Antique bonnets

I just love antique bonnets, and sell quite a few - after I've kept them and loved them for a while!  Here are a few that I have right now for sale, all French and all in my Etsy shop.

Cosy flannelette and quilted bonnet, with crochet lace round the face, and long cotton ties to make a big bow under the chin

In creamy net, with apricot silk flowers and a frilly flounce on the face, this is such a pretty little bonnet

White net, with hand embroidered motif on the crown, and a beautiful handmade lace flounce on the face - just gorgeous!

This little muslin bonnet has tiny pleats on the crown, finishing with a frothy frill on the face.  I just love it!

sorry, all the bonnets are now sold

You can see all these bonnets, further details, prices etc here: www.etsy.com/shop/Vintagemaison

Have a good Thursday!

Latest vintage stock - bonnets, and a Dordogne wedding

You know I just love bonnets, and here are a few of my latest little pieces for sale.  Some are for babies, a couple for young girls, and a few for older ladies - any more photos or information, just contact me.

Bonnet now sold
In salmon pink silk, with hand made pin-tucks and lace ruffles, I LOVE this one.. so tiny, just for a new born.

bonnet now sold
This stunning bonnet is peach silk, with little rose ribbon trim, fine handmade lace over the crown, all finished off with pale pink satin ribbons and bow...just lovely.

Bonnet now sold
Cream and white lace and silk, with a long satin ribbon - what you might call a 'frothy confection' and perfect for a vintage styled christening.

 This is a cotton piqué bonnet for a young girl - with an adjustable tie at the nape of the neck.  It would keep the hair neatly tucked away
bonnet now sold.

Another bonnet in cotton, for a young girl or teenager - probably 19thc,  Those frills and ruffles must have been a nightmare to press - you'd need a gauffre iron to do the job properly.  Still, girls didn't have ipads and Facebook to occupy their spare time...
bonnet now sold

Another 'frothy confection'  (seems to be a rather fashionable expression these days!) but this time in pale apricot net and silk ribbon - a little shabby but so pretty - it might have been worn at a wedding, but more likely as a boudoir cap.
bonnet now sold

Bonnet now sold
From Limousin, this is a sun or working bonnet - the flaps at the front can be pulled down to shade the eyes from the sun, or folded back.  I like to think that the front wasn't just for shading the eye -, I bet a lot of flirting went on too...especially when some of the bonnets had a strip of fine gauze stitched to the edge to peek through...lots of room to cover all that hair that most girls had.

Another little bonnet, generally called a 'coiffe'.  Worn in Perigord/Limousin/Charente by elderly ladies, often widows - and usually with every piece of hair scraped back into the gauze. with the ties at the neck adjusting according to how much hair needed to be hidden.
bonnet now sold

If you would like further details, just click here - this takes you to my Ebay shop, with full descriptions of the bonnets.

Here is a wedding photo with three elderly ladies wearing the 'coiffe' - very neat and prim! Incidentally, look at the bride and groom - about 30 years difference I reckon!  And the poor guy on the right with a cover on his eye, and then, there's the little girl at the front rather shy and leaning towards her brother...fascinating. (clic photo to enlarge) 

Oh, I just love old photos - you can learn so much from them, and when you REALLY look, the people then aren't that much different from us today.  I do have a small collection, including wedding photos of various related families, mainly from the area around my home.   I have sold some which I now regret - I am going to keep the rest and try to add to my collection:  I'll put some more on my blog at a later date.

Have a good weekend!

A few little bits for sale

Both bonnets now sold
Two gorgeous 19th century cotton sun bonnets - worn by the Limousin ladies whilst working outdoors. Well, today it was over 40 degrees C and there is no way I'm working in my veggie plot - I think these 19th century country girls were made of sterner stuff!

The bonnets are voluminous at the back of the head to allow for waist-length hair, all safely gathered in - the adjusting cord allows all stray hair to be tucked in.

Fabric now sold
A really punchy colour for a tablecloth!  Never designed to be 'best' household linen, this would have been thrown over the kitchen table after the chores were done and the meal prepared on weekdays.  For Sundays, then out would come the damask or linen - if you were rich enough!

This piece now sold, but more available.
A little bit of 1930s cotton fabric - perfect for your own project, maybe cushion cover, lavender bags or needle case.  love the flowers - quite charming!

Blouse now sold
A beautiful vintage French blouse - very demure.  It has handmade lace and embroidery - with a sweet little vignette of flowers and the name 'Marie' carefully stitched on the front.  The blouse is fastened with white milk glass buttons.

and, another blouse, similar but in a light weight cotton, and a little plainer.  The buttons here are mother-of-pearl. blouse now sold

Finally, a little morceau of fabric, rather scruffy as it is just a little piece left over from something else - I think it has been used many times,  but I love the pattern - perfect for again, another cushion cover.
fabric now sold

Most of these are on my Ebay site here, but if not ('cos I haven't listed everything yet - far too hot to concentrate at the moment) just send me a comment and I will give you more details.

Enjoy the weather, stay cool!

Baby clothes - SO adorable!

These are a couple of photos taken at the museum at Agde in Herault, from our holiday this year. What a fabulous museum - I nearly swooned with joy to find it. Flash photography was forbidden of course, so please do excuse the lack of light - everything looks a bit blue, but I'm sure you will get the gist of it all. These are of the baby and childrens' clothes, ranging from around 1830 to 1925




Over the years, I have collected and sold antique and vintage baby clothes - there is just something about them that I love. It's the smallness of them, the love and attention put into each piece, the history behind each piece, and very poignant to consider that some of their owners may have never worn adult clothing - life was so precarious for babies then, regardless of how rich their parents were.

Most of the clothes in these cabinets were for children of the well-to-do, but I love the clothes of the peasants too, often with repairs and darns where they have been handed down. So adorable...



Isn't this just gorgeous? This is a hand-made bonnet, made from the palest apricot silk, with lace overlaid, and satin ribbons. Sadly, in was in pretty poor condition the silk was beginning to shatter, and the ribbons had holes and rust marks. Still, I just had to rescue it and I kept it for quite a while. Eventually though, it found a new home.
bonnet now sold


This bonnet, on the other hand was in almost perfect condition - I just love the broderie anglaise (always a sucker for a bit of BA)...and again, already sold.


This bonnet has patterned quilted cotton fabric, slightly 'flannelette' and cosy to the touch inside and a little lace round the edges. Hand-made again, so sweet!
bonnet now sold


These are about the most simplest bonnets, slightly different, but oh so tiny! Perfect for new-borns. Were my kids ever that small? Actually, I don't think they were as they were both over 9 and a half pounds at birth!
bonnets now sold


And, just to finish, this is a gorgeous little petticoat, but with all this hot weather recently, I can just see it as a sun-dress.
dress now sold


Lovely lace on the bottom edge - quite firm to the touch so robust enough even for a toddler!



You can see more details and photos here for the last three items.

Have a good week!