Playing Catchup: My Fourth Place Contest Win; My Latest Millinery Sewing Machine Rescue

For those that don't follow me on FaceBook and/or are not a member of my Hatstruck Couture Millinery Group there, I thought I'd share a few things with you.  One, I placed fourth in the Mad Hatters Society's millinery contest on FaceBook; and two, I rescued another millinery sewing machine.

Regarding the contest, I submitted two hats, the Many Faces of a Mad Hatter, for which I won fourth place; and a second hat, Mad and Hungry, which didn't place, but it was my favorite submission.  My winning hat was actually a four-in-one-hat that could be worn four different ways.  It could be worn brim only, crown only, brim and crown together, or brim with an origami fan attached.  The fan fits under the crown when not in use.

Finally, I rescued another millinery sewing machine.  It's funny how some pass up diamonds in the rough.  Or pass up something or someone because of a description or outside appearance.  Well once again I picked up another millinery sewing machine for cheap, !cheap!.  One of my straw braid sewing machines cost under $70, and this, my latest machine, a brim edge binding machine, cost lest than $80, both not including postage.  When the painted machines come up for auction, some don't even have a braid foot, but sell for hundreds. 

Anyway, along with this machine came a metal lift that lifts the machine up and off a table to accommodate the depth and size of a hat.  Now I use a bowl on my treadle sewing machine table to lift my straw machine up.  So this lift will come in handy for my other machines.


Well, I cleaned my newly rescued gem up, and I made some minor adjustments to her, after which she sewed like a trooper.  I've added these photos to show before and after the preliminary cleanup.  After she was cleaned and a few adjustments made, she produced beautiful stitches.  I'll make other adjustments and even may replace the foot and even interchange the binders since I have a number of binders that came from the auction I won.

Please note that I'm not a sewing machine expert, but I can read and these are mechanical machines.  Therefore, you will be able to do most fixes if you really want to, and if you take a little time to learn a little general (mechanical) sewing machine information. 

Here is a little advice for those interested in purchasing one of these machines and refurbishing it.  When considering a purchase, study the machine or machine images and try to determine what is missing from it.  If something is missing, try to determine if the missing part is something that does not impact the usability of the machine.  For example, a little less than half of the base of this machine was missing, but the seller pointed out that it could be mounted onto it's lift by showing an image of the machine screwed into it.  Additionally, this was a straw braid machine originally, and I noticed that the spring wire was missing from the tipper.  Since it was not being used as a braid machine, this was not important to me.  In the images of the straw braid machine that I first mentioned above, there was a broken part on the front of the machine.  Again this would not impact the machine's usability.  However, since I had bid on and won an auction containing hundreds of attachments and parts for these machines, I had that particular part and I replaced it.  Lastly, these machines, if used often are, or at least should be, oiled daily.  This means that if not in use for a long time, the wheel will lock up (I guess this is the cause) from dirt and oil.  Usually, I'd ask if the wheel was locked on the machine, but because I've been successful at unlocking them, this is of no big concern to me any longer.

What's sad is when people purchase machines that are strictly parts machines because they have mot taken the time to research them, or the seller is unfamiliar with the machine and describes it as being complete.  I have a Pinterest board that has images of these machines.  So take a look and be informed.  You may also want to visit the Smithsonian Museum online.  They have a sewing machine section that has better images, and they also have parts manuals.  For the domestic versions, the Smithsonian caries users' manuals, including manuals for other antique sewing machines--free.


#millinery #couturemillinery #hatstruck #LeeDuncan

And the Winners Are! Official Hatstruck Competition Winners and Award of Prizes

1st & Judge's Choice--Mar Balmón Montiel

2nd--Zorza Goodman

By now most of you have probably gotten word of the winners of the The Hatstruck Millinery Competition--Elegant, Fun Couture Hats, 2014.  The competition, at least in my eyes was more than a success, with a few surprises on the side.

The winners are: First in Competition--Mar Balmón Montiel, Madrid Spain.  Mar also won in the categories of Design, Color, Presentation, Theme, and Innovation.
 

