Hatstruck Couture Millinery

Wishing All a Very Wonderful Thanksgiving!

2011-11-23T21:09:00.000-08:00

Let us give thanks for what we do have, and pray for all of those that are in need, for there is a big gap between our needs and our wants. To those here and in other parts of the world that do not celebrate this holiday, gratitude is still a wonderful and transforming trait for all of us, 365 days a year.

Thank you so much for following my blog. For this I'm so grateful.

Just a little note: I will be going back into the email and social media world with both feet next week, hopefully. Every once in a while, I love spending time with Lee--that's me!.

(1) Class Reminder: Couture Millinery Fascinator Class, October 15th; (2) Learning from the Past: My First Bird-of-Paradise

2011-10-06T04:00:00.000-07:00

Couture Millinery Fascinator Class Less Than Two Weeks Away!

First, I would like to thank those of you that dug your way through my wordy, confusing class registration instructions to pay and register for class. I'll do better next time. For those of you still having problems figuring out how to pay/register, here is the short and skinny. If you would like to pay through PayPal, just email me at lduncan@hatstruck.com. In the email, provide me with the email address associated to your PayPal account, and I will send you an invoice for payment. If you are sending a check, email me for my address. The check must clear before class begins. You also have the option of paying by money order before the day of class start. There are a few seats left; first come, first served.

Learning from the Past: My First Bird-of-Paradise

I know, you think I've taken leave of my senses, especially when I tell you that I've had an overwhelming urge to travel to downtown Los Angeles (California Millinery) to purchase these vintage broken, faded birds. Well, some of you would think that I was "touched," but some of you would identify with this urge. It is the urge to learn something new, the urge to grow my craft, the urge to improve. I've felt for some time that I have been driving on a four-lane highway, with all of the cars horizontally lined up. I've been feeling the urge to move forward lately; this is a good thing. I invite these feelings.

Although I give credit to my instructors and my millinery library for some of my growth, I have to give myself credit for having that itch that moves me forward. How else would my skills have grown so much over the years. I say these things to encourage you to move beyond that which has been taught you and that which will be taught you. These vintage birds are also my millinery instructors. All of them have been made with different supporting materials. All of them look different. There is no one way of doing anything. If you subscribe to this notion, your growth will be stunted.

I love visiting California Millinery because there I can purchase and/or study artifacts that will never again be made with such skill. I have heard some call these artifacts junk. What a shame.... After all, this junk taught me how to make my first bird-of-paradise.

Fascinator Construction: Buckram frame covered with black suede, and sprinkled with large vintage amber-colored rhinestones.

Fascinator Class October 15, 2011, Los Angeles, California, Area

2011-09-19T18:41:00.000-07:00

First, forgive me for staying away for so long. I've been extremely busy with Ms. E', updating my Hatstruck Web site, making hats, buying hat supplies I'll never use, you name it!

The Hatstruck site contains what I refer to as my "Portfolio of Skills." I haven't added descriptions to the backs of the majority of the images yet, plus I need to add additional images. However, I've decided to launch the site as is to support the announcement of the my upcoming fascinator class.

I attended the fair and I took pictures, but I'll post those in a week or so. I did win two first awards, and a most innovative award, including lower awards on all of my other entries. I'll go into more detail later.

Yes, I finally decided to give a group class again. I wanted a place close to where I live, somewhere serene, somewhere artsy. After looking for an appropriate location, I decided on a place within walking distance from where I live here in Torrance, California. For those traveling from out of town, Torrance is packed full of wonderful restaurants, hotels, and shopping. The weather in this beach city is to kill for! Just a little bit of enticement to encourage you to travel here.

The class will be held on Saturday, October 15, 2011. Here is a description of the class as given here in the sidebar. For time and location, please see the sidebar to your right:

More than a simple fascinator class, this class will teach frame making and covering; millinery trim, including feather work, and more. Various demonstrations using popular millinery materials (jinsin, crinoline, sinamay, etc.) will be given in class. Learn skills that apply to all areas of couture millinery. All fascinator supplies are included in the class fee. Please bring scissors, stick pins, measuring tape, and needles. Although you will complete a buckram frame (wiring, stitching, etc.), finished frames will be provided so that you may cover and trim an additional hat(s), depending on your skill level and time. A class fee discount applies to Hatstruck blog members--$180 members, $225 non-members). Registration fee now due. A non-refundable fee of $40 will apply should you cancel the class within eight (8) days of class start date. For those registering from 1 to 8 days of the class and decide to cancel, the $40 non-refundable fee will also apply. Please contact me at lduncan@hatstruck.com for additional information. Feel free to make payment through PayPal.

There is a lot packed into this class. I was not interested in conducting a fascinator class where you just trim a fascinator base and call it a day. So, if you want to work hard, but still have lots of fun, please join me. Although I will demonstrate a shortlist of hand stitches in class, I suggest that you view the stitch videos suggested on links in the sidebar to your right. Snacks will be provided.

Below is a fun, vintage millinery video; enjoy!
BIRTH OF HAT
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Foundations for My Cocktail/Fascinator Hats: Part II, Including Blocking Suede and Other Millinery Materials

2011-08-24T08:54:00.000-07:00

I have a nasty habit of giving things away. I picked this up from my grandparents, two extremely generous people. I guess this is a good thing, after all I've gotten back more than I've ever given away. You see, back in February of 2010, I brought you Foundations for My Cocktail/Fascinator Hats and promised, I think, to post a followup showing how to put the lining in the hat. Well, someone wanted the hat even before I finished it, so I gave it to them. Since that time I've received a number of emails asking me how to put a lining in a fascinator.

Since I haven't had any sleep in over 24 hours, I'm asking you to forgive me in advance for my more than usual number of typos. Please read over Foundations for My Cocktail/Fascinator Hats and I'll start where I left off, almost. Rather than working with a stretch material I will be covering this hat with two layers of suede, one of which will have to be blocked before it is sewn to the buckram foundation. I will also block the lining.

I'm growing tired of wining about seeing millinery fabrics that don't hug the frames they cover. So, I can either stop wining or do something about it. I have to tell you that every time I see fabric that does not fit a frame correctly, I have an internal tantrum, especially when I see it in a high fashion magazine! I'm working on this. If you ever want to cure yourself of something like this just listen to someone else complain about something similar without helping or offering a solution. Not so cute is it?

When I started taking millinery classes we had to steam and block everything. We had to block the buckram, the lining, and all fabrics that were not stretch fabrics. To your right is an image that shows suede that has not been blocked. This does not look professional at all.

To block suede or leather, mist the inside of the fabric with water. I use a very fine mister. Stretch the fabric over a hat block and let it dry. To stretch fabric that has a bias, stretch the fabric on the bias over a block and steam it, readjusting the fabric re-pinning as you steam. It's just that simple. See lining, below right. I don't steam buckram anymore. I prefer to mist it or do a very fast dip in water and work the moisture three the fabric in my hands. This way the buckram appears to dry harder than it was originally (same as steaming it).

Using a glover's needle (leather needle) sew the suede to the frame catching only the crinoline. The second layer of suede, the black mesh, did not have to be blocked because it automatically hugged the frame. However, I blocked the lining.

Note: If you are adding trim to your hat, sew the trim on before the lining is attached, if possible. Use your best judgement.

After the lining has dried, lay it into the crown and pin it to the suede using fine quilting pins or millinery pins (fine quilting pins are easier for suede and leather). Stitch the lining to the suede about 1/4 th inch down from the edge of the hat. Trim the lining; it is not necessary to turn the lining under.
Note: Every layer of fabric, including hat band, diminishes or adds to the inner or outer side of a hat. Although turning the lining under does not affect this type of hat, it will affect a full crown hat. Remember, by turning the fabric under you will have an additional layer of fabric. I prefer to trim the lining down rather than turn it under no matter what type of hat I'm working with.
Swirl your grosgrain ribbon (petersham in some places, sawtooth to some), pin it to the suede (remember that the lining is 1/4 th inch down). stich it into place.

Additional Images

Adding support wire for feather: Added feet to the wire and stitched them under the black suede mesh.

Feather Trim: Feather curled in opposite direction of curve, using my thumb's nail to pinch the spine approximately every 1/4 th of an inch.

Lining Fabric:

Lining Fabric: Design created using my logo in graphics software and printing the fabric on my Epson printer (fabric will have to be attached to paper before printing).

O.K., the label is a bit overkill!

Final Notes: Please take advantage of the free online resources in the sidebar of this blog. Also, purchase a reference book. My first millinery book was "From the Neck Up." You can find it on the author's site, on Amazon, Ebay, etc. I didn't go into detail as far as stitches, etc., are concerned because I really feel that if you are new to millinery, you should do some exploration and experimentation on your own. If possible, take a class.

If you do not have a block, purchase a wooden bowl of similar shape and block and make frames using the bowl.

Have fun!!

Hatstruck "Make Your Own Art" Millinery Supplies Contest Images

2011-08-24T04:28:00.000-07:00

As you all know, LilDevilGrl was the winner of the " Make Your Own Art" millinery supplies contest. I finally got around to sending the package off last Saturday, and she should have received her cute little box on Monday. Click on images below to enlarge.

LilDevilGrl requested trim, more specifically lace, for her special request. I have to admit that I don't collect lace, but I hope she will be happy with what I sent her. The extras I sent along were ribbon, vintage veiling, a beautiful black fur felt hood, extra wire joiners, hat elastics, veiling pins, rhinestones, extra blocking cords, and some extra feathers. See Make Your Own Art for other gifts she received which included jinsin, straw hat body, wire joiners, cobweb, blocking cords, millinery wire, grosgrain ribbon, feathers, and vintage chenille.

Enjoy!!!!

The Winner of "Make Your Own Art" Millinery Supplies Contest!

2011-08-05T02:27:00.000-07:00

I would like to thank everyone for participating in the" Make Your Own Art" millinery supplies contest. I noticed that some of you joined just for the sake of joining; thank you for your support. This has been so much fun for me, I'll do it again, but next time it will be even exciting. I'm trying to figure out a creative way of rewarding all of my members for their extra effort. It's early in the morning here, and I wanted to figure out who won the contest before I hit the bed. The random number generator made this easy to do. For those that have emailed me for various reasons, forgive me for my tardiness; I will answer you in a day or so.

THE WINNER IS LilDevilGrl!!!! Congratulations!

Please contact me at lduncan@hatstruck.com to claim your prize. Remember you have one special supply request from my personal stash of supplies. Let me know what you want or need (trim, felt, straw, etc.). Just ask; chances are I have what you need.

One of Several Fair Projects Submitted, No. 6--The Fedora

2011-08-03T01:16:00.000-07:00

Finally, I get to my last 2011 Los Angeles County Fair millinery submissions. Before I start, I want to remind you that I'm conducting a "Make Your Own Art" millinery supplies contest and giveaway. The deadline to enter is August 4. So if you are considering entering the contest, you only have one more day to do so!

Fur Felt, Trimmed in Soft Leather: Would you be surprised if I told you that my favorite hat is the fedora? I thought you would be. Many Southern women of color talk about their mothers wearing hats when they were growing up, but that wasn't the case deep in the rural area I grew up in. Although women put on their Sunday best, it was always about the hair. My grandmother and I would take the Greyhound Bus some 38 miles to the city each month where we would have our hair done for the first Sunday. We attended church every Sunday and Wednesday--Sundays for Sunday school and Wednesdays for prayer meetings--but it was the first Sunday that was special. This was the Sunday that our pastor would preach at our church. Back in those days, in some rural areas, preachers usually serviced several churches a month. Although this was an era when men's and women's hats were popular, the wearing of women's hats in my area was almost nonexistent. My interest in women's hats would develop many years later.

My love for the fedora came from my grandfather. He had his everyday fedoras, and he had his Sunday fedoras. He dressed in a suit and tie on Sundays, and if it was cold, he would ware a long trench coat over his suit. His Stacy Adams (shoes) were polished, and they always looked new. The heels of the shoes were lowered, yes lowered, so that their toes tilted slightly upwards. Yes, my grandfather was a spiffy dresser!. He would take me to the Juneteenth (June 19) baseball (softball?) games each year. I wore my frilly cute dress and he wore his fedora, suit and tie, and Stacy Adams. Now that I think about it, it was summertime. You will have no trouble figuring out my age.

Well, I could go on and on about the good old days when Sears and Roebuck would send our baby chickens through the U.S. mail. I could talk about phone party lines and when good customer service existed. If you're a young person, you wouldn't have a clue as to what I'm talking about. So I'll stop now.

Oh, about the fedora, I was extremely disappointed with it. I couldn't find the blade to my brim cutter; I didn't have time to add all of the details I had planned, such as a lining, etc. Next year I'll do better. Oops! I said that last year.

Thanks; we made it through this!

One of Several Fair Projects Submitted, No. 5--Headdress

2011-07-31T14:31:00.000-07:00

Again, before I get to another one of my Los Angeles County Fair millinery 2011 submissions, just a reminder that I'm conducting a "Make Your Own Art" millinery supplies contest giveaway. The deadline to enter is August 4, 2011.

Well, I've almost completed my parade of county fair submissions; I have one left after this one. I was debating whether I should show my worst hat in this post, but I decided to save it for last. By that time, all of us will have reached our tolerance for these submissions.

This entry fell under the "Class 5, Headdresses/"Super-sized" Hats" category. It was made of sinamay and trimmed with a feather and horsehair. After over 24 hours without sleep and having only three hats completed for the milliner contest, I was desperate to complete at least one more hat. Category 2, "Purchased/Embellished Hats," was definitely out. Not only did I not like trimming these, I was lousy at it. So, I was sitting dazed, unable to concentrated, trying to figure out what I was going to do next. As I set looking around my room, I saw felt and straws blocked on hat blocks, I saw my purchased hat to trim; even tackling one of these would take too long. I needed sleep, the faster the better.

Over on the wall in a tall box stood rolled buckram and sinamay, yes sinamay! I had enough energy to cut a wide bias strip from this flexible and forgiving material. I didn't know what I would do after I cut the strip, but I would do something! I folded the fabric twice, may even three times, and started pulling on its edges like a crazed woman, no idea of the finished product in site. The headdress had to be 16 inches tall. Yes, yes, I would use trim to accomplish this! I looked up at my feathers all stuck in a large chunk of foam. I ran over and pulled out the longest feather in the bunch. How was I going to get this feather to stand up? I thought, "just stick it between the folds of the sinamay, DON'T THINK JUST DO! Have you ever tried to think when you've been without sleep for over 24 hours? O.K., trim is not my friend; I prefer little of it, at least on the hats I make, but I'm not making this hat for me.

Well, back to supporting the feather, just keep pulling the sinamay, I thought, the feather will find a place on its own. As I pulled and pulled on the bias edges of the fabric, more on the top, the fabric started to point to the ceiling. I'm on to something here! The feather is pointing to the ceiling! Oh, I know, I'll wrap the fabric around the feather and tack it, yes, yes...I'll put in a half headband, attach the horsehair, and then I can go to sleep.... I'll skip the puff of steam; I need sleep!

I actually liked the results of my mindless, crazed efforts. I needed my daughter's opinion. She likes every thing I make, but by this time I actually can tell the difference between "I like it mom" and "WOW." She gave me the WOW, I mean really! Now I could go to sleep, at least for two hours.

If you're interested in viewing my other entries, check out my jewelry piece, felted hat, envelope hat, and my hat pin cushion hat.

