WN706 - 1770's - 1780's Calash Bonnet Pattern. Requires 3 yards of 45" fabric. Pancake style ‘shepherdess hats were popular throughout most of the 18th century, in varying brim widths. These hats were considered necessary to keep the sun away from fair complexions, especially as the parasol was not a fashionable accessory during this period. In the 1770's (when huge wigs and hairstyles were fashionable) the ‘calash bonnet was worn to protect the high hairstyles from the weather. Collapsible bonnets, they were made of strips of wood or whalebone sewn into channels of a silk hood. A front ribbon allowed the wearer to hold the calash securely over her face while walking in the wind. (Complements of Vintage Fashion Guild web site)