Second in Competion--Zorza Goodman, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Workmanship and Judge's Choice--Jill Cavanagh, Perth, Western Australia. 

Wearability--Татьяна Иванова

Workmanship--Jill Cavanagh

Judge's Choice--Cécile Hammache

Wearability--Татьяна Иванова,  Moscow, Russia.

Originality--Ron Shelton

 Originality--Ron Shelton, Lakewood, Ohio, of Res Hats.



There were four Judge's Choices (one for each judge), two of which have been acknowledged in winning categories.  The two remaining are:

Mark Anthony Garvie--Dublin, Ireland; and Cécile Hammache (Au couvre-amour),  Saint Antoine l'Abbaye, France.

Judge's Choice--Mark Anthony Garvie

Honorable Mention--María Patata Fría

An Honorable Mention was extended to María Patata Fría for her high score, No Residence Given.


The Prizes--Top Prize! besides the prize I'm awarding the First in Competition, Anya Caliendo is also awarding a session with her in New York next year, 2015, valued at $1,750!
 
 First in Competition, Mar Balmón Montiel, will choose her prize first; followed by Second in Competition, Zorza Goodman.  After they have chosen their prizes, the remaining winners will be randomly given a number and that number matched with the number on the gift, including the Judge's Choices.
 
I have to thank my wonderful judges for the wonderful job that they did in picking a wonderful and deserving group of winners.  Besides yours truly, my judges were, in alphabetical order Anya Caliendo, Essie Edwards, and snd Shurie Southcott.


 Anya is world known for her sophisticated avant-garde millinery creations, bursting with color and her works having a unique style that sets her apart from other milliners.   Not only is Anya a milliner, she is, from what I've heard, an outstanding millinery instructor.  Anya is published in books and magazines.  She has a wonderful blog and keeping with the aesthetics of her beautiful, colorful millinery creations, brings her wit and color into word and images there.

Mrs. Essie Edwards just had to be one of my judges, over 60 years as a milliner and teacher and seamstress, and one of my millinery instructors, she is still a very stylish lady.  She makes almost every stitch of clothing she wears and her work is impeccable to this day.  Going into her second year of retirement, Mrs. Edwards is now a volunteer teacher to her  former students.

Shurie Southcott, milliner and instructor, makes the most wonder hats that are fun and topnotch.  Shurie specializes in Victorian-era hats and accessories.

 Thanks to all of my judges; you too will receive a gift for your services.  I thought I had that figured out, but for one of you, I have to go back to the drawing board. 

Again, thank all of you, even down to those that offered to help with postage.  Fortunately, I guessed exactly who would most likely be participating in this competition, and having sold on Ebay before, I had already set aside for that expense. 

Thank you for participating in my dream.  I hope all winners can find some use for all of the junk I'm awarding.  

Winner, please message me on the Hatstruck Couture Millinery Facebook Group page to leave your mailing information.

 

    #Millinery, #Hatstruck, #LeeDuncan

Another Little Competition Deadline Poke; Competition Prize Package Peak; More Buckram Form Discussion

This evening I thought I would continue the discussion from last evening:  competition deadline; continued work on my buckram top hat form for the competition I will be entering; and finally, give you a peak at another prize for this competition..

There's not too much I have to say about the competition deadline, except to remind everyone to read the rules and regulations.  My last blog post will lead you to other posts and all will keep you up to speed.  I wish all of you well.

You've seen two prizes I plan to award, a five-section hat block (the one I don't like), and a strange, vintage department store hat display. Well, here is another prize: eight capeline (cartwheel--wide brim) straws, one vintage straw hood, cello straw braid, and a hat stretcher.

Why the Hat Stretcher? 

Headsize Collars/lifts

When we measure our head size (headsize) and get a measure of,  let's say 22 1/2 inches (baby size compared to my headsize), for the purpose of making a hat, upon completion of the hat we will have added material(s), sewing thread, sweatband, etc.  Well everything we added to the inside of that hat, even the thread or a knot, takes away from the headsize of the hat.  So, the hat stretcher serves two purposes:  (1) to return the hat back to it's intended size; and (2) to render a perfect sweatband. 