One of Several Fair Projects Submitted, No. 4--Pin Cushion Top Hat

2011-07-30T10:40:00.000-07:00

Before I get to another one of my Los Angeles County Fair millinery submissions, just a reminder that I'm conducting a "Make Your Own Art" millinery supplies contest giveaway. The deadline to enter is August 4, 2011.

Now on to my 2011 fair submission. First, I absolutely love to play around with my image manipulation software. It's so easy to make my millinery images into beautiful paintings. The software also comes in handy when I take a crappy picture.

This entry fell under the "Class 4, Covered Buckram Frames/Other Foundation Frames" category. I made all of the hat pins for this hat, added one of my faux pearl necklaces, and a brooch. It is soooo cute, even if I have to say it myself. There is nothing new here, but it's the hand work I like most. The hat is covered with suede. If you're interested in viewing my other entries, check out my jewelry piece, felted hat, and envelope hat.

Hatstruck Couture Millinery's First Blog Contest: "Make Your Own Art," Millinery Supplies Giveaway!

2011-07-27T16:21:00.000-07:00

It's time to take a break from showing my county fair contest submissions. It's also time to take the leap into the contest arena. So, I've done some brainstorming, and I asked myself, "what would I want to receive from a millinery contest?" OK, my answers were a bit too broad, so this time I chose to deal with addressing the needs of those that are interested in making hats and those that currently make hats. I came up with several answers: hat blocks, millinery tools, millinery supplies. Well, I'm not giving away hat blocks or tools, at least for this contest, but I am giving away a few millinery supplies.

Here are a few supplies I'll be giving away: Jinsin, fur felt hood, straw cartwheel, grosgrain ribbon, millinery wire, wire joiners, feathers, blocking cords, vintage veiling, and cobweb.

Winner's choice. The winner will be allowed to choose an additional millinery supply item I have in my possession (straw, felt, trim, etc., just ask) to be added to their winnings.

Surprise Items!! The best items are not shown in the images. I'll throw in some additional items, but these will come from my stash of loved items. I may even cry as I'm putting them into the box to ship.

Contest Rules: The contest deadline is August 4. You must be a member of this site and you must leave a comment in order to win. There will be ONLY ONE WINNER. Please, leave only one comment. So, here is what you should do:

Notes:

I will ship Worldwide!

If you are not interested in the supplies, don't leave a comment; your membership is still greatly appreciated.

Remember, if you are an anonymous visitor, I have no way of contacting you. I've had several of those.

A big THANK YOU to everyone!

Required:

YOU MUST BE A MEMBER AND YOU MUST LEAVE A COMMENT TO QUALIFY FOR THIS CONTEST! CURRENT MEMBERS NEED ONLY LEAVE A COMMENT TO QUALIFY FOR THIS CONTEST.

If you have not joined the Hatstruck site, join it by clicking on the "Join this site" button in the sidebar, and following through to completion of registration.
Leave a comment on this post: say something like, enter me into the contest; I like this site; Hi; just about anything will do as long as the comment is clean.
Current members must also leave a comment.

Optional:
Click on the "Like" button in the side bar and like me.
Subscribe Via Email (see sidebar) so you may get updates via email.

Although the Optional portion of the rules are optional, I really would appreciate it if you would do them.

One of Several Fair Projects Submitted, No. 3--Soft Hat/Fabric Hat

2011-07-25T23:47:00.000-07:00

Now we're getting to the hats I entered into the Los Angeles County Fair millinery contest for 2011 (I finally realized that I couldn't distinguish one contest year from the other.) . This hat was under Class 1: Soft Hats/Fabric Hats--a flat pattern hat. These African fabrics, as far as fabric type, design, and texture; span the spectrum. Raised in the South, years ago there was one thing you wouldn't do fashion wise, and that was to wear clothing of dramatically contrasting fabric designs to school or anywhere, unless it was to work in the fields, etc! That was a NoNo! Some examples would be plaids and polka dots; prints, such as the one here, and stripes, etc., not unless you wanted to be laughed at. But this was long before many of us were exposed to how beautiful these contrasting fabrics were, worn by exotically dressed cultures. When I saw these fabrics, I knew I just had to make a single object from them.

I hand beaded the print fabric with seed beads, cowrie shells, and just about anything else I could find in my bead box that I felt complemented the fabrics. This hat actually took me longer than the other three hats I submitted, but I was determined to submit a flat pattern hat this year. I wanted to make something simple--no cap, no beret. I wanted to make something that could be utilized for more than one purpose. What about a hat that could double as a purse as the envelope hats of the 1940s, but taller and more flexible in style. OK, that would work! ...and it did. I made the crown tall so that it could be formed into many shapes. Who knows, I may even cover a pair of shoes with the remaining fabric and carry the hat as a clutch purse. I have to admit, I was please with the results of my toil.

One of Several County Fair Projects Submitted, No. 2--Jewelry: Cold Connection Bracelet

2011-07-22T00:28:00.000-07:00

I promised you that I would share my fair projects with you. Well, here is the jewelry piece I submitted. It is a cold connection (no soldering) bracelet made of copper, brass, metal beads, faux pearls, and Swarovski crystals.

One of Several Fair Projects Submitted: Hand Felted Hat

2011-07-18T12:21:00.000-07:00

Hello All! My family reunion was wonderful. My classmate and friend delivered my hats and a piece of jewelry to the fair for judging. I'm so happy that the hat delivery date has come and gone. When I delivered my entries to my friend, I had had only two hours of sleep because I worked on the hats up until the last minute. On the same day, I had to drive two hours to my family reunion because my daughter decided she didn't want to go. BUT, since she loves her mother so much, she wouldn't let me drive. SOOOO she drove me to the reunion for fear that I would get into a car accident because of my lack of sleep. Thank you MY DARLING.

I thought I would share one of my fair entries. I will not get into the details of its construction yet, but here are a few details. This was not entered into the millinery contest but into another division of the fair as a hand felted project under "hats." I needle felted a hood, wet felted it, and finally blocked it over a 1930s/40s cap hat block. Sorry for the crappy picture, I only took one picture because I was in a hurry to tag my entry items and get them out the door. I'll be sharing more items with you shortly.

Six Days Away and No Hats for the L.A. County Fair Millinery Contest Yet! A Look at More Unfinished Projects

2011-07-10T08:23:00.000-07:00

In my last post I mentioned my dilemma concerning my family reunion, the fact that I have not started making hats for the L.A. County Fair Millinery Contest, and I shared an unfinished project. Well I have some good news, and I have some not so good news. The good news is that one of my classmates will be delivering my hats to the fairgrounds on Saturday, the 16th. The not so good news is that I still haven't started on the hats that she will be delivering . Remember I mentioned that I always submit paperwork for five hats, but I've never met that quota yet. Well I'm determined to deliver five hats this year, but then I was always determined to deliver five. I didn't mention that I also submitted paperwork for three arts and crafts projects, one jewelry piece (already made!), and two hand felted hats (one project 25 percent made).

So why can't I get started making my hats? For someone like myself that has been making hats forever, it's quite easy to make a hat. The issue is designing the hat. Designing a hat is hard work, especially if you want something unique. Once I have a design in my head, I can proceed with the making of the hat at a speedy pace. So, I'm happy to report that I have a design for one hat! Are you as excited as I am? You may ask, "but you've had months to work on your designs, what have you been doing?" My answer to that is: six months, six days, six hours, there is no difference, at least for me that is.

Oh, there is a second issue that drives the design, at least for the contest; I need a "hook"--something catchy. Have you seen my hats (if you follow the link, click on large image to view all 50 images). I presume you have if you follow this blog. I'm not a catchy person. I make hats for meditative purposes, mostly; I make hats to explore new techniques, new materials, for research purposes, to teach someone something, etc.; plus making a hat is easier than seeing a psychologist. Millinery is my favorite hobby. Oops! I was told that if said millinery was my hobby, no one would respect me. To that I say, Oh Well! OK, getting back to the issue at hand--the hook. I love model (runway?) millinery. I love all millinery, but I'm not a model millinery person; although I'm trying to add some of these skill to may skill base because most people like to wear something unique . I also love workmanship. To make a long story short, from what I learned last year, the hook will be more important than the workmanship. Please, don't misinterpret this statement. What I'm saying is that a catchy item evokes more attention, more passion.

Finally, to my unfinished projects. The image above shows two of the projects I have on blocks that have been sitting around, again, forever. The 1930s/1940s cap block is one of my newer block. Sometimes when I receive a new vintage or antique block, I block on it. Notice, the paper towel wadded up and placed under the blocking card to help define the dent in the tip of the block. ( No, cord marks will not show up in finished product after I complete it.) Also notice that the millinery pin that holds the cord in place is actually pushed into the knot of the cord rather than into the hat block itself. I do this because I love these old blocks as sculptures rather than as hat blocks. This technique is not for everyone.

The green cloche was blocked on a vintage balsa utility cloche bloc--see image to your right. Remember that I mentioned that everyone should have a utility hat block (standard balsa wood utility skull hat block). You can run a small business with only a utility block. Add a basic brim block block, and you can conquer the world! Although I pin into all of my utility blocks with millinery or finer pins, and in some cases, push pins, it's still a little hard to do so with this block. This is a special utility block that has a defining line cut into it just above where the eyebrows start, back around to where the hat ends at the neck--1920s style. This block has a slightly different shape than the block I sold. As a matter of fact, I purchased another cloche block with the money I received from the sale of that block. Remember the draped cloche here; it was blocked on the utility cloche block. These blocks are asymmetrical, and they also vary in shape from block to block, plus there is no need to always try to figure out how deep this style of cloche should be blocked. The foundations and/or hats made from these blocks can be manipulated in fascinating ways! If times run out, dull or not, one of these hats may show up at the fair, especially if I run out of time. I enjoy making these old, outdated millinery styles. From time to time, you'll see one of these on the runway; after all, history repeats itself.

What types of hats do you like to make or would like to learn how to make? What types of hats do you wear? Do you like the more trendy styles (fascinators--cocktail hats, whimsies), or do you like the more classic styles, in general? Whatever your preference, have fun with it!

Note: Remember the poll concerning what types of tutorial you would like to see here, and millinery trim was the winner. Well, notice the green cloche and how intricate it is. I also consider the tacked folds on this hat to be trim.

Another Hat Block Alternative: The Candle Holder

2011-07-05T03:02:00.000-07:00

In less than two weeks, July 16, I have to deliver my hats to the county fair for the millinery contest. I always submit paperwork for five hats, but I've never met that goal. Further, I suddenly realized that I'll be attending my family reunion on that day; actually, it's a three-day reunion that I've been very much aware of. So I was day dreaming about whether or not I should leave the reunion and drive over an hour to deliver my hats, or should I leave home a day later and deliver them on my way to the reunion? Life is just so complicated, especially when I have not one hat started! Last year I wasn't satisfied with my hats, so I vowed to work at least two weeks on them rather than three days, oh well. Since I can't focus, I thought I would share some of the stuff I have laying around on hat blocks, forever.

The first thing I'll show you is my candle holder block. I picked this up at Ross Dress for Less. In everything I see a hat block. I'll just go into a store to look for something I can block a hat on. Why can't I be like normal women and buy cute shoes? I have plenty of hat blocks, but I use them more as collector pieces than what they should be used for. I just enjoy finding odd things to block hats on. I saw this candle holder and I just had to have it. It will accommodate a size 23 head size without adjustments. I steamed a fur felt hood and secured it to the candle holder with wide rubber bands. Then I used a blocking cord to block the dent in the middle where the candle would be placed. I could have left this step out since I decided I didn't like the dent in the top of the hat.

What's nice about fur felt is how easy it is to work with. I can re-block it over and over again without any problems. First I thought I liked the rubber band marks, but I think I'll steam and brush them out. Who knows what I'll end up with. My finished hats always surprise me. No promises when I will finish this; stay tuned!

The Cabbage Rose Class Project, No Summer School, and Other Ramblings

2011-06-30T03:06:00.000-07:00

Summer School Ends Thursday, a week ago, my evening millinery class was buzzing with activity and chatter. You see, it was the last night of class before summer vacation. Not only was it the last night, but for the first time since I have been taking millinery classes, over a quarter of a century on and off, there would be no summer school because California budget cuts caused LAUSD to ax our millinery classes, as well as some other summer classes. Back when I started taking classes, summer school was a time when we would cram everything in--flower, glove, purse, and jewelry making, including shoe covering and sewing, and hat making, of course! Oh, how I long for those summers of creativity! These classes serve adult learners, including seniors, and high school students needing to take additional classes, usually for graduation.

Cabbage Rose Project What was all the chatter and urgency about? Well everyone was excited about the cabbage rose Mrs. Eloise King, our millinery teacher, was demonstrating to make on this last night. Several of the students had made the rose earlier to trim their hat, and it was so beautiful that everyone in class wanted to make it. This was not the only rose being taught this night, but this was the one that really peaked my interest. Unlike the cabbage roses I had made in the past using strips of folded fabric, this rose, although it looked very similar, was constructed in a unique manner. It was this construction technique that intrigued me. This rose was constructed using 12 squares of fabric of varying sizes. Each tier of the rose was a pod that fit into the pod below it, and none of the tiers were attached to the other--they floated inside each other like a flower in water. I made a very large red flower from thin suede, not to be used as trim, but as a hat. The suede yielded a heavier flower than I liked, but I was fascinated by the results. Mrs. King suggested that I turn the edges down, and the result was spectacular!

Why All Those Millinery Classes You're probably asking, why is she still taking millinery classes. Well, my calligraphy classes only lasted eight years...and then there was the paper making, the jewelry making, elementary and high school (of course these are out in order), college, college, additional technical classes, etc., etc. To make a long story short, I'll never stop learning, and it's something I can fit into the rest of my life, for the rest of my life.

Sharing When my kids were small, I made hats for extra income while working my regular job. I actually dreaded making another hat then--the deadlines, etc. After a while, I started making hats only when I wanted to and gave them away to family and friends; boy, did I love this. Plus, sharing was and still is a great way for me to give back. Now retired, I love it even more. The research and experimentation never ends!

For those that email me and are surprised that I share so much, I ask, what is there not to share? I know how you feel because I've seen how some act if they are asked a millinery question. In my millinery classes we pass hat patterns around as if we were passing around tea cakes. For years no one even thought about "copying." Even back in the day when many of the women had millinery businesses, they never felt threatened and always shared. Today occasionally someone will come through that will take but not give back, but that has only been within the last few years, and they don't stay very long because "they're on a mission," excluding those that stop in to further their careers. Not everyone has the time to just hang out. There is a difference.

I've been told that people will not respect me if I just "give it away;" people will just use me up; people will just sell the information. To that I say, this is about me and what I enjoy doing; there are still good, honest people in the world. I'll leave the respect to those that really know me, and I will not stop doing what I enjoy doing because of others' issues and insecurities. Somewhere in the world someone, especially in these times, will need a little extra cash that learning millinery will bring them; someone will need a hobby that they can enjoy without spending a fortune to pursue; someone, because of their location will not have access to millinery classes or expensive millinery supplies; but many will have Web access. It will not replace formal instruction in many cases, but it will help to a certain point, and big time if hard work goes into learning.

