Bonnets and Brimstone

Luton, Bedfordshire, 1850.
Smoke rises from the chimneys of newly built factories, and the streets hum with the clatter of carts and footsteps. In a town famed for its straw hats, fifteen-year-old Eliza Hart trades her schoolbooks for a sewing needle when her father’s carpentry business falters.

Drawn into the fast-paced world of hat-making, Eliza becomes apprentice to Mrs. Temperance Blake, a mysterious and exacting milliner with a reputation as sharp as her hatpins. As Eliza learns the craft—stitch by stitch, brim by brim—she also discovers the cost borne by the women who keep the factory running: blistered hands, stifling air, and voices silenced by fear.

But Eliza has never been one to stay quiet.

When an industrial accident sparks unrest among the workers, and whispers of rebellion ripple through the factory walls, Eliza finds herself torn between loyalty to her mentor, her growing bond with a young radical mechanic, and her own yearning for a life shaped by dignity and design.

In a world stitched together by expectation, what does it mean to unpick the seam?

Bonnets and Brimstone is a lyrical and riveting tale of resilience, rebellion, and the power of women’s hands—on the factory floor and in forging their future.