What I've noticed is that when some sweatbands are sewn in, there is rippling in the band; the hat stretcher will eliminate this rippling.  So, what if you have a small, say cocktail hat that you've blocked over a form and you are having sweatband issues?  Force the hat back onto the block, and let it set for a while.  Sometimes you may want to add a little steam to the area, but this is not necessary most of the time.  What do you do if you've made a flat pattern hat and you are having issues.  Make a head size lift (collar); the lift will also work if you don't have a stretcher for a regular size hat, just force the hat over the appropriate lift size.  So it's always a good idea to have various sizes of headsize lifts in your millinery tool box.  Remember to pay attention to small details, such as a rippling sweatband, etc., in order that your hat is seen as a professional piece.

A Little More Work on My Top Hat

Remember last evening that I was draping damp buckram bias strips over a candle holder that I was using as a makeshift hat block for my top hat form.  Well  after it dried I gave it a nice hot dry ironing, and it came out almost perfect. What the dry (without steam) ironing did was to remove some of the bumpiness from the frame.  I will still mull (pad) it with another material in order to give the finished hat a richer appearance. 

The importance of the bias draping without pinning is that this process opens up an opportunity to use any object that you come across to use as a hat block, no matter what its shape is.  Please view my post on the Vase Hat to see how I completed the vase form.  I've refined the method more since this post, and I no longer remove the entire top of the form.

Anyway, once again good luck on the competition!

Deadline for Millinery Competition Drawing Near; Burning Millinery Feathers; Preparing for a Competition I'll be Entering

By this time many of you are either excited about the Hatstruck millinery competition here, or you will be glad when it's over so that I can get on with discussing hat making.  Well I'm in both camps.  This post is written for three purposes:  (1) a reminder that the competition will be ending in a few days; (2) to share a few tips on burning feathers to use as millinery trim or for other purposes; and (3) to discuss what I will be doing for the next couple of weeks as I prepare for the competition I will be entering into--the Mad Hatters Society competition on FaceBook.
 
The Hatstruck Millinery Competition--Elegant, Fun Couture Hats, 2014

I have gotten messages from some of you stating that you will be entering the contest in the last hour.  I understand that because that is exactly what I do when I enter contests.  However, since one of the requirements for entering this contest is that you be a follower of this blog (you may unfollow it after the competition is over), it is important that you complete this process so that I may approve your entry for judging.  Please, I do not want to disqualify anyone.  There will be no exceptions.  Also, I need to be able to identify you if you are under a screen name other than your given name, so please make sure that you let me know who you are.  For competition rules and regulations, please visit the two linked 
locations in this sentence.

Please Note!!!

In order to obtain a higher score in the competition, don't forget to show the inside of your hat, etc; remember that the competition has a theme; review the winning categories to get an idea of what is needed to do well in the contest (presentation, theme appropriateness, workmanship, etc.).  Good luck!

The Competition that I'll be Entering

Yes I'm entering another competition.  You've heard it before--competitions force me to make hats; plus, they force me to design and make something other than what I would normally make.  Although I will be (or plan to) make three hats, I will only concentrate on one hat, the other two will be ordinary, boring hats.  So, for my extraordinary (in my head) hat I've gathered beads, silks, and velvet, and burned some feathers.  Many times I don't even use the materials I purchase for a competition, but this time I will, I must; at least a tenth of them.  I really should start selling some of these hats to recuperate some of my money.

Anyway, the theme for the Hatters competition has something to do with a mad hatter. So I'm using one of my candle holders--shown in the image above--to block my top hat form over.  Usually I pin and nail into my bowls, candle holders, etc. (not my hat blocks!), if I can, but this time I will not be doing so because I like the holder and I don't want to destroy it.