Kicked Off Yahoo Answer This leads me to another issue. Recently I signed up for Yahoo Answer where you ask and/or answer questions on various subjects. Of course, I searched out millinery and hat making questions and answered them when I could. Shortly afterwards I was reported for inappropriate language and kicked off--the same language I use here on my blog. After several emails back and forth to Yahoo (one of those everybody-gets-the-same-email, emails), it was clear that they were not going to investigate. So, it appears that there is a problem with sharing. The next time someone is bashing someone on the Web, ask yourself why. I've learned so much in the last year and a half about how evil some people can be. What a miserable waste of life.

What do you think? What is the issue with sharing techniques that have been documents in books down through the years? We are not talking about the Coca Cola formula here. Unlike hatting (making men hats), millinery is not a trade that is passed down from family to family--its secrets. Plus today, there are those that make exquisite men hats without all those guarded secrets. This does not involve someone's line or technique they have created. So, I'm I that much out of touch? I would really appreciate your thoughts.

Please note that there was a typo on the County Fair millinery flyer. The delivery date is July 16, 2011 and the delivery time is from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

French Couture Hand Rolled Silk Organza Flowers

2011-06-20T03:47:00.000-07:00

Please note that there was a typo on the County Fair millinery flyer. The delivery date is July 16, 2011 and the delivery time is from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

OK ladies and gentlemen, I couldn't resist this one. I just had to use Ms. E' as my flower model for this post. She is just the cutest little thing--almost four months old now. I'm having so much fun babysitting her each day. I missed all the cute little things my kids did, like their first steps, etc., because I was busy working everyday. You're lucky that I can't paint a mural of her on your living room walls just so your hearts could smile as much as mine when you see her.

Ms. E' is modeling one of three silk organza hand rolled flowers I recently made. When I first learned how to make these hand rolled flowers a couple of decades ago, we would spit roll the petals. "Did she just say spit roll, as in saliva!" Yes, I did. Well, I don't do that anymore. I don't think the world was as health conscious as it is today, and now I don't even want to think about it. Today, I roll the flowers with diluted fabric stiffener or diluted white glue, using the same original pattern. I make slight modifications to the pattern, depending on the effect I want to achieve, or I'll just make another pattern in some cases.

The top and bottom flower petals in the image to your right were cut from the same size pattern. The petals of the flower on the top were given a very slight roll at intervals, while the petals of the bottom flower were entirely rolled going around the petal, except its bottom. The flower in the middle is a slight variation of the other flowers; here I used less petals--same pattern. For the center, I cut small pieces of fabric and dipped them into dye, the petals were painted with a paint brush. I'll put together a tutorial for the top flower when I get a chance. Oh, you'll also notice a red fascinator in the slideshow below. The flower was both hand rolled and tooled using an electric flower iron. I'm still greiving over the fact that I gave this hat to one of my friends. That red rose was the most beautiful flower I ever made. I couldn't get the camera to capture its beauty. I hope you enjoy the slideshow; I had fun making it.

Please check out my other posts on making your own flower stamens and how to make leather and suede flowers.

Please Note!!! There is a bug (error) in the image viewer. The images for this post should show flowers and a cute baby. If you see the fashion show images from the last post, please display this post by itself by accessing it through the sidebar. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Essie Edwards: A Phenomenal Milliner, Seamstress, Instructor, and Fashionista

2011-06-06T13:51:00.000-07:00

I am totally amazed by this lady. She's a graduate of Pepperdine University, she has been a milliner for over 60 years (yes over 60 years!), she has been an instructor for the Los Angeles Unified School District for almost 40 years, she is a mother, a source of great support for her students, she is a fashionista, and she is a lovely woman both inside and out. Mrs. Edwards is a walking example of a phenomenal instructor. When she walks into the classroom she wears what she has made--suites, purses, hats, belts, etc. All perfectly made by her loving and guiding hands. As you can see from the image on the left, she is one cute lady, and she really looks sassy in the sporty black BMW she drives. You Go Girl!

But what I really love about Mrs. Edwards is that she encourages me to be me. She never insists that I do something the same way and in a particular manner. In her words, "There is more than one way to do something." For a person like myself who loves to experiment with different millinery techniques, her words are like music to my ears. A student has to grow under an instructor with this attitude. She is patient with her students, and they always praise her for this.

Mrs. Edwards only teach day classes, and I waited seven years to take her class, begging her not to retire. When I retired, I could finally attend her class. Then, I was blessed with Ms. E, my granddaughter. So once again, I'm without my Mrs. Edwards because I lovingly babysit Ms. E during the day. I still take an evening millinery classes from my other millinery instructor, Mrs. Eloise King (off and on for 26 years), but I also miss my day class with Mrs. Edwards.

On May 21 Mrs. Edward held her annual fashion show at the Watts Senior Center and Rose Garden. I really love attending classes at the Rose Garden; it's lovely, quiet, and peaceful. Dorothy Sampson is the gardener and caretaker for the garden and center. She is an extraordinary lady who keeps the grounds and the roses beautifully groomed, even using her own resources at times allowing the roses to maintain their award winning status. I just have to mention Recreation Facility Director Toni Hester (image to the upper right) because Mrs. Edwards constantly praises her for going beyond the call of her job duties, especially when it comes to her sensitivity to the needs of the seniors, as well as Mrs. Edwards'.

I'll get to the images in a moment, but I wanted to mention how wonderful it is to have a place to go where people are sincerely genuine and supportive and enjoy each others' company. Below are some images from the fashion show. These ladies, and the gentleman helping the ladies to the walkway, all make beautiful things in Mrs. Edwards' class. When I was editing the images, I was thinking how blessed I would be to be able to drive to classes and socialize with people as wonderful as these are 25 years from now, as these ladies are doing today. Thanks to Mrs. Edwards and all for being such an inspiration.

Whether You Call It a Fascinator, Cocktail Hat, or Whimsy, a Little Trim Goes a Long Way

2011-05-14T14:11:00.000-07:00

When I published the poll results showing the tutorials you would like to see here, I was a little disappointed with the results (disappointed is too strong), although they were anticipated. After all, how many people would like to make buckram frames and cover them--a labor-intensive process on larger hats? As you can see, the highest score went to trim. So, for this tutorial I decided to use two things that almost all of us have access to, feathers and horsehair (crin).

I like to make flat pattern, buckram frame hats; wire frame hats, large brimmed straw hats. I'm in a meditative state when I'm hand sewing an intricate design, or solving a design issue, or experimenting with a new technique. I never give trim that much thought. I put very little trim on my hats. Most of the time I prefer to make my own trim. Other times simplicity, line, and contrast are my friends. Trim, in some cases, would only obscure them. This only applies to my design style, for I like many different design styles. Thus, I was hoping that flat pattern buckram frames would be the high scorer. So, I looked on the positive side, and I pulled out all of the stuff I continuously collect, like fabrics for flowers, leaves, feathers, etc., etc. After all I'm always putting off making the trim I do use. The journey will be fun.

I didn't plan to put a veil on this fascinator, only the feather. While in class, (I've been taking classes for a few decades now), I was laughing and talking with my classmates and not paying attention to what I was doing. I had originally planned to put the prettiest section of my swirled crown to the front of the hat. Coming off from those swirls was a length of cascading, unraveled horsehair. Well, I put the front to the back by accident, so I cut off the cascading horsehair and added the veil you see here. The back of the hat is where the grosgrain ends and begins. That reminds me, I should always have you to mark the center front and center back when constructing your hats. This is intuitive to me but may not be to someone new to millinery.

On to the tutorial....

You will need a fascinator base, of course. See the sinamay base tutorial or the buckram base tutorial, if you would like to make your own, or purchase a read made one; horsehair, an ostrich or other type of feather, a paint marker or acrylic paint (optional), and a hat elastic; including scissors, needles, paint brush, and thread. See last post.

The Feather

I presented two YouTube tutorials in the last post, Working With Feathers 101 and Cutting Feathers. I added these two tutorials because they dealt with stripping and cutting feathers. The important thing here is the cutting of the feathers. Note that the feathers are cut from the top down, very important.

Not so noticeable in these images is the pointed tip on the feather. So, strip the feather and leave enough on the feather for a point. Cut the end of the feather from the top down on each side, forming a spear shape. Pin the feather to your ironing board as shown in the image. Now, without touching the feather, run your steam iron along the length of the feather. After the feather has dried, remove the pins. The feather will hold its shape. The point here is that feathers can be shaped by bending them into position and steaming them. Of course there are other methods, and I will address them at another time. Plus, you may also go to YouTube or other locations on the Web for videos on the subject. Research, practice, experiment.

If you have a colored feather, paint its sides where the stripping has removed its color.

Because I wanted my feather to appear as if it was floating on my hat, I used a small hand drill to drill holds in its side of the feather. After which, I painted the the holes with a marker. I should have drilled the holes before I painted the feather sides--a senior moment. After the feather had dried I sprayed it with shellac because the acrylic had dulled the finish. Also, notice the transparent thread I used to sew my horsehair and feather onto fascinator base. This would be considered unorthodox...oh well.

The Horsehair Vail

Horsehair is an amazing material that can be manipulated in wonderful ways. It can be cut and torn as shown in this video, also from the previous post. It can be blocked on a hat block or it can be blocked using a pressing iron. You're only limited by your imagination. Experiment, experiment, experiment.

Making the veil is pretty straight forward. Simply stick your finger through the horsehair and rotate it until the hole is as large as you would like it to be. Using your iron with a protective foot attach and steam (I use steam) or a damp pressing cloth with steam turned off, press over the holes. They are now set in place. For a little challenge, put in the ripples around the edge of the veil.

The point here: know the materials you are working with so that if you don't find a technique in a book or from an instructor, you can achieve the goal you set out to achieve. Just by knowing that it is possible to block (form, shape with steam, dry heat, hand manipulation, etc.) horsehair, it is easy to figure out how to create the holes in it. Take note that you don't have to do something exactly the same way someone else do it. Your goal is to achieve sound results that will hold up over time, leaving you with a light, neat, and well made hat.

The Horsehair Swirl (crown)

In order to form the crown, simply pull the horsehair down and out while pressing it. You'll get the hang of it after practicing. Press both edges. Do not press the center.

Finishing Up

So, you have your fascinator base, I used a sinamay base from the last tutorial. All you have to do now is attach your crown, veil, and hat elastic. I'll let you figure this out. It'll be your challenge.

Remove the thread from the edge of the horsehair. It will not ravel!

Below is a cute video showing various ways of trimming a hats.

FASHION FEATURE (click on black box to start movie)

How to Make and Trim a Fascinator Even Kate Middleton Would Love

2011-05-07T15:41:00.000-07:00

First, Happy Mothers' Day All!!

OK, so maybe Kate wouldn't love this hat, but I think it's cute.

Some of you still have time to rush out and purchase a few millinery supplies if you would like to make that Mothers' Day Fascinator! Well if you need a little help, this post is for you.

When a Web surfer enters a query into Google or any other search engine, they are given a list of sites that satisfy that query. So, over the past week my site statistics have shown that the majority of the queries that led to my site asked the questions: "How to make a fascinator?" and "How to make a fascinator base?" Today, since it has been some time since I've been in touch with you, I'm making a hasty post; I'll address the fascinator base (frame, foundation).

I've touched on the fascinator before when I introduced the buckram fascinator frame in a previous post, but this time I'll show you how to make a very easy fascinator base using sinamay, no traditional foundation blocking needed. Don't forget those fascinator tutorials published by Threads Magazine; they were absolutely wonderful. Also, check out how to make a bow, including how to make faux feathers. Don't leave the site until you've queried on millinery, hat making, hat trimming, and hat embellishment for even more millinery tutorials.

If you don't want to make your own frames, besides being an excellent source for vintage millinery supplies, California Millinery manufactures buckram frames on site of all types, shapes, and sizes and at reasonable prices. Here is a link to some of their smaller frames. These frames do not in any manner represent what they have in stock. You will have to call them for more information, since the site is incomplete. It would probably be worth your while to order frames from California Millinery even if you don't live in Los Angeles, especially if you are interested in purchasing frames in bulk; they will ship anywhere. Diego is fabulous!!!

I've just published my first YouTube video, and I'm so excited!! The video demonstrates how to swirl grosgrain ribbon. I've noticed that many of you new to millinery have gathers and gaps in your headbands, your sidebands do not hug the side of your hats, and the edges of your hats have the same issues. Knowing how to swirl your grosgrain ribbon will help to solve this problem. Also, please realize that natural materials cut on the bias can be swirled. As a matter of fact, you may want to cover the edge of your base frame with sinamay bias strips. Do a little homework, explore the free online millinery books listed here in the sidebar. If you are not familiar with bias, swirling the ribbon, grosgrain, etc., it can all be found here just by following the reference links in the sidebar. I hope you enjoy the video..

Now to the tutorial....

First make a circular (or other shape) pattern and from three layers of sinamay, cut out the desired size.

Using a buttonhole or whip stitch, attach millinery wire as shown in the buckram fascinator tutorial.

Swirl the grosgrain ribbon as shown in the video below. Note that the ribbon should be a natural fiber ribbon or at least 40 to 60 percent natural. Here in the States, at least in my vicinity, this ribbon is called millinery grosgrain or sawtooth ribbon. I'm sure there are other names for it. This ribbon has a "tooth" and it is not smooth on its edges.

Using a stab or catch stitch, attach the grosgrain ribbon. See the list of stitch videos in the sidebar. Sorry, I have a tendency to misname stitches; I'll correct this in a future post and or revise this one. I just do it, no thought, second nature.

Over a bowl or a hat block, any concave surface, steam the fascinator base using your pressing iron. Since the sinamay is sized (don't use unsized sinamay for this project) and because sinamay is a very pliable fabric, it will form to the curve of the mold. Also, it will be stiffer than it was before it was steamed.

Take one of your bases and trim it to your desire. For the hat above I've sewn one of these bases inside of the hat. Please note that you do not have to cut your bases out in the same shape. You could cut out bases of different shapes.

I prefer a hat elastic for attaching fascinators to the head because it can be positioned to almost any position without removing it. If you don't have hat elastics (elastics with metal points on the end), take a large eyed needle, thread it with elastic, run it through the grosgrain, and anchor it with a stitch and a knot on each side of the base. This actually works better than hat elastics because the metal tips have a tendency to slide off the end of the elastic. Also, to avoid the metal slippage, I will crimp the metal with my wire cutters or my jewelry crimps.

For my non-English speaking friends that use a translator on my site, I will have to explain a few things that may not be clear in the video, since instructions appear written across the video frames. For the edges of your hats and fascinators

Hat Blocks and One of My Hats for Sale on Ebay, Plus a Stephen Jones Video--NO THAT IS NOT WHITE GLUE!

2011-04-17T22:09:00.000-07:00

I'm cleaning house (condo)! My living room looks like a hat shop. Every closet (hall, my bedroom, living room, and kitchen cabinets) are stuffed with hat blocks. There are hats on every end table in my living room, and they are also hanging off a wire dress form. So, I'm selling three hat blocks and one of my little fascinators on EBay.

Yes, it hurts to sell my hats. I went back and forth trying to figure out which one I would sell. I'll be selling more hats, although I think I'm the only one in love with them. You would think I was an avid hat wearer!

Check out the inside finish of the hat I'm selling--image posted on EBay. The lining is extremely neat, no glue used. The winner of my little fascinator will get an extra bonus--instructions on how this finish was accomplished. I don't use this method often, and it will vary depending on the degree of richness required. Additionally, you could turn out possibly three times or more the number of hat compared to traditional methods of hat construction. This is great is you are a one person show. In other words, it's just another technique to have in my millinery techniques bag. Some will say that this method is not couture, but if you collect couture hats from the past, you'll notice that many famous couture milliners used it.

