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.

Hatstruck Attending HATITUDE! CAAM'S ANNUAL HAT SHOWCASE AND HAT COMPETITION

Myesha Collins, Grand Prize Winner

On Sunday, April 7, I attended Target Sundays at the California African American Museum (CAAM).  This Sunday featured Hattitude! CAAM's annual hat showcase and hat competition. Every year I would hear my millinery classmates talking about the event in class, and every year I had promised that I would attend it.  Well, this year I made it.  Although I missed some of the events, I arrived in time to enjoy the wonderful singing performances and a fabulous fashion show.  Mrs. Essie Edwards and her daughter Catiana accompanied me to the event.  I love, love being in the company of good people.  Thanks you guys.  Last came the hat competition! 

Before we arrived to the event, some of the attendees had created their own whimsical hats on site, and some of those creations were entered into the fashion show.  Competition categories included children, men, and women hats.  Some of the contestants modeled their purchased hats, some modeled hats that they had made at the event, and some modeled their own custom made designs.  Each category had a first place winner; there were no second place winners.  Of those winners, there was a grand prize winner, Myesha Collins.  CONGRATULATIONS MYESHA!  Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to take pictures of all of the contestants and their hats because I was standing in line waiting to model my hat; plus my little toes were cursing me for wearing heels.  There was so much excitement in line until I think most of us probably didn't think about taking pictures.  I took Myesha's picture only after the competition had ended.

The first place winner was none other than yours truly!  Yes, I was the first place winner in the women's category.  I didn't even think I would place because of the large number of church hats that were in the competition.  One of the judges told me that it was the uniqueness of my hat--the spider, etc.  It was unbelievable the number of inquiries that Mrs. Edwards and I received concerning our hats.  Apparently many people still want custom made couture hats and millinery classes.  Sorry, I don't do custom hats for others, and I've been a bit slow with the classes, but they're coming.          As always, click on the images to enlarge them.