1812 Bonnet and Fair at New Boston

Hello everyone! Sorry for the long absence, but I have been absolutely overwhelmed with moving to Michigan and dealing with a sinus infection! However, I'm all settled in and feeling much better so I'm reading to start posting and sewing again.

I didn't get many (any) pictures at the Fair at New Boston event, but it was an absolute blast and I got to meet so many awesome new people! You have seen all the dresses before that I wore to it, and if you'd like to see the few event pictures I did get, you can see them at my Livejournal.

Mainly, I'd like to share my recent millinery triumph: a straw braid bonnet! It was my first adventure working with straw, and I'm very pleased with how it turned out! I patterned the bonnet myself using brown paper shopping bags, then started sewing the straw together based on the pattern pieces. I basted the outer piece of the brim to the pattern, then started working inward. For the tip, I first made a "button" center, then began coiling outward. When I achieved the correct width, I based it to my paper pattern and began stitching the braid around the crown. Once both sections were done, I sewed them together.