Well, I've draped some bias strips onto the holder using my favorite millinery material, buckram.  Buckram is perfect for this shape because it sticks to itself, therefore I don't have to secure the buckram to my alternative, makeshift hat block.  The resulting form does not have to be perfect because it will be mulled (padded/covered) with another material to smooth it out in order to ready the form for its final outer cover material.  So, why didn't I create a perfect flat pattern?  Because I'm lazy, and when you know how to, you don't have to....

Anyway, the form is drying now, and when it has dried I will remove it from the candle holder, wire it, and mull it, etc.  I'll share those images with you as I proceed.  In the background of the image you'll see the feathers I burned, plus a few other feathers I may use on my EXTRAORDINARY design.  Because it's a top hat and it has been around for at least a couple of centuries, worn by men and women, I don't see how I could improve very much over many of the beautiful ones I've seen over the years.  Plus I figured since I'm always writing about couture hats, I should at least make one every once in a while.   I must also note that I didn't have to make a top hat to satisfy the theme for the competition; I could have gone another route--not so literal, abstract.  I just wanted to make a top hat.  Speaking of feathers, I thought I would share a few tips on how I improved the appearance and texture of my burnt feathers.  I should mention here that, although I have a sketch and a general idea of what I will be making, I can't guarantee you that any of these feathers or jewels will be on the hat,; we'll see.

A Few Tips on Burning Feathers for Millinery Trim 

Okay, by now some of you are familiar with the term feather burning.  Simply stated, it is the removal of portions of the feather (lesser barbs) with a caustic substance; in the case of feathers burning, the caustic substance is bleach. Today the word Clorox and bleach have become synonymous, no matter its manufacturer.  Just a little note here, I pin many resources on my Pinterest board because there is more room there than it is here on the blog.  While you are doing your millinery research, feel free to visit it and to also follow me, as I update the millinery boards quite often.  Above is an image of the anatomy of a feather.  Just by viewing it you may get an idea of the portion of the feather that will burned away (I'll call the areas "the lesser barbs"--the more fragile parts of the feather).


On one of my Pinterest boards, "How Other Milliners and Hatters Do It," there is a pin on burning feather; more specifically, the direct link is here.  The tutorial came from a very good costuming site, Costumes by Lynn McMasters.  So basically I followed those instructions, but I went a little further because my feathers didn't look as professional.  After I burned my feathers, the remaining lesser barbs were stiff and some were stuck together.  So I thought that I didn't rinse them well enough.  Then I thought, after a few experiments, that not rinsing enough was not the issue.  So I hurt my little brain (thinking) trying to figure out the problem.  It came to me that when we dye or bleach hair (or bleach clothing for the purpose of removing color), we have to neutralize the bleach--stop the process of eating away at the material (causing the lesser barbs to melt together).  So in order to stop the process, I had to find out what would neutralize bleach, soda--from my research on the Web.  So for me this worked better.  After burning, rinsing, drying, steaming, and coming, the results is shown above.  The feathers at the top of the image have not been neutralized, while the feathers at the bottom have been neutralized.  Also, I found that the regular bleach is better because the non-splash type bleach is harder to rinse from the feathers because of the bleach's thickness.  Although the feathers above have a medium burn, you can leave them in the bleach longer to obtain more burn--a more wiry look.

Happy bleaching everyone!

Vintage Hat Pins, The Millinery Competition, Etc.

I was out all day yesterday, running various errands.  I finally ended up at my favorite local thrift shop where I found the five vintage hat pins in the images.  I had seen them several times before.  They started out in the boutique, and since they didn't sell they were kicked out of the boutique and landed in with the regular stuff.  Lucky me because I purchased the five pins for $12, the longest pin being 10 1/2 inches long.


