My first attempt at trimming a bergère hat for my 18th century costumes.
I needed a hat to go with some of the outfits I’m making. I of course want it to go with a few outfits using the same color or theme, but it needed to be neutral enough to hold me over until I make a few more hats.
I received this bergère hat for Christmas from my mother-in-law. The brim was a lot wider than I expected. I was going to leave the brim straight, but decided bending it down on the sides would work better. The ribbon holding the brim down also helps hold the hat on my head (even if it isn’t as secure as I’d like it to be). I don’t have any hat pins at the moment, but so far it worked out on a calm day.
Items Used:
– Bergère hat from Jas. Townsend & Son.
– Ribbons: light sage green, two different sizes.
– Fake flowers and leaves.
– White thread for the flowers and leaves, and green thread to match the ribbons.
I hope this hat holds together. I’ve never actually trimmed a hat before, so securing things to the straw was a little weird to me. I tried to make some fabric roses and just didn’t like how they were coming out. For such a big hat, I wanted big roses.
For the ribbon around the crown, I used the narrower width. I hand-pleated and stitched at intervals to create the scalloping effect.
I used the wider ribbon for the bow on the back of the crown, and the ends that tie in a bow behind my head.
Photos:
You can just see the ribbon I pleated to go around the crown in this photo.
I tried making some fabric roses to trim the hat, but didn't like them. I wanted to use yellow and white roses with some leaves.
This hat -- and others like it -- will come in handy for outdoor events!
