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

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!

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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.

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

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 

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).

How to Make Your Own Millinery Flower Stamens

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!