The little vintage child singer sewing machine (ca. 1951) is something that I always wanted.  I picked it up in an antique store a few years back. It was perfect when I purchased it; it came in its original box with a book and everything.  So I put it up in a closet hidden away, but I would always hear my grandmother's voice, "If you don't use it, some other woman will."  So, when my granddaughter became old enough to lift the machine, I gave it to her.  In my grandmother's house there were no special dishes or silverware, etc., that was reserved for special occasions or special people.  She believed that things should be used by those she loved and not saved for others, or the next wife if there should ever be a next wife.  My grandfather had his thing also.  He vowed that his  grandchildren would always sit at the table and eat when everyone else ate.  In other words we would not eat after the preacher (or any adult) ate, if the preacher was a guest.  Apparently, my grandfather had bad memories of preachers eating up all of the little food his family had and the children going hungry.  Apparently preachers did a lot of traveling and eating back in those days.

I'm Resuming My Rigorous Routine!

After a serious car accident, I'm finally ready to resume life as usual, although I don't think my body or mind will ever be the same.  Not having a car for months limited my ventures, and long walks bothered my back.  Well I'm ready to resume some serious hooping, regardless of the pain, and to travel further away from home to find more goodies like those above, although I'm still suffering from shell shock.  So, watch out world!

The Millinery Competition

Th final day for getting your millinery entries in are near, August 15, 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time.  So, please make sure that you have followed all of the guidelines for the competition--you must be a follower of this site, etc.  I don't want to disqualify anyone after they have put in all of their hard work.  Also, and very important, if your screen name is different from your given name, you must let me know; otherwise I will not be able to identify you.  For rules and guidelines, please visit the posts below.

Thanks and Good Luck!

Judges Announced for the Hatstruck Elegant, Fun Couture Hats Competition!!!!!!!!!!!

OK, usually I make a hat before I post but laziness has taken over, and once again, I'm posting one of my old hats.  I think I made this hat maybe five or six years ago, more or less.  It's a leather purse top hat trimmed with a leather flower.  The removable top has a mirror inside for checking makeup.  That year I also won Best in Show for a black cloche.  I reblocked the cloche into another shape a couple of months ago, and it's still on the block.  For this hat I won Most Innovative, also.  Anyway let's get to the important stuff.

This is a little emotional for me because months ago when I was thinking about putting a competition together I had at least two people I wanted to be judges.  One I knew "had my back" as always, and the other, although I wanted her to be one of my judges, I felt as if I was imposing on her; she too has been so supportive over the past several years.  I didn't want to ask her and put her in a position of declining my judge request.   Even after I asked and she accepted I still felt the need to protect her, asking her if she really wanted to do this.   I would have more than understand if she had declined.  Plus I didn't know if she, a world famous milliner, would really want to be associated with being a judge for a contest given by an unknown lady that practices millinery as a hobby. 

Harper's Bazaar Arabia/Ruven Afanador

So in alphabetical order, my first judge (she) is Anya Caliendo.  By-the-way, the link is to her blog, the best millinery blog on the Web.  If you are into couture millinery and fashion, chances are that you know Anya's work.  If you've been on another planet and you haven't seen her work, view a partial collection I've pulled up in a Pinterest search!  Anya's hats have graced the covers of many magazines, one of the latest being Harper's Bazaar July 2014 issue where Rihanna is shown on  its cover wearing one of her hats.  Anya interned under the great milliner Stephen Jones.

Twice Anya has brought tears to my eyes: when  she accepted my judge request, and when  she sent me an invitation to Fashion Week in New York.  I'm so sorry I couldn't  make it.  I think I'm so touched because, not only is she a wonderful person, but she is a confident, caring, and sharing person.  This is hard to find amongst many milliners, sorry to say.

My next judge is Mrs. Essie Edward.  Those of you that follow my blog know Mrs. Edwards as one of my millinery instructors.  Mrs. Edwards has well over 60 years of millinery experience.  She worked for the school district her in Southern California for over 40 years.  She is an excellent seamstress and milliner and just an all-around beautiful person.


As far as being a good judge, well let's just say that she is more flexible than I am and much more fashionable also.  She taught me how to be more flexible in my dealings with millinery, while maintaining the highest of quality in my work.