So, check out my auction on EBay; listed here. Some items ending soon!

No, That is Not White Glue!

Below is a Stephen Jones workshop video. Stephen is one of my favorite milliners--one. The reason I'm showing this video is because I witnessed a milliner putting white glue on a buckram frame last week. That is not white glue being put onto the buckram frame in this video! Buckram is starch sized, therefore if a water based glue is put onto it, it becomes bumpy. There are times when all milliners have to use an adhesive to attach fabrics to frames, for example, in situations where there is a deep concave, such as in a deep brim. So, if you don't have access to millinery adhesive, use archival rubber cement. By the way, the method I used on my little hat does not require adhesive, either.

Couture Milliner to the Stars? Who Is/Was George Lawrence?

2011-04-14T06:25:00.000-07:00

Several months ago while browsing my favorite auction site, EBay, I bid on a package of millinery sketches. Included with those sketches were a souvenir book from the play Oklahoma, dated 1944; a notebook containing swatches of millinery materials, notes for various millinery techniques, George Lawrence millinery labels, and the head measurements of a number of, I assume, his clients, one of which being Carole Channing. The sketches covered a couple of decades, starting in the 1920s. Some of the sketches were pencil drawn and later inked in brilliant colors, and some were left un-inked. A few of the sketches were of medieval costume headdresses. Maybe Lawrence also made hats for the theater.

My curiosity was even more heightened when I observed that there was a noticeable difference in the sketching skills, or lack of, shown in the sketch renderings spanning across decades. Why were the sketches from the 1920s more professional looking than those drawn in latter years. ...but then I noticed something else, the sketches actually resembled those drawn by other designers from the periods they represented. For example, if you've ever seen some of the costume books showing medieval costume sketches, some of the sketches appeared to be crude. The sketches represented in Lawrence's drawings also appeared to be crude for that period,. In other words, the differences between sketches may have been intentional. Still there was something odd about the sketches. Were these sketches rendered by the same person? Did they really belong to George Lawrence, or did they belong to a student of millinery? Were these sketches rendered over several decades, or over a shorter period of time, perhaps for a class project?

So, ladies and gentlemen, who is/was George Lawrence, the milliner that made hats to order, as referenced on his millinery labels. I know that, from my own personal research, some of the ladies in the head measurement list worked in the theater. Of course we all know who Carol Channing is, and I must say that she has an impressive head size for the eras represented by the sketches. Usually head measurements were smaller, thus all the size 22 hat blocks floating around from earlier eras. If you know who George Lawrence is/was, please let us know.

Millinery Tutorial Poll Results

2011-04-08T12:47:00.000-07:00

HATS: HEADS AND TAILS (click on image to start video)

I asked you what types of tutorials you would like to see here, and I really appreciate those of you that took the time to participate. I've been brainstorming ways that I could reward those of you that follow me, email me, and leave comments; so, there is a surprise coming to you very soon for your extra efforts. Your support is greatly appreciated. Additionally, I'm extremely passionate about couture millinery and the continued growth of this beautiful art form.

There is nothing new under the sun. Enjoy these two vintage videos (one below also) from the past addressing millinery trim (poll winner). Here are the poll results:

Buckram Frames--Flat Pattern: 7
Buckram Frames--Blocked 6
Straw Blocking: 10
Felt Blocking: 8
Millinery Trim (flowers, etc.): 13
Other (no comments left): 3

I estimate that 33% of my learning came from the classes I've taken over the years, and I never get tired of taking classes, if I can find them; 33% percent from books, other media, and observation; and 33% from experimentation. In other words, I Never Stop Learning, Experimenting, and Taking Classes! I've noticed something that's very interesting to me. When a milliner is given lots of praise for their work and that work is in great need of improvement, in some cases that milliner ceases to grow because they grow to believe that they are as good as the hype. So to those milliners just starting out, if your headsize ribbon is falling out of your hat; your headband does not hug the side of your hat; if your fabric (on covered hats) does not hug your hat frame like a fine glove, and it looks like you're gathering the waistband of a skirt; if you think blocking is only for felt and straws; if you spend more on glue than thread in your "couture workroom," etc, etc., please research why these things are happening.

A second observation:: milliners with poor skills pass on their bad skills on. Learn to tell the difference between a good and a bad milliner. Ladies and gentlemen, there are too many fantastic milliners out their to study, past and present. If you have learned to tell the difference between a well made dress and a poorly made dress or purse or shoes, you can learn to tell the difference between a well made hat and a poorly made one. My work still needs plenty of improvement, and I'm not even a perfectionist!

My Farewell to Dame Elizabeth Taylor

2011-03-26T00:44:00.000-07:00

I didn't plan to write a post on Dame Elizabeth Taylor, but I couldn't get her off my mind. Seeing some of her interviews over the past two days, I was so touched by her openness concerning her life and her loves. We can't thank her enough for taking up the AIDS cause, thus opening up small minds, allowing the whole world to benefit. She shared her bout with alcoholism and drug addiction with us, and by doing so helped so many; her actions saying, "I'm human," sending a message to others needing help that it was OK to seek it. In addition, her humor, sincerity, and many humanitarian causes, as well as her wonderful acting rolls, will never be forgotten.

As I looked through the many beautiful images of Elizabeth at Movie Maidens, I remembered what my aunt always told me as a teenager and a young woman: "Youth has its beauty." In others words, regarding makeup (for me), a young woman is naturally beautiful and needs very little if any makeup (remember that things were different back then, at least in my world). I actually delayed serious makeup until my late 20s, if not my early 30s, because of these words. And maybe, just maybe subconsciously, I didn't choose a more youthful photograph of Elizabeth, because as a young woman, she was naturally stunning, even as a child. I chose a photo of her in her most beautiful seasoned years (again, to me), just as beautiful as the younger Elizabeth. From as far back as I can remember until her death, Elizabeth Taylor has always been beautiful--her physical features--but the more I think back on her life and her contributions to our society, the more beautiful she became (from the inside out).

On a lighter note, I've learned that I had two things in common with Elizabeth. First, I'm always late. My coworkers always teased me about being late to my job interview, and despite this fact I was hired. My manager would later joke that he hired me for my personality. Second, I've always said that I would be late to my own funeral. I recently learned that Dame Elizabeth made a similar statement. Both of us have/had a sense of humor, at least I would like to think so on my part.

There is even more. In the early 1970s I worked for an insurance company in a specialized department, and every time Elizabeth was hired for a new movie, the movie studio would purchase insurance on her. This is not unusual, but in the case of Dame Elizabeth, an extra step was taken. I would pull her file and accompany my supervisor upstairs a few floors above us where we would secure additional insurance on her from Lloyds of London through another insurance agent--umbrella insurance. So Dame Elizabeth I know you've had a a long journey, not all roses, but you weathered the storm with strength, grace, and class. Farewell to an all-around strong, beautiful woman.

Los Angeles County Fair "Design Your Dream Hat" Millinery Contest Announcement!

2011-03-14T00:02:00.000-07:00

It's that time of the year again! Yes, every year I look forward to the Los Angeles County Fair millinery contest. Every year for the past several years I have daydreamed about the types of hats I would make, only to start working on them a few days before deadline. Then, after the fact, it comes to me that I could have submitted one of the hats I have displayed in my living room. Well I was such a flop last year until I'll limit my daydreaming (mental sketching) this year. So ladies and gentlemen, it's important to keep our millinery contests going, because to my knowledge, there aren't any contests of this type here in sunny Southern California. Your support/submissions are extremely important. Also, just because you live in another state or country, don't let this discourage you from entering your best hat. Hats don't have to be delivered in person; the mail works just fine.

Correction! Delivery date and delivery time on the flyer below is incorrect. See image above for the correct date and time.
Now for the details, for general contest information, visit the Tapestry Web site. Take note that entry and delivery deadlines vary across contests. If you are only interested in the millinery contest, make sure that you carefully read the details in the Design Your Dream Hat flyer.

Oh! Don't forget to take my survey, see sidebar, to let me know the millinery tutorials you are interested in seeing on this site.

Couture Millinery: Easy Turbans, Site Questionnaire, Suggestions, etc.

2011-03-11T22:46:00.000-08:00

Some of you may have noticed that I've made slight changes to this site. My goal is to build a site that offers something for everyone, millinery inspiration and techniques, including resources that just make you feel good when you arrive here. The sidebar offers something for everyone: tutorials, grate images from the past to the present, all found on links to millinery archives and to other fabulous milliners' Web sites. I have made some of these changes and, I hope improvements, for selfish reasons. You see, this is my look-book, my source of inspiration, and my reference manual. So, when you stop by, visit the sidebar to your right; you may find something there that peaks your interest, even if you're not a milliner.

(Click on Image Above to Start Movie)

Now I'm going to ask for your help: (1) I've added a questionnaire in the sidebar to survey what your millinery interests are; I would be very grateful if you would respond through it; (2) If you have suggestions concerning improvements to this site, please let me know; and (3) Finally, If you visit my site on a regular basis, please "Follow" me and leave a comment every once in a while. Even if one person gets something from this site besides me, I will feel that I've accomplished my goal of giving something back in my own way.

Thanks.

Hatstruck is Now Struck on Her New Granddaughter

2011-03-02T04:01:00.000-08:00

She's not even a week old, and we just can't stop looking at this little miracle girl. Little Ms. E is what I call her; she is my first grandchild. She constantly smiles, while awake and at sleep, except when hungry or she has soiled her diaper. She is as beautiful as her mother, with the angelic disposition of both her mother and father. Ms. E is doing great, mother has a long way to recovery. All said, God has blessed me once again.

In the first image, Ms. E is about five minutes old, and about eight minutes old in the second image. I took both images in the delivery room. I pray that God carry her and bless her every moment, and that she has a long and happy life.

Vintage Millinery, Vintage Clothing: The Feel-Good Factor

2011-02-23T23:18:00.000-08:00

I never thought I would be a Facebook or Twitter fan; I've been a fan of YouTube forever. Well, I'm still not into Twitter, but I'll get there. I don't keep up with my close friends and family on Facebook because my daughter has that covered. Twitter, well, when I'm in an antique, thrift, or millinery shop, or at my favorite bookstore sipping on over-sweetened coffee and eating sinful pastries, I'm in a meditative state--Tweets just don't factor in, but I'll get there. At my age, I have to keep up with what's going on around me. Never mind that my body is well seasoned and a little stiff, I have to keep my mind young and flexible. People, books, television,YouTube, Facebook, whatever it takes, I'm willing to try it.

So, now intrigued with Facebook's creative community and its friends and friends of friends, I found myself searching for the most creative, the best--la crème de la crème. On one such occasion I found the Anita Mc'Enzy site--not even hat related--a friend of a friend. I just fell in love with this site. Here were vintage-style dresses reminiscent of those from my childhood; they made me feel so good. So, I skipped over to YouTube, another one of my feel-good places, to find a Pearl Bailey video. Ms. Bailey resembled one of my grandmothers...oh my grandmother's smell, her food.... I found the perfect video, Ms. Bailey in a beautiful hat and suite, circa 50s/60s! (Notice her handwriting on the blackboard. It looks similar to my handwriting! OMG, they were beating students across the knuckles with a thick yardstick if they didn't get their cursive letters correct back when she was going to school also! Maybe we had the same fifth grade teacher! OK, not everything felt good from that era.)

Maybe I'll Tweet this? Enjoy.
Update: I Tweeted!

Anita Mc'Enzy Web Site (coming soon), Facebook, Email

A Couture Hat Should Be Beautifully Displayed: Introducing Lily Decoeyes

2011-02-15T04:41:00.000-08:00

She has finally arrived, my Lily. Lily is a precise replica of a 1940s store display mannequin head created from an original mold from that era. My Lily is a little different from the original Lily. You see, this Lily is a lady of color. Chances are she would not have been displayed in a department store during the 40s. Lily was chosen as one of the ladies of color, as told to me by JR (Decoeyes owner), because of her delicate features and her hair style.

There were a couple of reasons I just had to have this Lily, one reason being that she looks very much like my favorite aunt, my father's sister, except for the light eyes. My aunt is 86 now, but she still has that elegant 40s style. Another reason I chose this Lily is because the mass produced mannequin heads usually have a brownish-green-gray color. Unfortunately, my photography skills are not that great, so you will have to go to the Decoeyes site to see how beautifully hand painted she is. Lily is not mass produced, and she is lovingly casted and painted by JR and his wife. Their son serves as the Webmaster for their Web site. So stop by Decoeyes at www.decoeyes.com and check out the beautiful displays.

How to Make a Couture Leather and Suede Flower for Your Couture Hat

2011-02-07T08:51:00.000-08:00

I've chosen to make the suede and leather flower because there is so much information out there on French silk flower making. All you have to do is peruse the Web, and/or check out vintage millinery and flower making books (see sidebar for links to free online millinery books).

Of the few flower making irons I have, the rose petal iron is by far my favorite. With this one iron I can make small to large roses just by varying the size of the petal and cutting small imperfections into the leather before the shape is pressed. Actually, in the real world of flower making, you would have petal irons in various sizes to make a single rose, including cutters for those shapes.

My original idea was to use my leaf irons, but in the end I used vintage leaves and stems to complete my beautiful roses. This is not a comprehensive tutorial, but one to get you started. Observe, research, and experiment. Have fun!

For fun! I also made a hatpin by pressing aluminum and brass into the same flower mold I used to make my flowers. I'm not sure if this was a good idea, but I had fun.

Technique

Please note that this tutorial is only for the type of flower irons shown here and not the ball irons. Although you can make suede and leather flowers with ball irons, that technique will not be discussed here.

1. Create a template for your fabric by pressing a piece of paper towel--I use Viva because it does not tare--between the male and female iron mold parts. I don't have a cutter (for every flower shape/iron, there is a cutter), so I have to manually create and cut the pattern and the fabric (leather and suede).

2. Now that you have a petal shape; cut away the excess paper towel.

3. Flatten the paper template, glue it to cardboard, and cut the shape out. For smaller petals, cut smaller templates based on where the curves of the iron fall.

3. Cut out leather and/or suede petals using the templates you have created. I didn't count the number of pieces; I just cut them out. The fuller you want your flower, the more petals you cut out.

4. Dampen the back of the fabric with water mixed with fabric stiffener (I use Stiffy) and set the petals aside for a minute or so until the mixture soaks in. Do not over dampen the fabric.

5. Placing this fabric between the flower press, press down firmly for a couple of seconds and release--the more pressure, the more detail.

6. Gently remove the petal from the mold and set it aside to dry.

7. Watch the YouTube video below showing how to put together a paper flower. This same method can be used for leather flowers.

Please note that the petals (red flower) for this project were made using two methods. Some petals were cold pressed (using no heat) and some were heat pressed--the mold portion without the handle was placed on a warmer and then pressed using the mold portion that has the handle attached. Both methods worked very well, although I preferred the cold press because it was easier. The dark petals were heat pressed.

I have no idea how the professionals make leather flowers. When there is little information on a subject, I just experiment until I get it right for me. This experimentation is continuous, regardless of the project I'm working on.

