These poke bonnets have been designed with inspiration from an original bonnet I was lucky enough to be able to examine at a Museum in Fort Langley, B.C.  It has an interesting method of applying the body of the bonnet to the brim, which adds a nice overall dressy look to the “poke”, making it slightly different than most you see today.  With the addition of a ruffle along the edge of the brim, these pokes are great dress-up bonnets. It was believed that the original I saw was the “Sunday Bonnet” of a local farmers wife, as the fabric was a silk, and the bonnet itself had little wear or fading.

 For women with short hair, fabric bonnets are wonderful choices to wear to conceal ones lack of hair.  Other features of the poke bonnet:

1.  Rounded edge to the brim does not give you the “blinder” effect that slat bonnets do.

2.  The tie and casing at the back aids in fitting the bonnet to most head sizes.

3.  The single layer of the body of the bonnet and its curtain makes this cooler to wear than those with double layer construction.

4.  By your choice of fabrics and colors, and the addition of the brim ruffle, you can dress up or down your bonnet making this item truly versatile

The poke bonnets are made from our TSA-551 pattern.

$15.00

Slat Bonnets

Named after the “slats” originally used to stiffen these bonnets, the Slat Bonnet was used during most of the second half of the 19^thand well into the 20^th century.  Women who were working in the fields or around the farm used this style of bonnet. The deep brim and long bavolet (curtain at the back) served to protect the face and neck from the elements.  It also makes the wearer feel like they are wearing blinders as it hinders all side vision.  It is believed that hickory slats were originally used to stiffen the bonnet so that it could be worn in the rain and in very humid climates where a normal cloth brim would become soggy and droop about the face. 

These Slat Bonnets are made from our Timeless Stitches TSA-552 Pattern

$15.00

            With its ease of construction and the availability of materials bonnets, made out of cottons and calicos were the main head covering during most of the 1800’s.  Made for more than just “ to look pretty”, these bonnets served to protect the wearer from the harsh sun, wind and rain, as well as to keep them warm. 
            Unlike its’ cousin the poke bonnet, the button bonnet was not as common.  Button bonnets are much plainer, more serviceable and require a larger piece of fabric.  It uses buttons and buttonholes to give the bonnet shape.  This bonnet is a much more close fitting bonnet.  The one major benefit to this style of bonnet is the fact that when unbuttoned it lies completely flat and open.  This makes washing and ironing much easier.  Bonnets of this style would have been stiffly starched and ironed.  Starching not only aids in the appearance of the bonnet, but it makes the bonnet stain resistant and helps to make it waterproof.  Being flat, this bonnet was very easy to pack and store.  It would come out neat, and ready to wear, unlike the poke bonnets that often looked creased and rumpled.  The Button Bonnet was used mainly as a work bonnet, and was not dressed up and used for good

  Other features of the button bonnet:

1.  Rounded edge to the brim does not give you the “blinder” effect that some other styles do.
2.  The tie and casing at the back aids in fitting the bonnet to most head sizes.
3.  The single layer of the body of the bonnet and its curtain makes this cooler to wear than those with double layer construction

These Button Bonnets were made from our Timeless Stitches TSA-550 Pattern

$15.00

    women who often could not afford, or did not have access to the shaped wool and straw bonnets and hats, made these bonnets and added fancy trimmings and ribbon to dress them up “for good”.

These bonnets have a very stiff brim, which can be decorated with or without a ruffle.  The back of the bonnet is gathered using ties and casing at the neckline.  The look of the bonnet is completed with the attachment of a bavolet, to the lower edge of the bonnet.  For women with short hair, bonnets are wonderful choices to wear to conceal ones lack of hair.

Other features of this bonnet include:

 1.  The tie and casing at the back aids in fitting the bonnet to most head sizes.
 2.  Stiffening in the brim prevents bonnet fro flopping gin you face, even when it gets wet.
 3.  The curtain or bavolet can be made as long or as short as you desire.  Bavolets can vary from 2 ½” to 14 ½” with the standard being 4 – 6”.
4.  By your choice of fabrics and colors, and the addition of the brim ruffle, you can dress up or down you bonnet making this item truly versatile.

These Bonnets were made using Timeless Stitches TSA-553 pattern

$18.00

Our Mourning Bonnet is basically a variation of our Slat Bonnet.

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to see our entire Mourning Collection

$18.00