Balmoral Bonnet.

[Mike S]

I experimented with making my own all black balmoral, using one of my existing ones as a template. I don't like those single colored balmorals on the market (sans dicing) in general, because they lack the wide brow band and look more like a conventional beret to me.

I used some wool broadcloth I had left over from my period garment making days as a living historian. I will likely make this again using a heavier weight wool (melton or kersey), because although I used an osnaburg interfacing, and fully lined the bonnet, it does pucker a bit more than I would like.

Critiques are welcome, as this is the experimental stage and I'm still very much tweaking the pattern.

If anyone knows of a top quality maker who offers an all black balmoral with a separate wide brow band like the diced versions, let me know. Even the superlative Robert Mackie bonnets are more like a beret on the all self colored models, with an integral brow.

[Mike S]

Edited. The above post covers the topic.

[Todd Bradshaw]

I think the key when using woven cloth, whether wool or others, is playing around with the various weights of interfacing that are available at your local fabric store. With the iron-on stuff you have the option of just doing the round top, or also the side panels - either with the same weight/stiffness or different ones. You can go from one that just adds a little body to help the bonnet hold its basic shape but allows a bit of the "slouch" (in a good way) look, to one that really locks the shape in for a really crisp look. Especially in cases where your fabric might not have enough stiffness on its own to give the hat some body, good facing makes a huge difference. Like on this one from ultrasuede, which is rather limp by itself, but works fine if interfaced. You have to line them to cover it, but that's not a big deal.

[Mike S]

Many thanks for the invaluable advice Todd. Your bonnet looks great, and more on the order of what I want.

[Mike S]

I tweaked the pattern further, and here is incarnation No.2. I'm happier with the fit on this one. I hand sewed the top, easing the rounded form. This took care of the puckering problem. I will likely replace the cockade, as I'm not happy with it:

[Todd Bradshaw]

Yep, that's looking pretty good. Of course you know that making them is rather addictive. The good news is that they're pretty cheap to make and don't take an awful lot of time. The bargain bin at the fabric store is always one good place to look for interesting fabrics to try.