buckram for the brim, instead of chipboard, like she recommends. Even though I wired it, the buckram doesn’t have enough stiffness and wants to straighten out, which makes the brim flatten out and look odd. Using chipboard is definitely preferable, because it is thicker and can be shaped like you want it.
I don’t think I will be wearing this bonnet much, as I made another one where I corrected the problems I had. But it is a great pattern, and many other costumers have made great versions of it. Hopefully you can learn from my mistakes!
Have you made a bonnet from this pattern? Comment or share a picture below, and let me know how it went for you!
Rebecca
Time Travel Girl 