Because I did not take pictures of all the stages I went through while making these roses, I'm including three videos below: One for inspiration and study (actually all of them should be studied), one to show how flowers are cut and shaped with dies; and one to show how flowers are put together--included in the paper flower video. Following the videos are resources where you can buy flower making tools--the same tools are used-- and instructional videos for making silk flowers.

If you need some inspiration, check out Legeron for some of the most breathtaking flowers I've ever seen!

Ets Legeron, Paris: a tour from Lexy Hulme on Vimeo.

COTTON FLOWERS

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Resources for flower making tools:

I have flower irons that are manually heated, as well as an electric set of irons (attachments are inserted into an electric element). Both has its advantages and disadvantages. Over time, if you own both types of irons, you will come to have a favorite.

Waltraud Reiner (Torb&Reiner) offers millinery supplies. I purchased my set of flower making balls and a flower making video from Waltraud's site.

Lacis offers millinery supplies and other supplies, including books on just about anything relating to the textile arts. I purchased my electric set of tools from the Lacis site.

For all of you that are like me that just can't wait to get something in your little hands to practice with as soon as a thought runs across your brow, Clover offers a ball adapter for its Mini Iron II. I actually I use the tips I purchased from Lacis in this iron, because I burned my electric cord while making flowers.

The flower irons used in this tutorial are vintage (maybe antique).

Hats In Vogue: A Milliner's View

2011-02-01T23:00:00.000-08:00

If you cannot view this video here, please view it on-site. Enjoy hat photographs, including the entire Vogue of Hats series before you leave the Condé Nast Archive Blog.

Threads Magazine: How to Make a [Facinator] Hat Base

2011-01-26T19:37:00.000-08:00

There are certain magazines that I have to pick up every month, depending on their content for that month. Threads Magazine is one of those magazines. I've been loving it for years, and now even more so. You see, Threads is featuring millinery tutorials, and from what I've read there will be more such tutorials down the road. Millinery information is in great demand today, so take advantage of every source you come across. There is always something to learn.

The image to the right, from the Threads' site, is just one example of what is being offered. Check out how to make the bow for this hat, including how to make the faux feathers. When you're on the site query on millinery, hat making, hat trimming, and hat embellishment for even more millinery tutorials.

Please note that, in the sidebar to your right, there is a link to Threads noting to check out their stitch videos. Just query on your stitch of interest. Have fun!

How to Sew Millinery Straw Braid by Machine: Tips and Results

2011-01-20T07:12:00.000-08:00

When Rose, one of my blog followers living in Texas, commented on my post, How to Sew Straw Braid by Machine, that she had completed her first straw braid hat just by following the instructions given in the post, I had no idea that she had sewn such a complicated design. Rose is definitely on a mission to conquer the iron monster. She told me that her braid machine had been collecting dust since May, with very little progress sewing braid, until she read the tutorial. She also credited her husband for his support and help. Rose later shared with me another project she was working on using another material. She shared what she had learned, and she taught me a few things I didn't know. I asked Rose's permission to showcase her hat in this post. She gave me her permission and offered some words of encouragement:

"I would advise anyone not to be afraid of trying [to sew straw braid]... The reward of seeing what you can do by practicing and patience is paying off."

I would say that Rose's diligence has already paid off. Rose has used her hands and imagination to produce a very ornate straw sculpture. Think about it! I've heard of people taking months or years just to sew a straight round crown and brim! Most of the time people just don't know where to start. It's interesting that most of the manuals associated with "trade secretes" have virtually disappeared.... Thanks for sharing Rose.

Now, here are a few more tips I would like to share with you.

The Machine Tension

Before you go further, take the time to familiarize yourself with the tension mechanism on you straw braid sewing machine. Here is the patent for the Willcox & Gibbs straw braid sewing machine tension mechanism. I can't stress the importance of understanding this. Most of these machines are similar, but this one may be the most popular.

Adjust Your Braid Spacing

I adjust my braid spacing by sewing-in-the-round (practice rows). Here is an image; I've offset the top sewn braid from the bottom single braid for clarity. After you become familiar with the placement of the braid guide in relation to where the needle penetrates the straw, you will be able to judge the braid overlap better. I've noticed that most of these antique machines are missing the numbered measuring guide.

The Button

Just follow the images. Click on images for larger view. Note that there is an oblong button; this will give you more of an oval shaped crown. Study other hats to familiarize yourself with this type of button. Remember that the button is first sewn by hand and then transferred to the machine.

.

Straw Preparation

If you are sewing a dry natural straw like the one above, you will have to dampen it. Otherwise, the machine feed will literally ear the button! The straw should be damp, not wet

Machine Oiling

If you are practicing or sewing braid for hours, you will have to oil this machine daily. I use regular sewing machine oil. It's up to you to research if there is another, more appropriate oil to use. Unfortunately there is very little information on the straw machine. I also have a regular Willcox & Gibbs sewing machine, so I use the manual for that machine as a guide for oiling, threading, etc., my braid machines. There are many of these manuals located in the Smithsonian archives, probably because this manual belongs to a home machine. Yes, the machines are slightly different, but use your imagination. Again follow the images. Note that there are moving parts at the back of the braid machine. So, where there is a hole, drop a bead of oil. Never put oil in or on the machine's motor!

Machine Threading

Notice the difference between the tension device on the machine to your right and the braid machine above. This does not affect the threading method of the machines. Just follow the directions (numbers) to your right. However, on the braid machine the thread goes between the disks. Also note that the thread crosses over and goes through the loops on the braid machine (actually both machines).

For additional research go to the Smithsonian Institute located here, and go down to the bottom of the page to select Willcox & Gibbs. If you have a different machine, I can almost guarantee you that your straw braid machine will work very similar to the one above. There are zigzag machines, invisible stitch machines, etc., but you can still learn something from these instructions, if you do the research and practice.

A Few More Tips

1. Go to the Smithsonian site and find the parts catalog for the braid machine (yes, that still exists). Notice the feeds in the catalog. There are different feeds for different straws; there are even different foots for different straws--fine milan (right), etc. The milan feed is finer. You can learn a lot from the parts catalog. For example, one of my machines, see first straw post has an attachment that holds the straw firm to the machine (not the hook but another attachment--the outer edge plait guide--see below left image), see the patents, see the catalog. I could go on and on, but it depends on how much research you are willing to do at this point.

2. When the tipper is engaged, slow the sewing speed of the machine.

3. Hold the lower single braid between the second and third fingers. Hold the upper sewn braid between the thumb and the second finger. So, with practice you will be able to guide both the upper (sewn) and lower (single) straws. The left hand guides the crown. Practice, practice.

4. When all fails, read the patents. It will be much easier now that you know more about the braid machine.

5. Practice making different shapes. Read how it's down in the first post. After you have learned to make a full-size hat, practice by making smaller hats with various shapes. By doing this you will save on supply costs. Below, notice that only one side of the form has a brim.

Show us your creations. Good luck!

Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays

2010-12-22T09:12:00.000-08:00

Toyo Braid Hats Sewn on a Straw Braid Sewing Machine

How to Sew Millinery Straw Braid by Machine

2010-12-20T04:34:00.000-08:00

Note: In order to keep my promise of creating a straw braid tutorial in a timely manner (actually not so timely), I'm issuing this post in DRAFT form, and I will be adding to it, hopefully, on a regular basis until it has been completed. Of course I will add more images, but if you have resources that are relevant to this post, please share.

Let me assure you that I'm not an expert when it comes to sewing straw on the straw braid sewing machine, but I'll share what I've learned over the years. I've picked up the machine and put it down over and over again until one day I decided to "just do it." What I found out, is that it was quite easy. I had been led to believe that that little machine was some big monster and that it would take years to learn how to operate it; no way!

Note: If you do not have a straw braid sewing machine it is still possible to sew straw braid on a regular sewing machine. A free-arm sewing machine would be ideal, but a regular flatbed will work also. Of course you will not have the straw guide and the sewing area will be larger.

When I decided to "just do it" several things had occurred:

1) I had purchased two straw braid sewing machines, and totally refurbished and added a base with motor to one. As you may see, these machines are portable. I don't have the room to accommodate a commercial machine setup.

2) I had collected patents for the straw braid sewing machine and its accessories. You would think that a lady with a graduate degree would have had more success at deciphering that stuff--boringgggg! I'm the type of person that will try to put something together before I read the instructions. Yes, I had put that machine together, parts from here and there, filing metal for a week with a tiny Dremel tool. I thought I had really accomplished something; the machine worked perfectly. I should have been learning how to stay focused while not understanding old 1800s patent language.

3) I had practiced on the machine and made cute LITTLE HATS. No matter what I did, my hats always came out tiny.

4) I had asked questions concerning sewing on the braid machine and had either been given vague answers or had been outright insulted. I love insults; they help me to succeed succeed. Thank you.

5) I emailed a very accomplished straw braid sculptural artist, Ignatius Creegan. I had read his story in a magazine, and I became absolutely fascinated with his work. I hadn't been so excited about straw since I first saw Patricia Underwood's hats a couple of decades ago. Ignatius sent me an email describing, in detail, how to solve my small hat situation. So, because he had been so wonderfully generous in sharing this information with me, I emailed him and asked for his permission to published it. A few months after he had emailed me two years ago, I learned how to solve the small hat situation using another method, pulling the braid--not pushing it as I had read earlier. So, I let Ignatius know that whatever he decided was OK with me; I was so thankful for his generosity. Ignatius said that it was OIK with him to publish his email; so here it is in it's entirety:

On the machine there is a tipper that is just above the needle on the right side of the needle bar, there is a straight wire spring that is sticking out of a little hole, the whole tipper pulls out, and when you sew it raises the foot a little every stitch and allows you to make that tight curve around your hand sewn button. If it doesn't pull out right away turn the flywheel till it does. Or lower the foot. If you have trouble figuring out what I am talking about just feel around about two inches or so above the needle and to the right for a part that will pull out (it is a sort of odd lever shape) it pulls out about a quarter inch or more toward you, that should help you sew the tip. Also, you will note that when the tipper is pulled out there is a hex screw that the top of the tipper hits against. You will turn the hex screw out, or extended, for a thicker straw, that will give you a higher raised foot, or turn the screw up, so it will jump less for fine straw.

Now, I have to point out something here. Given the information above and the fact that the same thing can be accomplished by pulling the straw (I'll explain later), I now had everything I needed to know about sewing straw braid. So, understanding this bit of information propelled me to the finish line (well, I'm still no expert, but I do OK), a very short time--an hour maybe. So lets get started.

Preparing to Sew the Braid (more detail will be added in the future)

Familiarize yourself with the materials I've provided you below--books, videos, patents
Set up your work area*
Adjust the braid spacing by adjusting the straw braid guide
Sew the button by hand (approximately 1" inch wide--I prefer a little wider). Read Straw Hats, Their History and Manufacture: Chapter IX, Hand and Machine Sewing
Read Ignatius' email above
Pull the tipper out to sew the tip (top crown) of the hat
Sew the crown tip
Push the tipper back in after the crown tip has reached your desired width
Push the tip down vertical to the floor (see videos) and continue sewing
When the side crown has reached its depth, turn the crown horizontal to the floor and pull the edge of the crown. It will begin to flair out forming a brim
After the brim has reached the desired width, pull the lower single braid to decrease/curve (if desired) the brim after you have reached the desired width
Study better straw hats
Observe
Practice
Practice

*The Spool (...work area)

Actually I don't know what the rotating contraption is call that the professionals hold their braid on, so I'll call it a spool. I created one by simply placing a Lazy Susan (one of those circular rotating things that is placed in the middle of a table) on my work surface and placing my camera tripod on it. The Lazy Susan has ball barrings under it, so it will move freely without securing the tripod to it. As the straw is taken up while sewing, the Susan and straw moves very smoothly.

Where to Purchase a Straw Machine

eBay: This is where I purchased my machines, including additional machines for parts. Search on Willcox & Gibbs and hat sewing machine.

City Sewing: Sewing machines, parts and services.

Note: These old machines are mechanical; so, more than likely, your local sewing machine repair shop can repair them, if you decide to purchase a machine off eBay. Make sure that you study images of complete sewing machines before you purchase one from anyone other than a sewing machine shop.

Where to Purchase Straw
Sun Yokos Enterprise (USA), Inc.: Straw braid and other millinery supplies.
Manhatco: Straw and other millinery supplies. Old fashion in a good way; nice people; located in New York, (212) 764-2218

U. S. Patents (there are others)

Improvement in Machines for Sewing Straw, Straw Hat Sewing Machine, Guide for Straw Braid Sewing Machines, Sewing Machine Tension, Guide for Straw Braid Sewing Machine, Presser-Foot-Lifting Mechanism,Tension Apparatus for Straw Hat and Other Sewing Machines

Helpful Videos

We all learn in different ways; some of you will look at these videos and see nothing; others will see plenty. Play certain segments over and over again. Maximize the screen to get a better view of video.
Sewing Straw, The Hat Makers, Straw Boaters, Jack Straw Comes to Town, Caught by the Camera

Free Online Book

In order to achieve some of the shapes you may try in the future, it's important to study books that teach how to hand sew straw.
How to Make Hats; A Method of Self-Instruction Using Job Sheets: Unit III, Straw Work
Straw Hats, Their History and Manufacture: Chapter IX, Hand and Machine Sewing

I Little Advice

Practice, observe, research, practice.

Recycled Millinery Materials: Fur Felt

2010-12-15T08:44:00.000-08:00

I remember reading a millinery book years ago wherein it was written that wool felt was cheap, hard to block, had to be sized in order to prevent shrinkage when moisture is in the air, and could be blocked only once. The author went on to write that fur felt could be re-blocked over and over again, lasting for 100 years or more, as long as moths did not get into it. So, over the years, I've never purchased--I don't remember doing so--a wool felt.

I'm an avid thrift and antique store shopper, always on the lookout for pre-owned fur felt, among other things. I always pass on that 100% wool felt, no matter how impressive it sounds. So, here are two hats I've made from pre-owned fur felt; one given to me and the other I found at the Salvation Army Thrift Store.

The hat above has a velour finish. I actually washed the felt in Woolite, blocked it over a hat block (candy bowl), securing it with push pins. I let the fur dry, and then I lured it using coconut oil. Luring is discussed in one of the free online millinery books located in the sidebar to your right. I lured the felt to restore the shine that had been taken out during the wash. I know, I know, you shouldn't wash fur felt. No millinery sizing was needed for this hat. Sorry I couldn't capture the beautiful chocolate color and finish of this hat.

The trim on the hat is vintage veiling I obtained from California Millinery in downtown Los Angeles. I made the spider from vintage chenille, also obtained from California Millinery, and three vintage rhinestone (one for the tail and two for the eyes). I don't usually block my veils because I prefer the unblocked look.

This fur felt has a beaver finish ($4!, and in perfect condition). It has been cleaned, blocked, and lured in the same manner as the hat above, then brushed and ironed to a shinny finish. Because this vintage felt is so soft and thin, I applied a light coat of millinery sizing to its inside. I added extra sizing to the brim to give it extra stiffness because I left the brim unfinished. The finish on this hat is so beautiful, I may never trim it.

Below is a cute video clip from 1942 showing a woman making a hat from one of her husband's old hats. I discovered this site from one of Cristina Deprada's (The Rantings of a Mad Hatter Wannabe) Hatty Tweets. I just love watching these clips. Enjoy!

HATS (aka MAKE AND MEND HATS)
Click on image to open video in separate window.
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Accessories: Couture Millinery and Bejeweled Stockings Go Together Perfectly!

