Patt-o-Rama 8500 - Apron and Bonnet

 

1961, based on this advertisement in the Benton Harbor Michigan News-Palladium on May 11, 1961. 

The original mailing envelope has a return address for GRIT, a periodical for rural folks. The recipient's address includes a ZIP code, putting the mailing date some time after 1963, when ZIP codes were introduced.

Patt-o-Rama is another one of those syndicated house name patterns that are so hard to research. 

Despite the "quaint old-fashioned charm," the writer still points out the functional reason for the bonnet - it shades your face. 1963 puts this bonnet pattern on the cusp of a transition from primarily functional to nostalgic or costume use. This pattern could well have served both uses. It's easy to imagine the bonnet and apron made up in red and white gingham and worn by all the ladies running booths at a church social or bazaar. Then again, this may have simply been the preferred headgear for an older woman who was accustomed to the style.

The Patt-o-rama brand is also at an interesting point in the history of unprinted patterns. By 1961 all of the big pattern companies were offering printed patterns. Patt-o-rama gamely reminds the maker that with their pattern, there are "no margins to trim," "no tracing wheels," and "no fabric waste." But again, an older woman would have grown up with unprinted patterns.

The apron pattern is entirely unremarkable (and about 10 years later, I'd make an almost identical apron in my first Home Ec class, in avocado green cotton-poly, if memory serves.)

But the bonnet was interesting. 

Did sunbonnet styles change over time? How different was this bonnet from say, Butterick 5340, from the early part of the century? Superficially, not very different, as it turns out. The overall dimensions of the crowns are almost identical.  The brim of the Patt-o-rama bonnet is shallower by about 1 1/2" (but still quite deep enough to completely shade the face - the illustration doesn't do justice to the depths of the brim.)

Interestingly, the Butterick bonnet confines the curtain to the back of the bonnet, while the Patt-o-rama bonnet brings the curtain across the bottom of the brim, to shade the sides of the neck.

The construction of the bonnets is a little different. The Butterick bonnet combines the crown and the curtain into a single piece, using a simple fold at neck level to create a casing for the back drawstring. 

The Patt-o-rama bonnet has a separate piece for the curtain (piece J, which they call a ruffle) as well as for the drawstring casing (piece I.)  Butterick assumes you'll have some narrow tape on hand to use as drawstrings. The Patto-o-rama pattern instructs you to cut and sew drawstring ties from narrow rectangles.

Patt-o-rama 8500 is a good quality pattern. The pieces are accurately cut and the notches and circles matched well. The written instructions contained a couple of slightly confusing typographical errors, and were a bit jumbled - probably from lack of space - but the construction illustrations were clear.

I made the bonnet up from some pink calico I had on hand.  Chambray would provide a slightly sturdier bonnet.

I followed the instructions almost exactly with only one exception - I bound the seam that joins the brim to the crown, both for tidiness and strength.

McCall 4480 Ladies' Misses' and Girls' Quaker Bonnet and Tyrolean Hat

At a guess, first half of the nineteen-teens.

Technically speaking, this bonnet would probably be better called a cap. By the time this pattern was published, few Quaker ladies were plain dressing and wearing caps, and it's doubtful that those that were would have purchased a McCall pattern to use for making their caps. But late in 1910 the operetta Quaker Girl opened and was very successful. Here's Ina Claire as the Quaker Girl:

The Tyrolean hat, generally in a nice loden green, is still with us, though less exuberantly styled than this version and, if the Google image search is to be believed, much more commonly worn by men than by women. Millinery can be a tricky art, so the somewhat relaxed shaping of the Tyrolean make it a good candidate for a home seamstress with a desire for a casual, sporty chapeau.

Pictorial Review 4785 - Women's, Misses' and Girls' Sunbonnet

The last patent date on the envelope is 1925.  Although nominally a sunbonnet, compared to Butterick 5340 which admittedly is a little earlier, this is a much more stylish interpretation.

The most interesting element of this pattern however, is found in the descriptive text on the back of the envelope, which reads

Sunbonnets are extremely smart for those who oppose the sun-tan vogue.  This charming model has a gathered crown, and a wide brim trimmed with ruffling.  The ruffling may be omitted and a trimming-band arranged over the brim.  Elastic is inserted through a casing stitched underneath the crown extension which forms a ruffle.  Tie strings tie under the chin.

That first sentence tells us a lot.  Tanning was indeed becoming a vogue in the 1920s amongst trendsetters like Coco Chanel who was designing casual but very smart clothes that looked great in sunny places like the Riviera.

But the editors of the Pictorial Review must have felt that not all of their readers were ready to jump on the tanning bandwagon.  Even in the supposedly egalitarian Unites States, there was apparently still a sense of the class distinction imparted by maintaining fair skin.

In fact, this elegant little bonnet won't provide much protection from the sun.  The brim is fairly narrow, and the little frill at the back won't prevent one from getting a good sunburn on the back of the neck.

Here's the back of the envelope:

This is a beautifully produced pattern.  Not only does it include the Pictograph, a tissue sheet of detailed instructions, but each printed pattern piece very sensibly includes instructions for that piece, something I'd love to have on patterns today.