My final judge is Shurie Southcott.  When I sent out a hint Shurie immediately volunteered, and I thought wow!  My response came because Shurie is into couture steam punk millinery.  I had seen some extremely beautiful steam punk hats made in another contest by other milliners that were above exceptional--the hats were extremely well made, the trim was exquisite, and the designs were awesome--not too far out, right in my "sweets spot."  None of those hats even placed.  So Shurie will complement this team.  I really wanted a team made up of milliners that would represent as many tastes as possible. 

Shurie teaches millinery and she also works at Clockworks Couture here in Southern California.  Actually, it was a book I ran across in the bookstore written by Clockworks (the owner) that led to my understanding of Steam Punk millinery and clothing.  Naturally, I purchased the book.  Shurie is also published in another book.  One last thing, Shurie and I had the same millinery instructor, at least I took a block carving class from her mentor and instructor, the late Jill Pfeiffer, perhaps a decade or so earlier.

Thank you so much ladies, and let it be known that I deeply appreciate and admire all of you.

Another Prize for the Hatstruck Millinery Competition!

Remember the millinery competition I'm hosting on this site?  Well here is another prize (junk) that I've pulled out, and I'm more than happy to get rid of it.  No, it's not my doll hat block.  No it's not the doll in the background.  One of my friends gave this medical doll to my granddaughter along with a medical bag that came with it.  The doll's head lights up to a bright red when she "has a fever."  We'll my granddaughter saw that and must have figured that it was a devil doll!  She ran away screaming, so I hid it behind the head.  Yes, the prize is the mannequin head display.

I purchased the head from an antique shop because the shop had nothing related to millinery in it that I could purchase at the time.  It's just not a good idea to go into a store hungry (to purchase something); I don't care what type of store it is!  Anyway, I've seen these heads popup on Ebay from time to time, and although some sellers make up some type of story for the purpose of  generating a good sale, no one actually knows where they originated from.  They are vintage; they are hand painted; and they are made of some type of light-weight composition material.  Some believe that the mannequin heads were once department store displays.  This one happens to be more detailed and in better shape than most I've seen, having only a small blemish over the mouth, and having a more detailed painted face.

I have never used this head because I felt that it just did not fit with the type of hats I make.  If you win, it's possible that it could be yours for the taking.  Just don't tell me later  that a famous person made it, and that you're selling it for a million dollars; I just don't want to know. OK, so you don't want it either?  Well sell the thing on Ebay.  I want the space for another display I'm eying!

It just ran across my mind that I'm not giving you much of an incentive to enter my competition--a five section hat block, a vintage hat display..."she has to come up with better junk than that for me to enter."  Well, I'll dig deeper, but I doubt it; stay tuned.

Remember:

• You can only enter one (1) hat.
• You must be a follower of this blog.  Click on the follow button in the right-hand column and follow the instructions.  See image to your right.
• You must inter under your full name--not a screen name.
• No Anonymous entries will be excepted.
• This is an international competition.  I will pay for and ship to the address given, but you are responsible for any problems that you may encounter on your side.
• Please read additional instructions here:  http://hatstruck.blogspot.com/2014/06/millinery-competition-elegant-fun.html in one of my earlier blog posts.

Interested in entering another competition?

Please check out the Mad Hatters Society Group on Facebook.  You may enter up to three (3) hats there.  Plus it's a fantastict group!  They are located at:  https://www.facebook.com/groups ./madhatterssociety/



#HatstruckCoutureMillinery, #Hatstruck, #LeeDuncanMilliner, #MillineryCompetition, #MillineryContest, #HatContest, #HatCompetition

Prizes for the Hatstruck Millinery Competition

I'm so excited about this Hatstruck millinery competition and the task of brainstorming the prizes I'll be awarding its winners; one of the prizes being a five section hat block.  I have an idea which hat block, or should I say I probably know which one I will be rewarding.  Can you guess which one?  It's the one I absolutely don't like.  Well it's winner can always sell it on Ebay.

As always when I get rid of one of my millinery items, I regret it somewhere down the road.  Now let me find more junk around here I can get rid of.  More to come;  you will be surprised.

For contest details, please visit my last blog post.