2010-11-29T13:33:00.000-08:00

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(click image to start video in separate window)

Back when I started taking millinery classes, summer classes were always fun because that was when we would make everything--hats, jewelry, purses, gloves, etc. Well, we made almost everything. Unless this was something done before my time, we didn't bejewel stockings. So when I saw this video showing stockings being decorated with rhinestones, I thought, PROJECT! I know that stockings like these are sold today, but they're not accessible to all of us--location, etc. So select your secrete sauce (adhesive) of choice, purchase some stockings (experiment on old ones first), and find some rhinestones at your local craft, fabric, or WalMart store, and have fun.

Happy Thanksgiving World!

2010-11-24T09:57:00.000-08:00

It Does Not Matter Where You Are....

Wishing All a Wonderful Thanksgiving Day

Millinery Inspiration From Our Natural Environment: The Pomegranate Hat Project

2010-11-20T03:03:00.000-08:00

In her Pomgranate Hat post mon bibi stated, "Wouldn't it be lovely to have a hat as nice as a pomegranate?" So I commented saying, more or less, yes, lets make one--a pomegranate hat. Well she was working on another project but gave me the OK to pursue this fun task.

When I took silver jewelry making classes some years ago, I purchased a jewelry making text book, including a Dover Publications reprint jewelry making book that I believe was first published in the 1920s. Both of these books gave examples of jewelry designs from our natural environment, from the literal to the abstract. I used what I learned (the thought process) from these two books to assist me in creating the two hats shown in the fruit bowl above. I must add here that I also have a very vivid imagination.

The blue hat was my first attempt at making the pomegranate hat. I was practicing on my straw braid sewing machine, and I was extremely excited about how easy it was to shape the Toyo straw while sewing it. I imagined that the pomegranate had exploded, filling the black bowl with delicious, beautiful, sparkling seeds--really, really I did imagine this. This theme was also carried on to the red hat in the bowl. Here, rather than adding yellow stamens in the center, I added seeds (rhinestones).

The Process

Blue Hat: The blue hat was sewn on my straw braid sewing machine. A vintage black straw braid bowl and a piece of blue braid was sewn to side of the hat. Rhinestones were added to the bowl using tacky glue, a sweat band was sewn in, and finally a hat elastic added to hold the hat on the head. I hope to put together a basic straw braid tutorial soon; stay tuned.

Red Hat: The red hat consists of three layers (leather, buckram, and suede). First I prepared my hat block by carving a Styrofoam bump to attached to my tomato pin cushion, using stick pins; I covered this with plastic. Next, the suede was dampened (on the wrong side) and laid over my tomato hat block and pined while I pulled the fabric on the bias. Each layer was done in the same manner (leather dampened on wrong side also).

When the layers were dry, the blocked hat was removed from the block; the bump on the top was slit into sections with a razor blade; and finally, the slits were flared out by hand. The hat was set aside and a separate bump was blocked on the same block, but only suede was used. This time, only a small amount of fabric was blocked over the bump, with a small amount extending beyond it. After the bump had dried, I cut around it leaving a little of the extended fabric. I attached rhinestones to the bump using tacky glue (this is one time I do use glue). I also put glue around the extended section of fabric around the bump and pushed this bump, covered with rhinestones, up into the center of the hat. I did this because I did not want stitches to show on my leather.

A note here, the edge of the hat was wired and crinoline attached over the wire as shown in my post Foundations for my Cocktail/Fascinator Hats. However, I had to pull the suede and leather layers back from the buckram, cut some of the buckram back, and proceed as usual. Finally, a sweat band was put into the hat, followed by a hat elastic to hold the hat on the head.

I had so much fun making these hats. Sorry I didn't add pictures for each step, and I did this for a purpose. Sometimes we look for things in books (blogs) and they are not there and never will be there. People figure out how to do something, and then someone writes a book, and then this becomes the written word, and then "it has to be done that way." So, when I want to do something that's out of the ordinary, I visualize the process before I even start it; some sketch. What is important is that the end result is neat and lite. For those new to couture millinery, learn hand stitching and basic millinery. I have added links to hand stitch videos and free online books in the upper right hand side of this blog under Speedy Resource Access. Finally, practice, practice, and practice to make it yours.

Notes:

If you have to use a glue on buckram, use rubber cement (mucilage?); it will not buckle the buckram. I used tacky glue on the rhinestones because the amount I used would not penetrate the suede, and if it did it would not compromise this design.

Some of my couture millinery teachers would not have agreed with blocking three fabrics together, but I wanted to achieve a certain look and feel, and it was achieved by using this method. It was said that cheap hats were made this way. Well, some of those famous designers/milliners didn't get the message, especially those making hats in the fifties, sixties, seventies, etc.

A Little Hat Fun With Rodney Dangerfield

2010-11-13T12:10:00.000-08:00

I have to admit two things: 1) I love hatting as much as I love millinery; and 2) I love comedies as much as I love mysteries. Rodney Dangerfield is one of my favorite comedians; so, when I saw this clip I just had to share it. In addition, it reminded me of when my children were very young and one of our family friends would visit us--an elderly lady that has since passed away. My kids simply loved this lady. She wore her hats high atop her large wig. In other words, she really looked quite funny. So, upon seeing her, the kids would run up to her, hug her very warmly, and then run away laughing. Our friend was really happy they loved her so much that I don't believe she ever noticed they were so amused with her wig/hat combination. What is so cute about this story is that it is one we can warmly laugh about today.

Here is a clearer, longer un-embeddable version of the clip (opens in another window). I hope you enjoy this clip while I'm busy working on hats for my next post.

Millinery Inspiration From Our Built Environment

2010-11-03T09:29:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it appears that everyone is interested in becoming a milliner or hatter, and that's a good thing. But I also feel that those new to hat making only take inspiration from that that already exists (I'm also guilty), thus many of their designs look the same or very similar to existing designs. So, after viewing this video I thought that, just maybe, inspiration from another source would inspire more creative designs from those new to millinery and hatting.

How many of us actually stop and look around at our physical and built environments when we leave our homes. I mean really look around, take a deep breath, and take in our surrounding environment. Check out this video; I hope it will inspire you to look at environmental sources for some of your design inspiration. Enjoy!

Click on image; video opens in separate window.

SKYSCRAPER MODES

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Vintage Millinery: Building an Idea Book

2010-10-23T16:26:00.000-07:00

While surfing the Web for vintage millinery images, I came across a photography blog, Paul Ryan Bohman: Fine Art & Photography. Needless to say I was extremely impressed by his photography skills. Although I loved all of his fine art image categories (portraits, commercial, maternity, etc.), I tried to stay focused on the fashion photography section of his portfolio, in particular, this vintage fashion show. Remember, I was not looking for a photographer, but for vintage millinery images. Still, I lost focus. After all, this post is about creating an idea book. But then I realized how elegant these ladies were in their hats. The hats weren't funky, just elegantly simple and classy. These were not the types of hats I wanted to use as examples for an idea book; but then, maybe I was taken to this site for a purpose. Maybe these images were telling me to be true to myself.--to create elegant, creative fine art regardless to trends. After all, I only have to make what I like. How liberating! Now, on to the idea book.

One of the requirements for my first millinery classes was to compose a millinery idea book. It was explained that the purpose of the book was not to copy the collected designs but to improve on them, to "make them your own." The book was also to be used for designer's block--just by looking at a design could spike one's creative juices. Today, my idea book resides on my computer.

I have noticed that some "designers" are so accustom to copying others' designs that they are paralyzed until a creative designer creates. So what happens to the brain when it's not exercised, not pushed to its limits? It does not grow, and thus the copier will always have to copy.

I link to or follow a site because I feel that its content offers fine examples for additions to an idea book. So, for those new to millinery, check out the links to the right on this site, and also check out some vintage millinery books. You may find that the saying, "There is nothing new under the sun." is true. To prove this point, check out some of the fashion plates from the 20s (perhaps even several years before) and 30s--top hats, picture hats, caps, cloches, beret, turbans, and more. However, this does not stop one from creating something fresh from something old, vintage or not. Do the research; have fun.

Millinery Should Never Make You Sad

2010-10-19T23:09:00.000-07:00

Photo: 2010 Eric Richardson

Hurt or sad, I really couldn't say. All I know is that I spent hours fraying, rolling, and sewing this hat layer-on-layer (March, April?). So when I saw this pictures I thought, "Do people really care about the feelings of others?" After seeing this picture I guess I just snapped, resulting in this post. Forgive me; I should be more of an adult. My daughter said, "I warned you." One of my best friends said a couple of years ago that "Milliners are the most vicious people I know." Both feel that I'm just too generous. I remain positive. I will never say that I made a hat that I did not make.

How to Copy a Hat Block

2010-10-09T15:27:00.000-07:00

I spend more time experimenting with prospective millinery materials and techniques than making hats. So, when I had the opportunity to work with a material I had read about in a costuming book, Fosshape, I just had to get my hands on some. Just by accident a couple of weeks ago when I was out and about, I ran across a costuming supply store, Richard the Thread, located in Culver City, California. I had seen their Web site some time ago while looking for millinery supplies.

Inside the store there were very large rolls of fabrics used in costuming: buckram, Fosshape, Miracle Net, Ice Wool, etc., stuff I'd never heard of before. To make a long story short, I purchased the Fosshape and went on my merry way. Around the same time Mrs. King, one of my millinery teachers--on and off for the past 25 to 26 years--brought a hat block to class that I absolutely adored. So, with Fosshape in one hand and the block in another, coupled with a little steam, my copy of this fabulous block was born.

I'm short and full figured, so although I loved the block I knew that the shape, as it was, would not look well on me. I blocked a straw hood over the block and formed the rounded edges into sharp edges by shaping in the hand (pinched the folds between my fingers) after the fabric had been removed from the block. The result was stunning.

I had a black vintage blimp (very large hood) fur felt that I was itching to block on this gorgeous block. The hood was dark black, soft, very thin; simply lovely. This time I did not manipulate the folds on the hat, but I was very pleased with the results.

The Technique

My first approach was to steam the Fosshape and then pull it over the hat block. This is how I would approach felt, straw, and sometimes buckram. This did not work for me--I never read instructions. So, my next approach was to pull the fabric over the block and then secure it to the block as usual. After the material was secured with blocking cords, I steamed it. When Fosshape is steamed, it becomes hard. After the Fosshape had dried, I finished the copied block as I finished the Styrofoam block I carved (wood filler, white glue mixed with acrylic paint, etc). However, my final step for this block was to paper mache its inside to give it extra strength during blocking. At this point I've only added one layer of paper mache, but I'll add additional layers after each layer has dried.

The more experienced milliner may ask, "how is it possible to remove the felt and straw from this copy?" Well it depends on a number of things. In this case, although the straw was blocked on the original block, I did not take the block apart. Why, because parasisol is very flexible, and unless it is heavily sized, it will not hug the block tightly. The vintage fur felt was also very flexible and did not hug the block tightly. The final factor is that this block sloped forward. Usually when a block slopes forward, it is usually made into a two-section block rather than a five section one, as this original block. Also for those of you that may have a paper mache hat block from the 30s/40s that slope forward and flair out at the front, it's easy to understand how this works.

Notes:
Hat blocks are usually made into sections when the head size is smaller than the tip.

The straw hat was sized on the outside with millinery sizing after it had dried.

Check out the following resources, and find others on the Web. Experiment, Experiment!

Fosshape Tutorials: Cosplay Supplies, Richard the Thread
Hat Block Tutorial (video): Torb & Reiner
Hat Blocking (video): Flat Felt Felt Pillbox 1 and 2
How to Block and Drape Felts and Straws (slow to load, but worth it)
How to (video) Make Paper Mache Paste
How to (video) Paper Mache

Jasmin Zorlu Making a Hat With Paris Cloth

2010-09-26T12:42:00.000-07:00

For some of us here in the States new, exciting, and exotic millinery materials are hard to come by. We usually lag behind--sometimes years--when it comes to the acquisition and training in the use of these materials. So, when I saw Jasmin Zorlu's video on Paris Cloth and its manipulation, I was extremely excited.

Thanks for sharing!

If you are looking for a place to purchase Paris Cloth, visit the Torb and Reiner site mentioned in the video.

Los Angeles/Pomona County Fair Millinery Competition Images

2010-09-06T06:39:00.000-07:00

First, congratulations to all of the Los Angeles/Pomona County Fair millinery competition winners. The Best of Show Award went to Dave Temple of Fullerton. I think that the red felt hat in the group image above was awarded the Craftsmanship Award. I couldn't read the name on this image. So, if anyone goes to the fair after reading this post, please leave the name in the Comments box below.

Front display. Click on any image to view a larger image.
Green - Color or Innovation
Blue - First Place
Red - Second Place
White - Third Place
Pink - Merit

I didn't do well this year; I'll blame it on the one and a half days I spent making my hats. I threw this one together in less than 20 minutes. I never thought it would win anything. No headband; but it's small, and that's the trend these days.

This one didn't place (category, purchased embellished hat).

This one you've seen before; I received the Judge's Award for Merit for this one. The only thing new here is the detachable veil that I added chenille to. The veil should have gown under the hat and the feather to the front side (the grosgrain ends in the back).

Finally, I also received the Judge's Award for Merit for this one. I think these awards are like "thank you for entering but do better next time."

This is my daughter's little hat; you would have to see it on the head to really appreciate it. She burned the feathers herself and they swirl across the face. She received the Judge's Award for Merit.

Before typing this post I vowed to keep my opinions to myself, but I just had to mention two hats that did not even receive a Judge's Award for Merit but were absolutely wonderful (to me). Sandra Square of San Bernardino, I thought your hat was one of the best made hats of all the entries. The workmanship was impeccable. I really have to stop looking at things like workmanship and focus more on trends.

Louise McGee of Inglewood, nice, very nice. I'm a sucker for a beautiful well made transparent hat. I think these entrants had hats in various categories also.

I'm sure there were others, but my family wanted to go play games. I didn't have as much time as I wanted with the hats. Next year I think I'll go to the fair at least once alone.

Carve Your Own Utility Hat Block

2010-09-01T13:18:00.000-07:00

I have an extremely large head--my head size plus big hair equals extremely large head. All I'll say is that my largest utility hat block is a size 24. I pad this 24 with felt to increase its size, or I'll stretch the finished hat with a hat stretcher. I wanted a block specifically dedicated to my head size; so, I decided to carve one. I prefer to save my money for more exciting purchases like the block below, my latest acquisition. Now that's a hat block! Sorry, I'll get back to the purpose of this post--teaching you how I carve a utility hat block.

Carving a hat block is pretty simple. Many times you will be concerned with creating curves. In order to create a curve, you would cut your foam or wood edges diagonally; at least that's how I start. When one edge is cut, you are left with two edges, these two edges are also diagonally cut, forming more edges and those edges are cut, and so on and on. This is demonstrated in the image above.

I purchased a large Styrofoam cube and scored an "X" on the top and bottom of it (a line from corner to corner), dividing the foam into equal sections. I traced my size 24 head size plate onto paper and added 1/8" inch to the traced pattern. Adding 1/8" to your pattern equals 1/2" to your head size; 1/4" equals one inch, and so on. Unfortunately, this 17" x 17" cube was not large enough for my head size. I'll get back to this fact later. The pattern is moved to the bottom of the cube without turning the pattern over. So, under the bottom of the cube, after moving the pattern down, you will not see the pencil markings on the pattern, but you will be able to see them slightly through the paper because you did not flip the paper over. These two tracings should be in the same position on top of the cube, as well as on the bottom side.

