Making a Gable Hood Pattern

Currently I'm working on creating a Gable Hood pattern and mock-up as one of my Millinery II assignments. Whew...hard work. I did lots of research online prior to commencing the pattern, but still it's a bit of struggle to get it just right. I'm making a pattern to look like the gable hood below worn by Jane Seymour.

I love all of the ornate beading at the front - makes me want to actually make one! Unfortunately, the assignment is just create the pattern and mock-up.

Great back view showing the box with hanging veils.

Reproduction:

Koshka-the-Kat: One costumer who can be counted on to have a great reproduction and lots of pictures construction details about it. A great source of inspiration. Katherine's reproduction is based off of the pattern in 'The Tudor Tailor'

Available Patterns:

Online: I love the reproduction made by this woman, who was kind enough to provide detailed research, pattern, and instructions for constructing a gable hood.

Book: 'The Tudor Tailor' by Ninya Mikhaila (love her work) and Jane Malcolm-Davies
Provides pattern, illustrations, and instructions for creating a gable hood...along with other beautiful garments of the 16th century.
Reproduction from the pattern by Katherine of Koshka-the-Kat: One costumer who can be counted on to have a great reproduction and lots of pictures construction details about it. A great source of inspiration.

Note - both of these patterns would need to be tweaked to fit the wearer.

Dior New Look Hat

In Millinery class we are blocking wool felt hats. I'm creating a Dior "New Look" inspired hat with trim inspired by this original. Isn't it fabulous?

Dior's "New Look"

DIY Silk Flowers

Above: Red Silk Flowers made by me for our wedding.

Tonight I'm making some lovely silk flowers for one of the 1920s dresses that I just completed. The dress was inspired by the lovely sheer pink 1929 Vionnet dress on page 468 of the Kyoto 'Fashion' book. My version is made of a sheer blue fabric.

I made silk flowers with my mom for my wedding. There they are above in the flower decoration in the corner of the tent. I really wanted to decorate the corners of the tent - but not with real flowers. And I didn't like the look of store bought silk flowers either. Paper flowers were pricey for the amount that we needed, so we put our silk stash to good use and were able to make beautiful red silk flowers for all of the bouquets.

I used Martha Stewart's directions for making these lovely flowers. This time around I'm inspired by the tutorial by Mrs. Oyster on the Wedding Bee website. I love the many pictures that she took of the process, and especially her use of a rhinestone earring for the center of her flower.

These flowers are super easy and fun to make, and great for those silk scraps that you have left over from previous projects.

Above: Process shot of a silk flower by Mrs. Oyster

Vintage Flowers

I've been researching vintage flowers to get ideas for the type of flower that I would like to create for a 1929 dress reproduction for Dance Light. Here are a few of the favorites that I saw recently on Etsy.

1920s Sequined Applique

Bonnet & Corset Progress

Here are a few progress shots of my current projects. This is a reproduction 1860s straw bonnet form that I have been working on in my free time.

And this is the set of early 1800s Corded Stays that I am making for a customer. Right now I'm in the process of cording them.

Reproduction Horsehair Bonnet

In preparation for a small series that I'll be doing over the next few weeks on trimming a straw bonnet, I'd like to show you a reproduction horsehair bonnet that I trimmed several years ago.

For quite some time I've been looking forward to introducing you to the work of my friend, Beverly Lister. Beverly has been in the millinery business for many years, faithfully recreating bonnets of the Civil War era. This lovely horsehair form was made by Beverly. I need to brag a little bit about her excellent craftsmanship - she is an excellent bonnet maker, her work is top notch, and her reproductions look just like the real thing. She's also a lovely person to work with. Using a set of your head measurements, Beverly creates a bonnet form to fit your unique measurements and to the style and straw color of your choice. Beverly even dyes the straw herself. Generally, the customer will have Beverly trim the bonnet as well, but for customers who want to do their own bonnet trims, she sells the straw forms.

In the near future I will do some posts exclusively on Beverly's bonnets, but, should you wish to aquire information directly from the source, I leave you with Beverly's contact information.

Beverly Lister
http://www.beverlysbonnets.com/
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
717.288.2669
beverlysbonnets@gmail.com

Currently I am working on the curtain for my newest straw bonnet. Here you can see the curtain of the horsehair bonnet. This curtain is gathered at the top and has a 3/4" ruffle. The curtain has two layers or curtains. Olive green silk taffeta trims the edges of the curtains. At the bottom of each edge runs a tiny wire - about the weight of wire in wired ribbon. The wire is sewn into the narrow rolled hem of the curtain. The bottom curtain is lined in white cotton netting. The interior of the bonnet is also lined in cotton netting (black for this black bonnet). Original bonnets were often lined inside to keep the hair from catching on the straw of the bonnet. Bonnet curtains could also be pleated to the outside edge of the bonnet. More details and pictures to follow as I trim my newest bonnet.

Here you may notice that the flowers sit apart from the top edge of the bonnet. What is that about, you may ask. Often bonnets had a piece of straw braid sewn across the inside that fit securely to the head. Troube with your bonnet always falling back on your head? This piece of straw braid helps to hold the bonnet in place, as it sits more snuggly against the head. The trim can also be sewn to this piece of straw braid, as was done here. When worn, the flowers rest against the top inside of the bonnet, so you cannot tell that this piece of straw braid is there.

Original bonnets often had delicate white or ivory lace gathered or pleated and stitched inside the edges of the bonnet.

Functional utility ties - narrow cotton or silk ribbon - were sewn into the bonnet. These were the ties that really kept the bonnet securely tied. The silk ribbon ties were more decorative, often very wide ribbon. Sometimes these decorative ties were not even tied, but left to hang. When bonnet ribbons were tied they were tied in a bow directly under the chin - not to the side.

Please let me know if there are any specific questions that you have that I can answer in my next installments on Bonnets!

Finished 18th Century Hat

The 18th Century Hat is Finished!
This hat took much longer than I had expected! But I think it's rather pretty finished. The straw hat was covered in green silk pleated to fit on top and bottom. It was rather easy to do, just very time consuming. Sheer ribbon was box pleated and sewn around the base of the crown and along the edge of the hat. I think it added a nice touch. I like to keep my creations 'light'. The same ribbon was sewn on under the hat for ties. My mother will be wearing the hat this weekend for a fashion show, so I'll be sure to take more pictures of it then.

A view from above.

The underside of the hat.

18th Century Silk Hat

Today I'm working on making an 18th century silk hat for my mother to wear this upcoming weekend in a fashion show. She'll be portraying an upperclass lady, so I thought she'd need a pretty silk hat to wear with her Pet en lair and skirt.

During the 18th century straw hats were often covered in silk and trimmed. This hat form is just lovely - I almost hated to cover it! It was purchased from Colonial Williamsburg. The Silly Sisters also sell nice straw hat forms.

I've been following the directions on the Koshka-the-Cat website.