What? Another Millinery Class! Collapsible Straw Travel Hats and Free-Form Hats, Including Silk Organza Hand-Rolled Flowers!

OK, on this Saturday, March 8, my felt blocking class will take place, and boy am I really excited.  As far as student turnout, it's a success!  A lot will be going on on Saturday.  Two students are returning for a hangout.  My millinery teacher, Mrs Essie Edwards, will be stopping in. She also introduced me to one of her former students that is selling off her hat block collection.  I purchased some of them and asked her to bring the others to class in case some of the students wanted to purchase her remaining lot.  I have some interesting students attending the class, one a television personality.  I'm putting together a student notebook to keep me on track, as well as something to give the students to help them out after they leave class.  Food, what will we eat; I'm still thinking about that one.  Yes, I'm excited!  I get excited about everything that has a learning and/or artistic component associated with it.  I'm finally winding down from putting the class together--not one of my best loved things, but this child-like giddiness is the payoff! 

Well, like having a baby, you always forget the pain.  I'm thinking about my next class, if you're interested.  I wanted to do something light, something where I wouldn't have to haul hat blocks, except for maybe balsa utility blocks. The decision was easy.  Why not do collapsible travel hats and silk organza, hand-rolled flowers to put on the hats?  In addition to the travel hat I'll add non-travel hats with fully standing crowns and large brims that turn up or down--no hat blocks needed--appropriate for the races!  Yes that's it!

So, I've pulled together images of travel hats I made in the long past and some hand-rolled flower images to give you an idea what I'm thinking about.  I don't have images of the the full sized hats made without hat blocks, but as soon as the class is over I will get busy making a few, and I will post them when I finish.  The travel hats and full hats can take from 5 minutes to an hour or so to make, depending on the brim treatment.  You could be your own little factory if you decided to sell them.

Back in the early 1990s travel hats were very popular.  They were selling for $250 and up on Melrose in West Los Angeles and Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills.  You probably could find some going for that price in some high end stores today; I really couldn't say since I don't spend much time at Neimans any today because they don't have a large hat department any longer.  Back in the day I would go anywhere that had beautiful hand made hats to look at.  When visiting Neimans I would opt out of the valet parking and purchase a piece of candy so I could get my parking ticket validated.  Now you didn't think that I was going to purchase a hat did you?

Anyway, today travel hats are still big sellers, including the other free-form, more sculptural hats. They sell extremely well at fairs, conventions, and in boutiques.  They are loved by the young, as well as the more seasoned ladies; they can also be made in men styles.  I've noticed them selling between $35 and $120, depending on the type of straw they are made in, most recently.  Let's face it, these are the types of hats that spell creativity.   That's what many prospective hat buyers are looking for--something different.  So if you don't have any hat blocks, and you want a sure seller for all ages, this would be the perfect class for you.  Or you may just want to make something creative and special for yourself.  I'll get back to you with more images. 

Well, if you're interested, let me know; late April?  Plus, the price of the class is lower because of the materials and shorter time period for teaching it.

Creating a Top Hat Without a Top Hat Block (continued)

Continuing with my little top hat project from my last post, it has been a wonderful journey.  Because I didn't have a top hat block, I figured out a simple way to flare the tip (top) of the hat without such a block.  So the next challenge was to taper the crown down to the smaller head size, and also to create a more attractive curve from the edge of the tip to the head size.  I was pleased with the outcome, and I learned a few things along the journey.  Because of what I learned, my next step will be to create a cardboard or foam transition block rather than using my protein powder can.

I can't emphasize the importance of  experimentation in order to improve one's skills.  Had I asked someone how to do this, and if they would have told me how to do it, I would have missed out on all of the things learned in-between--hits and misses--including the new applications learned that could be applied to other projects. 

Anyway, above is an improved version and to your right is the first version of my top hat; note the taper, plus I decided to flatten the tip.  The technique for tapering the sideband came from my Pinterest board, How Other Milliners and Hatters Do It, the pin on creating a Fosshape top hat.  When you think about it, Fosshape has some of the same properties as felt, it's a non-woven material that stretches under steam and heat, etc., (1. non-woven material, 2. stretches under steam and heat).   So given that they share some of the same properties, it's intuitive that the sideband of the felt would be shaped in the same manner as the Fosshape top hat, correct?  Anyway, wonderful tutorial, but my tip was created in a much simpler manner.  I will be teaching how I created my flared top hat in my upcoming class on March 8, join us.  Wow, I just told you how to do it!  Pretty easy if you don't focus on how I did mine.  I can think of several other ways of doing this, and I'm sure that many of you can do much better than I did.

Forgive the lousy pictures; I'm having camera issues.

How to Tie a Hat Blocking Cord; A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words; Felt Blocking Class

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

I've been busy blocking some fur felts and a few buckram frames, so I thought I would share the felts with you.  Here, "a picture is worth a thousand words," is a great title for the image to your right.  When I visit a person's workroom on the Web, I immediately look around their workroom, and most of the time I learn something.  Here, not every blocking situation takes the same application.  So here is a little something for you to study.

My Upcoming Felt Blocking Class

Well my felt blocking class is a go!  I am so much looking forward to it.  I love to teach millinery, but as I mentioned more than several times, I hate setting up a class.  It just takes so much out of me; maybe it's the biting of tongue that gets me down.  Anyway I'm at a breathing point where the rent on the center and the materials  will be covered; that's more than enough for me.  If you are interested in taking the class, the fee is $325 minus a few discounts that you may qualify for.  You are free to contact me at lduncan@hatstruck.com if you are interested in taking the class; fees are now due.  For a few additional details, please see my previous post at http://hatstruck.blogspot.com/2014/02/hatstruck-couture-millinery-class-felt.html.  The class will be held on Saturday, March 8, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., at the Torrance Cultural Arts Center, 3330 Civic Center Drive, Garden Room B, Torrance, California, 90503.

Learn to Tie Your Own Blocking Cord

I know that I keep repeating over and over again that I don't nail/pin into my vintage sculptures (hat blocks), I'll leave that for my true work horses, my balsa wood utility blocks and my brim utility blocks.  My brim utility blocks are just brim blocks that conform to the average ready-to-ware hat brims.  If I can only get a few people to protect their vintage hat blocks from destruction, I would be so happy.  Just a little something you may want to think about; I don't think that I've ever seen a hatter (men hat maker)  nailing into her/his blocks, but yet they have some of the most beautifully blocked hats there are, even their soft hats.  I said hatter, as in a real hatter.  Anyway, if you don't know how to tie a blocking cord, I hope the following video I made for you will be helpful.  I don't know if all milliners tie their cords this way, but this method works for me.  By-the-way, it's more to blocking than tying or nailing materials to a hat block, just saying.

 Enjoy!