Using two straight-edged knives--a large one for mass carving and a small one for detail carving--I removed the excess foam. My next step was to sand the foam with medium sandpaper. Always wipe dust from block after sanding. I applied a lite coat of wood filler and let it dry. After the filler dried, I sanded the block again. I applied another coat of sealer, but this time the coat was much thicker. Remember I said that the foam was not wide enough to accommodate my head size and that 1/8" would increase the block size by 1/2 inch. Well, the second coat of sealer was a thicker one that also added girth to the block. This was followed with another sanding.

After letting the filler dry, I added some acrylic paint to some white glue for color. I added the glue for extra protection and to give the block a softer, springier feel--nice to pin into . This was followed by two coats of polyurethane, letting each coat dry before adding another. Overkill; yes. I could have stopped after I carved the block, providing it was the correct head size, but the block would not last as long without some type of protection. I could have painted on the white glue and nothing else. I could have used paper mache. Experiment. I also like adding the polyurethane because I don't have to worry about heat. These blocks, when protected with some type of covering, are just as durable as a balsa wood hat block and the cost is much less than a balsa block.

Try carving other shapes and other materials. To your right is a block I carved in wood with three interchangeable tip. I learned a big lesson when I carved this block. I learned not to carve the block on the trace line, but to carve outside of the line. Sawing or carving on the line reduces the head size, and sanding further reduces it.

Two notes concerning this finished block:

1. If you click on the image to your left to enlarge the image, you will notice that the block is in profile. There is actually a bump on the back of the block, as on the back of the head.

2. In order to get a finer grain on your block, use better sandpaper than I did. I used old sandpaper because I didn't want to go out to purchase more.

Don't forget to mark the front and back of your block; there is a difference unless you use a round headsize collar rather than an oval as I did.

Always use a dust respirator when sanding wood and foam.

Always measure your block from top to bottom when carving and sanding to maintain consistent measurements.

Don't forget to coat the bottom of the block with a sealer also.

A more economical material to use for block carving is the sheet foam house insulation. However, I personally prefer the regular craft Styrofoam, not the soft flower foam.

Remember that an extra one fourth of an inch will add one half of an inch to the head size of a block.

Also, try carving fancier shapes; doing so could mean that your hats would not look like all the others'. It's really easy. Enjoy!!

Check out the two videos below.

Styrofoam Hat block from Al Ojeda on Vimeo.

Classic Millinery

2010-08-25T02:59:00.000-07:00

I guess I should create more contemporary hats, but somehow they just don't excite me as much as classic millinery. When I see an old hat in a thrift or antique store, the first thing I do is turn it over and study how it was made.

Check out these free online books to learn more about classic millinery techniques.

Archive.Org

Vintage Sewing Info

University of Wisconsin: Human Ecology

Above is a draped cloche. The foundation material is buckram, draped with stretch velvet, and trimmed with a vintage brooch. The folds of this hat are very fine and classy. The drape ends in a scarf that wraps around the neck.

To your right is a draped fringe hat. Again the foundation material is buckram. Rhinestones in the same color of the fringe have been added for a little sparkle.

Both hat frames were wet blocked: the cloche over a cloche balsa block; and the fringe, over a basic balsa utility block.

Below I show how I lined the hats.

The Bentley of All Church Hats: The Fully Rhinestoned Crown

2010-08-12T07:04:00.000-07:00

The hats I make are a bit conservative; I'm just not one to add a lot of trim to my hats. Until I met Carole Boyd six years ago, I didn't think that I would ever consider rhinestoning a hat, but Carole's "crowns" were so lovely, I couldn't resist their beauty and workmanship. You see, Carole's hats are works of art. I'll introduce Carole and her crowns in an upcoming post, but I just had to show you this little hat she rhinestoned for me recently.

Now I'll make it clear that this is a doll hat. I asked Carole to show me how she added rhinestones to her hats. So, I blocked a felt doll cloche and purchased some cheap but very impressive rhinestones for Carole's demonstration. Carole uses Swarovski brand stones on her hats, costing hundreds of dollars to complete one hat.

For this post I took almost 100 images trying to capture the brilliance of my little hat under the sunlight. I could'nt quite capture its brilliance until I darkened one of my out-of-focus images; that is what you see in the first image. Simply lovely!

Millinery Straw Braid and Hat Pins

2010-07-25T14:36:00.000-07:00

Hello all; it's good to be back. I thought I'd touch bases with you and thank all of you for returning to my blog for a look-see over the past two months. I see you looking in, so please take a moment every once and a while to leave a comment; I really would appreciate it. So what have I been doing? Recovering of course, but besides that I've been playing around with all things millinery--revisiting old techniques and learning new ones. After 26 years I've never gotten bored with millinery because I've never stopped learning and experimenting.

I'm often asked why I hand sew my hats when it would be easier and faster to sew them on a sewing machine, especially when sewing wire on buckram frames, putting in headsize ribbons, etc. Well, I hand sew them because doing so is therapeutic and extremely relaxing. I view the end product as a piece of art--art that I've created. I only have to please myself and I can take forever to complete a work. Fabulous! So, enjoy the following.

Technique: Candy/Cello Straw - Hat #1

The hat to your right was sewn in-the-round, row-on-row by hand. I wanted to give it an asymmetrical look. In order to accomplish this, I ended the hat after half completing the fifth row; the opposite side of the hat only has four rows. I must note here that the hat was first shaped and pinned on a balsa hat block (no steam needed) and then removed from the block and sewn. The top of the hat has been left open. When sewing this straw, it should be slightly overlapped (this time I put the bottom rows on top), the needle and thread should be inserted into the wrong side of the braid (inside of the hat) and passed through the loop in the upper braid. By doing this, the thread is totally invisible when viewed from the right side of the hat. After completion, I placed the hat back onto the block and steamed it. Never iron this type of straw because ironing would flatten it. I put in a headsize ribbon and moved on to trimming. For the trim on this hat, I used feather yardage for the brown portion and some dark packaged feathers for the center.

Technique: Hat #2

Whereas the previous hat was sewn in-the-round, this hat was not. In order to create this hat, I sewed several individual rows of straw together, forming a rectangular shape of straw fabric. Rather than overlapping the straw, I sewed these rows together by butting them edge-to-edge and then lacing leather cord through every other edge loop. I then put the straw rectangle onto the balsa block, overlapping it to form a "V," and finally sewing the two sides into place. Since my trim would be placed where the straw was sewn, there was no need to use invisible stitches.

Almost all straw braid has a drawstring running along the inside of one or both of its edges. I took advantage of this drawstring to gather one edge of a strip of straw to form a self-trim. I also created a long metal button, added a jade bead for extra accent, and finally, I attached this trim to the hat.

Technique: Straw Cap With Suede Visor Hat #3

This little cap was shaped on one of my many wooden bowls (alternative hat blocks). Because this is an adult doll hat (fascinator, cocktail hat) with tight curves, the drawstring and steam was used while shaping it on the bowl. The technique for sewing this cap is the same as in Hat #1. After completion of the straw portion of the hat, it was steamed on the bowl for shape retention. Also, a wire was sewn to the inside of the straw one fourth inch up from the edge of the headsize to insure that the shape would remain intact for years to come. Finally, the visor was attached. I will put in the headsize after I trim the cap in case some of the trim stitches can be hidden under the headsize ribbon.

For the beginning milliners, please take advantage of some of the free online book sites listed in some of my previous posts (see side bar to your right).

Hat Pins

Here are a few of the hatpins I have made. I wanted to make a few pins without dragging out my solderer, flux, etc., and here is what resulted.

The Balsa Wood Utility Hat Block: My Favorite Working Block

2010-05-22T02:51:00.000-07:00

Recently I needed a hat for a special occasion, and I was just not going to pull out the steamer, a set of hat blocks (crown and brim), millinery wire, sizing, etc. After all, I only had an hour or so to make this hat...and it was not like I was making it for anyone but myself. In other words, I was not going to be the perfect couture milliner today.

So what was a girl to do? Well I reached up and pull down a balsa wood hat block in my head size. It wasn't glamorous like the ones I set out for display--the blocks I call my sculptures, the blocks I would not dare to nail into. Hold your head up Ms. Balsa. All of those other hat blocks may be eye candy, but if I needed to make 100s of hats and was given the choice to choose one out of those other blocks, it would be you, girl!

Why? Look around when you enter a store. How many 1920s - 1940s (my blocks of choice) hat shapes would you find there. Usually the crowns are round and the brims are plain. Given a utility block, I can style a fedora, a pixie, a 1920s cloche, all the cocktail/fascinator hats I would ever possibly need and in any shape--well almost. Using the excess fabric (felt or straw) draping from the crown, I could create a sailor brim, a deep cuff brim, a symmetrical brim, an asymmetrical brim, etc., and that's without a brim block. I could add all types of shapes to the balsa block because it's soft and easy to pin into, thus creating hundreds of hat shapes. Just think about it! From couture to not so couture, this block is the one.

The block shown here is my latest balsa acquisition. It is a size 28; huge! I'll use it as a veiling block (block used for blocking veils). I found this one on EBay for around $39 plus shipping. These blocks retail upwards of nearly $200. So, before you purchase one, do some research.

So, for all of you out there that are new to millinery, on a limited budget, and feel that you have to amass a million hat blocks to start a small businesses or to make your own hats--and I've talked to some of you--start with a simple balsa block and a head size collar ($10). The average woman's head size is 22 1/2. If you need a larger block, say a 23 to 24, just block felt (must have wool content) over the block to increase its size....

Technique for making the finished hat? I selected the balsa block in the size I needed, including a headsise collar (see drawing below); in this case, a straw capeline (over-sized, brimmed straw); a fine spray water mister (bottle); a pressing cloth, a blocking cord (see video below on tying your own); and an iron and ironing board. I covered my block with plastic so that it would not be damaged by steam and/or water, misted the inside of the straw, and placed the straw on the block. After determining my desired crown depth, I tied the crown portion of the straw to that depth using a blocking cord. After which a damp pressing cloth was placed over the crown and only the crown pressed. Set the straw aside to dry. After drying, mark the center front of your crown, remove the straw from the block, place a headsize collar inside the crown and press around the collar to set the 90 degree crown/brim angle; press the brim. Don't forget the pressing cloth; you don't want to scorch your straw. This straw came heavily starched; so it was perfect for a floppy brim without a wire. I ironed the brim edges back, put the hat back onto the block to finger-set the pleats. Finally I sewed the trim on. Yes, that's leather on a summer hat; it was my daughter's suggestion, and I liked it. I made the leather rose when I was teaching myself how to do bead embroidery. Sorry, but I'll have to put the headsize ribbon in latter.

Have you ever wondered how to make a blocking card? Well, the slip knot is my favorite method. I tie a knot on each end of the rope so that it does not slip back through the main knot. I use polyester clothe line rope for my blocking cords. View the YouTube video below. Enjoy

Notes:

Check out the Free Online Books from my previous posts for additional help.
Don't forget the Los Angeles County Fair Millinery Contest; you must adhere to posted dates. More detail is in one of my previous posts.
If you believe in prayer, please take a moment to send out a prayer for me on Monday, the 24th, as I will be involved with serious medical issues on that day. If prayer is not your thing, please send out wonderful positive thoughts. At this point, I don't know how long before I will be able to post again; hopefully within the next three weeks.

Thanks, Lee

How to Tie Your Own Blocking Card: The Slip Knot Method

Free Online Millinery Books and Other Millinery Resources

2010-05-13T12:01:00.000-07:00

Those that are new to millinery often have a hard time finding millinery documentation, especially free documentation. So, here are a few books and other resources, some not so free. Some of the book resources were linked to in previous blog postings. Although I distinguish costuming from couture millinery, I'm adding costuming links hoping that you will find some useful millinery information on those sites.

Above is one of my feathered hats: velvet over a buckram frame, trimmed with feather yardage.

Hat Books

Vintage Sewing Info

University of Wisconsin: Human Ecology

Books and Many Other Resources

The Costumer's Manifesto

Hat Blocks
Hat Supplies

New 5/18/10 Jay Gerish Co. (minimum 10 dozen...but that 10 can be less than one in some places, check out their closeouts!).

New 5/18/10 World Hat Company (wholesale only; felts, straws, including great panamas).

New 5/18/10 New York Bonnet Wire Co. (also carry millinery wire; will not break up a box. One box contain 20 60-yard-rolls of #19 cotton covered wire (you can get any size and different kinds, etc.). The price is really, really, really reasonable..! How many friends do you have? Perfect for instructors.

Hat Tutorials
Blogs Offering Tutorials
Magazines
Examples of Great Couture Millinery

I will be adding to this blog, and I also invite you to do the same. I'm looking for high profile sites offering useful information, as well as sites that have great information but would not necessarily show up in a Web search.

Happy Mother's Day...Everyday!

2010-05-09T13:16:00.000-07:00

How to Make Your Own Millinery Flower Stamens

2010-04-30T10:17:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while I'm disappointed about my ability to secure millinery-related items. Usually I can't find a material I once used because it's not being made anymore; if I find it, it's over priced just because it's a "millinery" item (millinery is really hot now); or it's "vintage", etc. This time I was disappointed because I purchased several separate packages of stamens from a seller on my favorite auction site; you know the one. I emailed the seller to ask for a discount on postage, since the stamens could all be mailed in the same envelope. I should have known better when the seller didn't email me back. Well! I received the stamens in one package of nasty brown paper bag torn and taped together. I would have appreciated the stamens costing more and the postage being what it should have been. This act led me to experiment with making my own stamens.

After experimenting with a number of things, I found that the things shown in the image to your left gave me the best results. These included glazed hand quilting thread, acrylic paint, and fabric stiffener. First, I rolled my flower petals and set them aside. I cut the thread into strands approximately 24 inches long, dipped them into the fabric stiffener, and then I hung them across a clothing rack to dry (do not let strands touch). The drying only takes a few minutes. After drying, I rapped the thread around a 2 1/2- inch piece of cardboard that I used as a cutting gauge. Next, I cut each end of the thread. Finally, I dipped each end into the acrylic paint.

After I dipped the stamen tips, I set them aside to dry. I used a gridded aluminum pan, but just about anything that would allow the stamen tips to hang over without touching each other would do.

Finally, the stamens are finished. One group of stamens on the tray below is commercially prepared; can you tell which one? They are the stamens on the extreme left. To the right of these are stamens that I double dipped, first in yellow paint and then in purple paint to obtain the same effect as the first group of stamens (click on the image to enlarge it.). I used the non-gloss paint for the second dip because it is not as thick as the glossy paint.

Tips: For a larger stamen tip, dip stamen ends several times. The glossy paint yields a larger stamen tip because it is thicker. Also, setting the paint aside for approximately 15 minutes before dipping will also yield a larger tip because the paint thickens the longer it is exposed to the air.

I know this is not for everyone, but for those of us that just like to make things, this will work. Enjoy!

Allison Parson's Bes-Ben Collection

2010-04-19T00:26:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, Allison Parson of Allison Parson Design was gracious enough to share her Bes-Ben millinery collection. Allison gave a talk on milliner Benjamin B. Green-Field and his label, Bes-Ben, including how she acquired this amazing collection. You would have thought that these little gems were walking the red carpet at the Oscar Awards. Observers surrounded Allison's collection capturing images with their cell phones, in most cases, and cameras. We were mesmerized paparazzi.

