Millinery Classes: Call for Serious Inquiries

Hi all, below is the message I left on my Facebook page concerning possible future classes in July and/or August.  Please only contact me if you know you will do this. I have a vast range of millinery skills that I have acquired over almost 30 years.  I do not enjoy giving "drive-by" classes in which a student walks away with the same skill level he/she walked in with--been there, done that.  You need feedback on your work giving over a period of time, especially beginners!  Location:  Torrance, California, Los Angeles County, good old sunny Southern California!

The hat to your left was constructed using a hand blocked parisisal straw hood and hand-sculptured sewn straw braid for the crown.  The brim was constructed of vintage four-inch straw braid, hand sewn (each row separate, not spiral), and wired and hand weaved where straw is joined at back. 

"I get many class inquiries through my email address and one ever once in a while on the Hatstruck Class site; many times these inquires are just that.  If you are serious about taking a class, I will consider giving one or more in July and/or August.  I don't have a regular schedule because I'm retired from my regular job, and I will never have a full-time job again, no matter how much I love it. 

In order to weed out those wanting to know how much it costs (too expensive I'm told), the cost will be between $180 and $245 (more for machine sewn straw, $575)--two, four hour days, preferably Saturday and Sunday, unless the class does not call for a break ($55 nonrefundable fee for cancellations within a week). 

I will consider doing semi-private couture classes, as my place is small, and I will not do drive-by couture classes for beginners; you will have to do the time--two hours each visit (same price) so that you will have a chance to bring your work back for critique.  I refuse to let you leave if your work looks worse than mine :)

So, if you are in Southern California or would like to travel to take a class, and you are serious, please let me know the class you are interested in taking and I will pool the class depending on what type of class the majority wants to take.  For me, because I do not have a studio, classes are expensive to pull off and I personally don't like hauling so many supplies around [but I will for these group classes if there are enough students], only send an email or message me if you are doing so to commit to a class.  Thanks"

Coming Soon, Blog Update: How to Make Leather Millinery Flowers Without Heat or Traditional Flower Making Tools!

Hint!  Can't wait?  It's not that much different from how I made this flower.  Except this one is much easier and faster.  Try it, experiment and report back. Stay tuned!

Some Hatters Tools You Should Welcome Into Your Couture Millinery Workroom

Hatters, those specializing in making men hats, have the most wonderful tools you would ever want to play with in your couture millinery workroom.  Over the years, I have passionately studied hatting.  As I've mentioned before, the fedora is my favorite hat.  I'm sure it's because of my grandfather.  I've seen where some have written that there are approximately 92 processes that go into making men hats.  I'm not writing about those making men hats in the same manner women hats are made.  I'm sure that these 92 processes probably start with the collection and processing of the wool or fur.   Anyway, to your left, are a few of the tools I have collected over the years.  With the exception of the wooden foot tolliker,  these tools range from vintage to antique, and they really have the potential to make your job easier in the workroom.  Following are short explanations describing what I use these tools for.

Hat Sizer:  Used for measuring the inside head size after a hat has been completed.  Remember that everything that we add to the inside of a hat (head size ribbon, lining, or brim lip under crown if they have been blocked separately) diminishes the head size opening.  Therefore a slight stretching may be needed if these things have not been taken into consideration before blocking the hat.

Brass Band Block:  Used to hold material inside the flange (brim block having a center head size opening) opening.  Please view the video at the end of this post to see how the brass band block is used.

Rounding Jack: Used to cut the brim a uniform distance from the crown.  Here is a demonstration showing how to use the rounding jack.

Shackle:  Used to curl the brim.  Here is a demonstration showing how to use a wooden shackle.  A demonstration showing how to use the metal shackle is shown here.

Foot Tolliker:  Used to set a 90 degree angle from the crown to the brim.  When I learned felt and straw blocking, it was required that the crown and brim be blocked separately, and that the crown or brim head size be wired.  This ensured that there would be a 90 degree angle.  However, today many of us block our hats in one piece, and if the hat is not blocked correctly, it will droop from the head size (when not in the design).  I use the wood tolliker on straw and the iron tolliker on felt.  Another way I use the the foot tolliker is to reduce the head size of a hat after it has been blocked.  View this video for a demonstration on using the wooden tolliker.

Pot Belly Polishing Iron:  I'm not sure if this is the correct name for this iron.  I know that it is a polishing iron, and I call it a pot belly iron because the underside of the iron is curved.  This is not a hatter's iron.   I actually saw it in a vintage millinery book.  I don't even know how milliners used the iron.  However, I use the iron to curve brims without the use of brim blocks, as well as to iron dents and creases into hats, especially fedoras.

Below is a YouTube video that I fell in love with because I learned a new technique.  I can bash an open crown (a man's hat crown having no dents/creases) as well as any man or woman, I'm  proud to say.  As a matter of fact I prefer hand bashed crowns on men.  What I liked about this video is how the hatter blocked the crown on an open crown block, then put it on a pre-shaped fedora block having built in bash and telescope, and finally using the tolliker to set the telescope at the tip (top) of the crown.  Just another way of doing it, although the end results is still a pre-shaped hat.  Anyway, enjoy the video.  Oh, if you are familiar with hatting or blocking in general or the difference between hat bodies and hoods, you may notice a few interesting things in or not in this video.