Regency Bonnet

 

Here is the Regency era bonnet I made more than a year ago, to wear to the Star-Spangled Weekend event at Fort McHenry.  It is a year since we girls took a trip to the Smithsonian to view Old Glory and a year since we dressed up in Regency garb to attend the 1812 event in Baltimore. We stayed until after dark to watch the fireworks with Old Glory in the background. The military band was playing and that made it one of those "goosebump" moments. ;)

I used the Julia pattern from Timely Tresses and it came together amazingly quickly and easily! The hat is sewn all by hand. We girls had a fun time sewing our hats and watching movies that weekend! How time does fly. The green "satin" fabric is actually moleskin turned to the wrong side! I trimmed it very simply, with self-fabric ties and a little white bow, and the brim is made stiff with cross stitch plastic rather than buckram. Bethany and I contemplated switching bonnets as ours were made in similar shades of green.

Here you can see the lovely pale blue dress I was generously lent by Becca (see her post on a previous Fort McHenry event here) so I would not have to make an entire outfit myself for only one event. I must say the nicest thing about Regency styles is that they are so comfortable! So much easier to wear than a Civil War corset and several layers of petticoats. (However, I actually prefer the Civil War silhouette.) And if you are at all interested, American Girl is releasing an 1812 era doll tomorrow!