Millinery Competition--Elegant, Fun Couture Hats, 2014 Guidelines and Rules

High all!  Below are the refined rules and guidelines for one of the best millinery contests ever--at least in my head.  We will have crazy fun and wonderful prizes will be awarded to the winners.  Please read these rules and guidelines carefully.  If you have questions, please post them in the "Comments" section of this post. 

Totally unrelated....!  I couldn't resist Photoshopping another one of my hats onto First Lady Michelle Obama's head (see image below).  Since I doubt that she will ever be seen in a hat, other than when she is gardening, why not just have fun playing paper doll with a lovely First Lady.  I've done this before, and I really had fun doing it.  In order to give full credit to the image and the article that I copied it from, the story and original image can be found here.  If she sees this image and likes it, I would suggest that she give Anya Caliendo (my choice), Philip Treacy, or Stephen Jones a call.  Oh well, I can dream can't I.  OK, back to the business at hand, the millinery competition.


The Theme:  Elegant, Fun Couture Hats

 Who Qualifies to Enter the Contest: You must be a member of this site.  No Anonymous entries will be accepted.  Your screen name must be accompanied by your full name, if different, when your hat is submitted.  In other words, if you do not want anyone to know who you are, please do not enter.  After the contest, you may unfollow this blog site...but stick around if you like it.  I would be more than happy to have you.  Finally, THIS IS AN INTERNATIONAL CONTEST.

Mandel Ngan/Getty

Competition Dates:  Submissions accepted June 5 to August 15, 2014.  Deadline for submittals,  August 15, 11:59, Pacific time (West Coast, USA).

Number of Hats Accepted for Submission:  One (1).

Guidelines for Finished Hat:  The Hat must be made by the contestant, using any materials and techniques of her/his choice.

Images:  There must be at least four to five images submitted--front, back, side(s), and inside; unless the hat can be seen in its entirety with fewer images.

The hat must be made between June 5 and August 15.

Judges:  So far there are four (4) judges (maybe more to come).  These will be announced shortly.

The Prizes:  Millinery supplies (felts, straws, a hat block, hat stretchers, books, millinery trim, a cash prize, etc.).

Distribution of Prizes:  Best in Competition will pick his/her prize first; Second in Competition gets second pick.  Remaining prizes will be distributed as described in my previous post.
  
Winning Categories:  Best in Competition (highest score), Second in Competition (second highest scorer), Best Overall Design, Workmanship, Originality, Color, Presentation, Best Interpretation of Theme, Most Wearable, Honorable Mention, Judge's Choice (each judge will have her/his choice).

 Scoring--range 1 to 10 in each category (multiplied by point value):  Workmanship, 2 points; Design 1.5 points; all other categories 1 point.  The winners will be those having the highest scores.  If there is a tie between highest scorers (score after adding up all categories), those will be sent back to the judges for selection of the best from the highest scores.  Again, winners will only be chosen based on their scores, ALL SCORING BEING INDEPENDENT--JUDGE BY JUDGE.  The highest score after judges' scores have been added up and combined, will yield the winners; the TOP winners must score high in workmanship.
 
Hat Details:  If you are uncomfortable submitting construction details for your hat, that's quite acceptable.   However, outer details--basic materials used--should be submitted with your hat for description purposes.
. 
Where to Store Images?  I have created a group, Hatstruck Couture Millinery, on Facebook where  the images will be stored.  If you are not a Facebook member, please email the images to me at lduncan@hatstruck.com and I will post the images for you; however I would prefer that you post them to the group.

Note the image to your right, there are two references to photos.  Please note the correct location CIRCLED IN RED where you should store your images.

The "Photos" heading circled in the image, at the top of the Facebook Hatstruck Couture Millinery group page is the correct location to post your images. 

Click on "Photos" and create an album for your images.  Label your album as follows:

Hatstruck Couture Millinery 2014
Elegant, Fun Couture Millinery Competition

Your Name,

The Name of Your Hat (if any)

Hat Description

Have Fun!