I have seriously caught the hat making bug. I found a lovely Vogue pattern and wanted to make some cocktail hats:
http://voguepatterns.mccall.com/v8868-products-44627.php?page_id=181
Big problem: the materials listed are either not available or only through a whole saler. To make one hat I would have had to buy over $300 worth of supplies. After that I could make about 70 hats, but unless I have buyers lined up, that wasn't economically viable.
I am a thrifty person and since starting on this costuming journey, I have developed an eye for opportunities. While at one of my favorite thrift stores, I found a hat, a very ugly hat, but I realized that the materials were good quality horsehair.
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| Ugly thrift store find=great materials |
I bought the hat and then took it apart. With just a little work, some feathers from my stash within a short time I had a lovely hat.
This type of hat is great for dance too as it is light weight and can be securely pinned.
Emboldened by this success, I went on to look at other types of hats. I found a wonderful blog called Hatstruck, and read several posts and then watched a great collection of videos on different hat making techniques. Sinnamay or hand woven grass makes lovely hats, but is very expensive. Hat blocks also can run upwards of $130 and my budget just isn't up to that.
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| A sinnamay place mat, some wooden bowls will become a hat |
Thanks to the ideas on Hatstruck, I looked at the thrift store for materials for the hats, and found some handwoven sinnamay placemats, a wooden bowl and a little wooden lid with a lip. I drew a pattern, steamed and blocked the sinamay and then cut it out.
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| Blocking sinnamay |
The sinnamay needs to be stiffened with something because it does not hold its shape very well. I have some rice starch which I am going to try but it may be that I will have to order proper sizing.
Just blocking the sinnamay with water and steam does not work long term. I got a ice shape but when I tried sewing it, the sinnamay just lost its' shape. So, I tried the rice starch. This is called Nori past and is used by the Japanese in making Kansashi flowers. I figured since it is used for giving silk (a natural fiber) some body, it should work on grass. the only down side I can see is long term. Since rice starch is a natural product it could become moldy of the hat every got damp. Eventually I will order the "proper" supplies but since I am learning techniques now I figured this was good enough.
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| Sinnemay blocked with Nori paste |
I took my foam head, covered it in cling wrap and then took the sinnamay, which I had first moistened with warm water, and pinned it onto the the head. Then I used a foam brush and brushed the Nori paste onto it and let everything dry overnight. This worked very well; the sinnemay was firm but still pliable. I then cut out a tear drop shape, rolled the edges to form a bound edge, made a wire shape and sewed everything together. I then covered the edge with some rayon ribbon. You could also use millinery gross grain.
While "researching" hat making techniques I came across some images of french ombre flowers. They are made from millinery gross grain ribbon and French wired ribbon. These items are pretty pricey to buy, if you can find them. My great aunt at one time made hats and I had a big box of trims in the cupboard. I never knew what to do with it but now, endless possibilities.
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| Huge box of vintage trims, millinery ribbon, rickrack etc. |
I used some of the ribbons to make some ribbon flowers and then added this to the hat. I am still playing around with where to place the flowers and what I want the hat to look like but I think this is a pretty good first run.
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| Front view of the cocktail l hat with flowers |
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| Side view of cocktail hat |
I'll be trying some other techniques, shapes and ideas and I'; keep you posted.
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