Butterick 5340 - Sun-Bonnet for Ladies, Misses, Girls, or Children

Before there was sunscreen, before there were inexpensive sunglasses: ladies and gentlemen, there were hats, and for women (and possibly little boys) there were sun bonnets. This one has a patent date of 1899; I date it a few years later. The Women's Institute (WI) book Aprons and Caps has a good section on making sunbonnets and sun hats. Chambray and coarse torchon lace were recommended for everyday bonnets, with sheer white cotton for fancy bonnets ("chust for nice" as the Pennsylvania Germans say.)

Remember that at the beginning of the 20th century the percentage of Americans living on farms was much higher than it is today, so this would have been a good saleable pattern and not a curiosity or costume piece.

The indication that this sun-bonnet was for ladies, misses, girls, or children makes me wonder if sun bonnets were sometimes worn by very little boys. If you leave off the lace there isn't anything horribly girly about a blue chambray sun-bonnet, and the image of a little guy in overalls and a sun-bonnet is rather appealing.

Sun-bonnet patterns continued to be available into the 1960's; I have one from this period that was sold on its own and another one that was included with an apron pattern. It was possibly one of these that I saw being worn by an older woman last week when we were in the grip of a ferocious heat wave. She was very fair skinned, nicely dressed, and wearing what I suspect was her gardening bonnet, now faded, made up in a pretty brown and white Liberty-like print with ribbon ties.

March 2009 update:  I had a few hours to fill recently and decided to make up this bonnet.  Using this Ladies' Home Journal cover from May, 1908 for inspiration, I unearthed some blue and white gingham I had bought some time back in the last century.

Here are the directions provided on the pattern envelope.

That's it, you're on your own.  Good luck.  Fortunately, the WI's Aprons and Caps booklet  includes excellent instructions on sunbonnet construction.   Here is their bonnet gal:

WI notes that "dress-up" bonnets can be made of sheer white muslin or dotted swiss.  One imagines that these ladies in 1902 Florida put on their beautifully starched, white, dress-up bonnets just to have their photograph taken.  This image from Shorpy:

The Butterick pattern calls for cape net for the brim interlining.  My Fairchild's Dictionary of Textiles defines cape net as "Stiff cotton net.  Synonym for rice net, which see."  I dutifully thumbed ahead to Rice Net which I learned is "A term sometimes used for buckram."  Since I haven't seen my stash of buckram in at least the last two moves, I decided to follow the WI instructions for making interlining by heavily starching together multiple layers of thin cotton fabric. WI recommends cutting up the backs of worn mens' shirts to use.

Instead I used some good quality unbleached muslin I had on hand.  I mixed up a little heavy starch solution and gave the muslin a good soaking.

Then I carefully smoothed out the two pieces, one on top of the other, and ironed until dry.  Here's the finished interlining piece draped across the back of chair so that you can see the stiffness.  I'd say it's about as stiff as heavyweight non-woven interfacing but nowhere near as stiff as buckram or bonnet board.  It's very nice to work with.

Here are the bonnet pieces cut from the gingham.

And here is the finished product.

On the Butterick pattern there is an optional frill around the brim, made from a plain length of fabric that is gathered.  I didn't do the frill around the brim, making my bonnet somewhat on the severe side.   In the WI example, the brim frill is shaped - deeper at the sides, narrower at the top of the brim.  I may have to make another bonnet with a frill, just so I can have an excuse to use the gathering foot for my sewing machine.

The Butterick pattern indicates the line on the crown/curtain at which a quarter inch tuck is made to form a casing, but there are no instructions on making an opening in the casing or attaching the cords.  I worked an eyelet in the center of the tuck casing, and threaded in some very narrow grosgrain I found in my ribbons box.

Here's the inside of the bonnet before the crown/curtain has been gathered.  You can see that I bound the raw edge of the brim/crown seam.

The WI instructions take a very different approach to constructing the bonnet.  The brim and crown edges are bound separately and then snap fasteners attached to both so that the brim and the crown are snapped together.

The reasoning here is that the bonnet can be taken apart for laundering; the brim and the crown will both go through the ringer flat and can be easily ironed.  I've seen a fair number of sunbonnets through the years and I've never seen this type of construction.  I think I'd worry about the bonnet flying apart in a stiff breeze.  And I don't much care for sewing on snap fasteners.

Here's the inside of the bonnet after I've pulled up the cords.  You can see how the brim has been pulled in.  The WI book states that it's not tidy to leave these cords hanging, and recommends making a small bag, about 2 inches square, and sewing this just below the casing so that the cords can be tucked into the bag.  Well, maybe.

Here's the outside of the bonnet after the cords have been pulled up.

Now here's the outside of the bonnet with the back bow tied.

I'm not certain if the back bow is functional or not, since it doesn't seem to draw the curtain in any further.  I wear my hair in a simple bun dressed low, and the bow does seem to rest against the bottom of my bun, making the bonnet feel a bit more stable.

Here's the bonnet on, with the strings left hanging.  The bonnet feels remarkably stable, not at all as though it's trying to tip back off my head.

Here's the bonnet with the strings tied.  You can see how the shape of the brim has changed.

Here's a side view.

And here is a back view.  I guess those white cords do look a bit untidy.  It's interesting that the back bow is barely visible.

So, now I know what it's like to make the sunbonnet, and what it's like to wear it in the safety of my own home.  The next test will be to wear it outside on a sunny day to determine how useful it really is.