I always get excited when I have the opportunity to view vintage millinery. I'm amazed with the workmanship found in vintage couture millinery. These vintage hats really represent the art of millinery; they represent a time in history before couture millinery and glue gun was not mentioned in the same sentence, and before imagination and copycat didn't mean the same thing.

I learn so much when I turn over a vintage hat. I learn millinery techniques such as stitching, various ways of securing hats, trimming, finishing techniques, and how various foundation materials were utilized. Finally, I receive fresh ideas, not to copy but to build upon. Look beyond the style of these hats; look at the workmanship and learn from the past. Enjoy!

To view more Bes-Ben images, follow my link under Millinery-Related & Other Links of Interest in the right sidebar. For more information regarding the Bes-Ben label and the milliner visit the Benjamin B. Green-Field Foundation site. Also, sit in on a taped interview with Raymond Hudd; see sidebar. Hudd was influenced, in part, by Bes-Ben. Please, you have to see Hudd's work; this is the dessert!

L. A. County Fair Millinery Competition

2010-04-11T07:20:00.000-07:00

It's that time of the year again--time for all of you fabulous milliners to inter your best-made hats into the Los Angeles Fair's millinery competition! Visit Tapestry for its general entry details. Go to the bottom of the Tapestry page and click on Project Hatway Contest to download a file containing the flyer, entry forms, including any additional details for the millinery contest. If you have questions regarding the contest, please email Amy Pond-Cirelli or call her at (909) 865-4043. It's extremely important that the deadline dates be adhered to.

Images From My Last Draping Class

2010-04-05T05:30:00.000-07:00

I can't tell you how much I enjoy teaching millinery, and when the students are as enthusiastic as those that were in my last draping class, it's an extra added bonus.

Many times a full-size hat covers too much hair. No wonder that this is why the fascinator/cocktail hat is so popular today. So I made this small suede and vinyl hat for class show-and-tell, thus making draping relevant to current fashions.

A student's work should always outshine her/his instructor's, and that was certainly the case in this class. To the right is Colleen's beautiful draped pillbox. This image does not adequately show the intricate details in this lovely hat.

Gladys is quite an accomplished clothing designer, and it shows in her lovely little cocktail hat.

Thanks ladies.

Downtown Fashion Walk Millinery Fashion Show

2010-03-28T18:37:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I participated in the Downtown Fashion Walk millinery fashion show. The fashion show was electrifying. A lot of hard work went into that show; so again, thank you Heather, Colleen, Austin, Diego of California Millinery, and my daughter and the other ladies that modeled for me. Finally, thanks to Carol for taking pictures of my daughter and some of my hats.

Other images are as signed; thank you.

To view other participants' beautiful hats, follow the links below:

http://www.adeoheadshots.com/millineryparty/

Eugenia Cross, photographer

http://www.flickr.com/photos/1hipchik/sets/72157623536300197/
Austin Gray, photographer

A Day of Felting and Draping!

2010-03-09T05:05:00.000-08:00

I never miss the opportunity to take a millinery class. I'm all about the continuous learning concept. After over 25 years of taking classes and reading how-to books, I'm still learning. So when I had an opportunity to taking a felting class I jumped at opportunity. I had done a little felting in the past but I needed to upgrade my skills. Suzi Holloway of Wearable Art, Rehn Dudukgian of Bijou Van Ness, and yours truly could not have had more fun than if we were six year olds playing in the sand. The three of us actually completed our felting projects in class.

After the felting class I conducted a draping class. I brought along two hats for show and tell--a classic 1940s-style hat and a contemporary doll hat/cap. My goal was to demonstrate how versatile draping could be. Suzi completed her drape, and I must say that I was quite impressed.

Check out Suzi and Rehn at the next Downtown Fashion Walk on March 18th; I may even show up. Don't forget to visit Rehn's Web site where you will find her beautiful couture millinery creations. You can reach Suzi at Szholloway@aol.com. You'll have to pick up one of Suzi's hats and fascinators at the Fashion Walk. I even bought one of her hats at the last Walk. I was surprised that she had hats large enough to fit my size 25 1/2 head and hair.

By the way, that's Suzi holding the mirror, wearing one of her hats, and the cute lady looking into the mirror, also wearing a Suzi hat, is my little sister, Robin. Thanks again to Carol Cirillo Stanley for taking this lovely image.

Check out the purple hat that Suzi is holding. Great job!

Downtown Fashion Walk

2010-02-24T03:23:00.000-08:00

I had a great time at the Downtown Fashion Walk. Participating in the event gave me an opportunity to see what others were creating. I flaked on the cocktail hats; I just couldn't get into them at the last minute. I finally made these three hats instead. A really big Thank You goes out to Carol Cirillo Stanley for taking these lovely images.

Los Angeles Downtown Fashion Walk

2010-02-16T04:34:00.000-08:00

If you are in the Los Angeles, California, area on February 18th, you must take the Downtown Fashion Walk tour. There will be plenty to see! Pick up a couple of hats in the Spring Arts Tower Building at 453 South Spring Street (NW corner of 5th and Spring, building entrance located on 5th Street side). Stop in at the Downtown LA site for more information.

Foundations for My Cocktail/Fascinator Hats

2010-02-01T02:31:00.000-08:00

Within a few weeks I need to make quite a few hats for the Downtown Fashion Walk this month. The only way that I could possibly make the number of hats I will need is to make smaller hats; thus, I will be concentrating on cocktail hats. I always have something sitting in the corner that needs to be completed. In this case I had blocked a buckram frame that I was going to use for a draped hat. Well I decided to make cocktail hat foundations from the frame instead.

Before I get started, I promised you more free on-line millinery book sources. One of the most extensive collections of free on-line millinery books that I'm aware off is the University of Wisconsin's Digital Collection, The human Ecology Collection. I have created a search for you located here. I suggest that you read as many of these books as possible, take as many millinery classes from as many instructors as possible (even the bad ones), and finally practice, practice, and experiment, experiment. Oh, don't let anyone tell you that something has to be done a particular way...but please don't use a glue gun!

Using a compass, I drew circles on the frame. Because the utility block has nice curves, these curves would be realized in the small frames that I cut from my original blocked frame. I could have drawn a teardrop, a headband, or any irregular shape onto the buckram.

After cutting my little frames out I wired them using a buttonhole stitch. To show how the wires could be finished off, I overlapped the wire of one frame and sewed it into place. I used a millinery wire joiner on the other frame, crimped the joiner to the wire using a jewelry bead crimper. Before I discovered this little tool I used wire cutters to crimp and secure the joiners to the wire.

Next I covered the millinery wire with a bias strip of crinoline, attaching it with a running stitch. It's important to attach crinoline to the frame for two reasons--
to cover the wire and to provide an anchor for attaching the fabric. I then covered the upper frame with wadding (not shown, see the Vase Hat post).

My next step was to cover the prepared frame with fabric. I pinned the fabric to the frame by first pinning the right side, then the left, then the bottom, then the top. In other words 1/2s, 1/4s, 1/8s, etc. This causes the fabric to fit the frame better--an even pull. Notice the curved needle at the bottom of the images at left and bottom. I use a curved needle when I have a difficult time retrieving the needle from the fabric.

When a curved needle is used the needle exits the fabric in a curve, thus making it easier to pull the needle out of the fabric. You could also save your bent millinery needles and use them for this purpose. I used the whip stitch to attach the fabric and the feather trim to the frame.

I'm such a plain Jane when it comes to trimming a hat. I prefer very little if any trim, but I realize that many prefer a little bling. So, I'll add some trim, put in a lining and headband, and finally add a hat elastic. I'll post pictures after I trim this little hat.

Simply Beautiful--The Omo People Adorned

2010-01-26T22:32:00.000-08:00

I first saw this slideshow on milliner Jan Wutkowski's blog. By the end of the show I was totally relaxed and at peace. Also, I could not get the music and images out of my head. If you have not seen these slides, I hope that you enjoy them as much as I did. I'm inspired to do three things: live a simpler life; add more color to my life; and lastly, add more color to my millinery. So turn up the sound on your computer and enjoy.

Teaching Myself How to Sketch

2010-01-18T23:42:00.000-08:00

My method of designing a hat is to mentally visualize it and work from there. The problem is that when I try to recall multiple designs, most of the time my memory fails me. So, I spent a few hours yesterday trying to teach myself how to do a little millinery design sketching. I gave up on trying to add detail to the eyes, nose, and mouth and opted for what you see in the image. I guess I'll take a fashion design sketching class when I retire.

Draped Vase Hat

2010-01-11T10:04:00.000-08:00

I enjoy couture millinery because it's such a relaxing hobby for me. I would prefer to hand sew a hat than to sew it by machine any day. Most of the hats I make are similar (construction and material wise) to the hats that were referred to as "piece good hats" in earlier centuries. These hats were made from bits and pieces of fabric that were used to cover willow or buckram hat frames. Piece good hats are economical to make, fitting for the times we're living in today. There are other types of couture hats that I like. I'll discuss those in future blogs. I estimate my material costs for this project to run between four and six dollars, not including the vintage Weiss brooch that I've attached to it. Of course the time I put into making this little cutie was priceless. It doesn't hurt that I live near a wonderful discount fabric store either; so I don't have to skimp on fabric quality.

Remember that vase from my last post? Well, I felt that this extremely waisted (concave center) shape was perfect for a draping project. I took tons of images to demonstrate the process only to scale them back so that I wouldn't bore you to tears. So, if you have questions just leave them in the "Comments."

First, for those of you that are not familiar with millinery and millinery terms, Vintage Sewing.Info at http://www.vintagesewing.info/index.html is a Web site that offers free on-line millinery books. I'll pass on the names of other sites in future posts; enjoy.

To start, the buckram frame (see previous post) was cut from the vase using an extremely sharp knife.

Next, the center back of the frame was sewn from top to bottom using a whip stitch. Both top and bottom edges of the frame were wired with #19 millinery wire. Although wire can be attached using a whip stitch, I prefer to use a buttonhole stitch because this stitch does a better job of keeping the wire on the frame's edge.

The crown tip (see the small round circle in the top right image) was whip stitched to the top of the frame. Bias strips of crinoline were used to cover the top and bottom edge wires using a stab stitch for the top of the frame and a running stitch for the bottom edge of the frame.

Sheet wadding (quilter's batting for this project) was used to cover the buckram frame. Milliner's sheet wadding is used to pad millinery frames; it was optional for this project. However, if the cover fabric is thin and/or there are imperfections in the frame that affect the aesthetics of the cover fabric after it has been stretched onto the frame, the frame should be covered with wadding before draping to obtain a smoother outer cover fabric.

I prefer to use quilter's batting rather than milliner's sheet wadding because of quality issues. Purchase the thin batting and split the single layer into two layers to make it even thinner. Never cut the wadding/batting; tare it so that the fibers smooth together perfectly.

The tip and headsize were covered with fabric (see image at left).

The buckram frame was draped, first starting from the top center back of the frame down to the waist (middle) and then from the center back of the bottom opening up to the waist (one bias strip for the top and one for the bottom). Six-inch bias strips should work.

The fabric was gathered into several folds. Starting at the edge where the folds start, pin the fabric to the frame. Maintaining the folds in the fabric, pull the fabric around the frame, pinning as you go. After the top and bottom of the frame have been draped, place a few strategically placed stab stitches between fabric folds (see image at rite for inside view).

The excess fabric was cut away from the waist. A bias strip of cover fabric was placed around the center, over the draped material where top and bottom drapes meet (see final image at bottom of post). Finally, the edges of the center bias strip were overlapped and sewn together. This overlap was placed in front of the hat because the trim was to be placed over it, thus hiding the stitching.

A lining was constructed from a triangle of fabric that was folded in half twice, and then the it was cut to its center along one of the folds (see dash--cut line on the right). The two cut edges were overlapped until the square shape became a cone shaped.

The cone shaped lining was adjusted until the it fit perfectly at the headsize. One side of the lining's raw edge was folded under so that it would not show (see below right). The overlapped edges were pinned together and the excess fabric extending beyond the headsize was cut away to just below the edge of the headsize opening. The lining was removed from the hat and a circle was sewn around the tip of the cone (wrong side of fabric) and pulled together (see above right for sewing line and below right for completed lining). The lining was placed back into the hat and whip stitched into place one-fourth inch from the edge of the headsize opening (see below right). This is probably the easiest lining to make. The drape and lining are now complete.

Next the headsize ribbon was swirled (curved). The more times the ribbon is swirled the move it curves. This swirling of the ribbon is extremely important because it is this extreme curve that causes the ribbon to hug the side of the hat. After the headsize ribbon had been completed, the hat elastic was attached. The metal pointed elastic edge of the elastic is pushed through the fabric under the ribbon and lastly through the crinoline.

Finally, I attached the trim. Usually I would do this before I put the lining in, but in this case sewing on the trim did not interfere with the lining.

One more unfinished project completed!

Hat Block Alternatives

2009-12-29T19:09:00.000-08:00

You would think that if I started a blog that I would have projects lined up for posting; not so. Sure I had a few ideas, but as always I'm more creative at the last hour. As I looked around my room I studied felt, straw, and buckram material tied to traditional hat blocks that had been neglected for months, even a year or more, but the most exciting thing in the room was the the the ceramic hourglass vase covered with buckram foundation material. You see not only do I collect traditional hat blocks I also collect wooden bowls, metal bowls, ceramic vases, and just about anything I think would yield a beautiful hat.

Thrift shops, and most recently, HomeGoods--a discount store, are the places to shop! My makeshift blocks cost anywhere from under a dollar to around $15 dollars. A block the size of the large dark bowl above would cost anywhere between $120 and $250 or more dollars. Additionally, I do not pin into my traditional blocks unless I absolutely have to. These are my sculptures, my works of art..., but I will push pins into these bowls, etc., without a second thought.

My hat making material of choice is buckram (the material covering the vase). Buckram is a heavily sized cotton material, that when dampened and stretched over a block, conforms to the shape of the block. Of course it's also used dry for flat patterns that will be covered with various materials, as is the dampened, blocked, and dried buckram. Knowing how to work with buckram will allow a milliner to create any shape she desires.

Sooooo, stay toned. I can't wait until I post again. Now which one of those bowls, etc., will I use to create my next hat.

Hello!

2009-12-17T00:41:00.000-08:00

Couture millinery is my favorite hobby and I've been creating hats for about 25 years. I've taken millinery classes for most of those years because I believe that learning never ceases. For the past three years I've participated in the Los Angeles County Fair's millinery contests. In 2007 I entered two hats, for which I received two First Awards and the Craftsmanship Award; in 2008 I won Best in Show, Most Innovative, and two First Awards. I tried a little harder in 2009 entering four hats, and again winning the Craftsmanship Award, Best in Show, three First Awards, and a Second Award.

Finally after years of putting off creating a blog site I've convinced myself to "Just Do It." I'm giving up years, days, and hours of trying to talk myself out of doing something I've very much wanted to do for what feels like an eternity. I've always had a desire to sincerely promote couture millinery, and this will be my goal through this blog.

I need your help in order to keep this site fresh and fun. You will help me by leaving lots of comments and even suggestions. I need to know how you feel about what I have published, plus I need to know what your interests are. In turn I will try to be as responsive as possible.