Tutorial: How to turn a straw sunhat into an 18th century bergere
Here’s a quick and easy tutorial to turn a modern straw hat into a mid-late 18th century bergere style hat. It’s not, of course, historically accurate, but it’s quick, easy, and looks effective. We’ll go from this: To this: You’ll need: – A broad brimmed, woven straw hat. It doesn’t matter if it fits you, but it has to be woven (not braided and sewn together), and it has to be straw. – Scissors – Hot water – A round metal pan or bowl with a flat base approximately 6 inches/ 15 centimeters across – A hot glue gun – Needle and thread – Ribbon, fabric, feathers etc. for trimming. First, have a look at a few 18th century straw hat inspiration pictures, and decide what style you want. Note that some have very shallow crowns, some (usually later in the 18th century) a bit deeper. Some have teeny-tiny crowns, some much wider. Brims can be broad or narrow, can turn up or down. Plus there are all the variants in trim. All of these …