Traditional Plain Dress Women's Caps

Examples and Links to Online Sources, Patterns/Seamstresses

Traditional Stiff Caps

Stiff caps are associated with the Anabaptist tradition (Amish/Mennonite/Amish Mennonite and Old German Baptist Brethren). Some caps are made of a stiff net, sometimes plastic, but some groups wear stiff caps made of solid, non-see-through white or black fabric that has been starched into shape. Notice how the "Midwest" Amish coverings have pleating reminiscent of the "Nebraska" Amish soft cap above. The "Nebraska" Amish caps, the "Midwest" Amish caps, and the smoked Swartzentruber cap have decorative bows at the nape of the cap--holdovers from when they were soft caps, gathered at the nape by a ribbon. It's typical for these caps to be held on by straight pins anchored into clips on top. I own a used cap that had double-sided cellophane tape on the underside of the brim to help keep the cap in place.

Examples


Beachy Amish	Beachy Amish - side view	Eastern Mennonite

"Midwest" Amish covering - black, unmarried	"Midwest" Amish covering - black, unmarried: detail	"Midwest" Amish covering - white, married

Old German Baptist Brethren	Conservative Mennonite Covering from Katie's Mercantile	Conservative Mennonite (I'm wearing it tied, which is not typical.)

Shipshewana, IN cap in white. Photo courtesy of Valerie at Plain and Practical	Shipshewana, IN Cap in black mesh, available from Mennonite Maidens	26 pleat cap (available from Mennonite Maidens).
Photos used by permission of Plainly Dressed, Katie's Mercantile, or Quaker Jane. (All Rights Reserved)

Ready-made

Katie's Mercantile

Pleated Traditional Covering (scroll down)
PrayerCoverings.com

Beachy Amish cap, Eastern Mennonite cap, and Conservative Mennonite cap.
Mennonite Maidens

Mennonite Maidens offer several lovely stiff cap options, including the 26 Pleat Traditional Covering.
E-bay

E-bay is the second place I acquired caps when I first went plain. Try searching for "Amish kapp" and "Amish cap" and "Amish bonnets." People will use "bonnet" and "cap" interchangeably--and different things will come up under the different searches. Many are used, but sometimes someone is selling new caps.
Etsy.com

Etsy is a website for selling home-made items, and I have found kapps and caps and some of my favorite seamstresses selling items there. Like E-bay, the search feature is essential.

Patterns

Christian Light Publication

For detailed instructions on making an Eastern Mennonite Covering, consider Christian Light Publication's Home Economics II unit called "Sewing a Headship Veiling."
Candle on the Hill

CandleOnTheHill.net offers several stiff cap patterns: Beachy Amish, Conservative Mennonite, Pleated Covering Pattern, and Traditional Covering Patterns (scroll down).
Friends Patterns

Friends Patterns offers the Traditional Head Covering pattern, which is the classic full-coverage stiff, pleated cap. These patterns are printed on blueprint paper, so be prepared to copy over the pattern onto a more workable pattern material.

Traditional Soft Caps

Soft caps have been worn by many groups, including the Quakers, Amish and Old Order River Brethren. It is important to note some differences. The Old Order River Brethren place much emphasis on a bright white cap, often starching it into shape. Among the Quakers, there is no set pattern, but I show a few of the styles that are worn. I like to wear my bun very high as it keeps my cap securely in place without straight pins or hairspray or double-sided cellophane tape, but that is not typical. (For some of the images below, thee can click on the image to get a larger image.)

Examples


"Nebraska" Amish (not geographical location), Pleated. This cap is made of a double-layer of organdy and then starched stiff. This toddler-size cap is the same as the one worn by adult women.

Amish, "Nebraska," pleated.	Amish, Swartzentruber, Smoked, unmarried, in black. (Married would be white.)	Amish, Swartzentruber, detail of back

Amish, Lancaster, Heart-Shaped--made of organdy (which is traditional).	Amish, Lancaster, Heart-Shaped. Traditionally, the ties are made of the same fabric as the cap. But some are sold with satin ties.	Heart-Shaped caps in cotton batiste are also available.

Soft Amish-style cap sold for tourist trade.		Old Order River Brethren cap.

Coif-style Cap worn by some women of Ohio Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quaker)	Soft Cap worn by some women of Ohio Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quaker)	The caps I wear, the Laura Cap and the Caroline Cap from Rachel's Seamstress Services. The Laura Cap in particular was inspired by traditional Quaker caps.
Photos used by permission of Plainly Dressed, Katie's Mercantile and Quaker Jane. All Rights Reserved.

Ready-made

PrayerCoverings.com

Prayercoverings.com sells many styles of soft caps, including the classic "Gathered Style Cap" that has been one of my favorites.
Rachel's Seamstress Services

Rachel's Seamstress Services sells a well-made "Basic Kapp" as well as a couple of other interesting soft-cap styles.
Katie's Mercantile

Katie's Mercantile offers several classic-looking caps, including a "Gathered Cap," a "Simple Cap," a "Pleated Cotton Covering," and an Amish-style Heart-shaped cap.
ChristianCoverings.com

ChristianCoverings.com has several nicely designed traditional gathered caps, including an Amish-style heart-shaped cap.
Jas. Townsend and Son, Inc.

Jas. Townsend and Son, Inc. sells period caps and hats (machine sewn).

Patterns

CandleOnTheHill.net

Candle on the Hill offers a number of unique soft cap patterns, including an interesting "Vintage Covering" pattern.
Friends Patterns

Friends Patterns offers several soft cap patterns, including: #510 Heart Shaped Head Covering and #505 "Nebraska" Head Covering. This "Nebraska" covering is not a pattern for the "Nebraska" cap shown in the photo above. It is more like the "Caroline" cap I wear. These patterns are printed on blueprint paper, so be prepared to copy over the pattern onto a more workable pattern material.
Miller's Millinery

Miller's Millinery has historically accurate patterns for caps (and bonnets). Her plain cap is as useful today as it ever was. Patterns designed to fit a 22" (circumference) head.
Wm. Booth, Draper

Wm. Booth, Draper, offers an extensive array of historical cap patterns quite useful to the modern plain-dressing woman, most of which would be soft caps.
Kannik's Korner

Kannik's Korner has some nifty period cap and bonnet patterns.

Tradition-inspired Caps and Veilings

With a growing number of women outside of traditional covering communities feeling the call to wear a headcovering, seamstresses have stepped forward with tradition-inspired caps. The long, flowing veiling is becoming more and more popular among plain women and is now an acceptable public alternative with some Plain groups.

Examples


26 inch veiling from Christian Coverings	22 inch veiling from Prayercoverings.com.	Christian Coverings veils.

Christian Coverings offers original-design caps and coverings that are well-made and easy to wear. See the Cap Style Coverings and Veils.

Sowers of Hope offer traditionally-inspired Amish-style kapps with lovely distinctive detailing like ribbon banding.

Sowers of Hope also offers veils in non-traditional colors.		Another fine maker of classic veils in non-traditional colors and fabrics is Garlands of Grace.

Rachel's Seamstress Services offers some beautiful and unique caps. The Laura in natural linen is one of my favorites.