Miniature Millinery: The 19th Century Poke Bonnet

Hi Everyone! In Part 4, we wrap up the straw hat series using the crown from our ladies size sun hat to make a doll-size Poke Bonnet. For those of you that aren't historically inclined, you can make a more modern Somerset style sun hat by skipping the last few steps of this tutorial.

Poke bonnets became popular throughout the western world at the beginning
of the 19th century. The crown was designed to contain hair while the brim provided shade to protect the complexion. The size and shape of the crown and brim varied greatly depending on the current trends or more practical considerations. A round, close-fitting poke was popular during the Regency Period. As dress sleeves grew to exaggerated widths in the 1840s so did the brim of the poke bonnet, which mockingly became known as Coal Scuttle Bonnets.

Here's an interesting look at the fashion style of the 19th Century Poke Bonnet, (this image by Nordiska Museet was found on Wikepedia).

As you work on your Poke Bonnet, remember that there is no specific shape you need to achieve. Your crown can be deep or shallow and your brim can be narrow or wide - like a coal scuttle. A big part of what the final crown looks like will depend on how easily the crown of your sun hat takes to molding. Each poke bonnet you make will take on its own unique appearance.

Follow along this week as we continue to learn the art of miniature millinery!

Video notes: 

The Poke Bonnet full instructions are found in the Thimbles and Acorns Three Straw Hats pattern.

The fabric starch used in the tutorial is optional, but recommended as it helps your bonnet and brim keep its shape. You can use purchased fabric starch or you can use this homemade recipe I used in the tutorial:

• Homemade Fabric Starch For Hats

• In a saucepan, dissolve 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch in 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Cool before using. Increase or decrease the amount of cornstarch for more or less stiffness.



In this tutorial I demonstrate how to apply the braided trim to the bonnet brim on a plain brim. The technique is exactly the same for the bonnet or the plain brim.

Here's a pretty example of a classic Somerset Style Straw hat as seen on Anthropoligie.com webiste. Notice the brim is a full circle all the way around the hat crown. 

We hope you've enjoyed this installment of Miniature Millinery! If you're looking for more courses on tiny hat making, check out these other Miniature Millinery courses.  (All the miniature millinery posts are in the same blog section, just scroll backwards to get to the earlier posts).

Miniature Millinery: The Molded Felt Hat

Miniature Millinery: Hip, Hip, Beret!