Buckram
I enjoyed using buckram to make this crown however I made a few mistakes that I now won't repeat when I next use it. One of the mistakes I made was not leaving enough millinery wire to overlap each other. Next time I will leave at least 2", to rectify my mistake this time I cut a new piece of wire to overlap the joint to stop the wire from becoming a hinge. I also discovered that the more you handle buckram the more the edges fray, this is due partly to the warmness of your hands etc. However, as I get quicker at blanket stitching the wire I will spend less time handling the buckram so my work should slowly get better.
I learnt whilst shaping my hat that you need to put sandbags and crumpled up calico into the indents so that when it dries the felt dries with all the dents in place.
I then went on to make the brim, I did this by placing the hat into the centre of the brim mould, and pinned it in place, making sure to match up the centre back and front. I then steam and stretched the felt across the brim and pinned it in place.
Once it had dried I took it off the block and stiffened the crown with one part stiffener, four parts water. To do this you need to work the stiffener in well with the brush, circling your brush so that it gets into all the fibres. I did not stiffen the brim, as I wanted to avoid any marks from the stiffener being visible, instead I used wire to shape and hold the brim.
Trims
Flowers- best to use a fabric made from natural materials as it will shape better, such as silk. You use a metal ball on the end of a handle, to form the curved shapes of each petal by heating these tools up, then using them with the petal on top of a sand bag. You can tell the period of a hat by what shaped flowers are used.
Bows- not tied like you would tie shoelaces, instead they are often made up of two pieces.
Feathers - you can collect feathers and make them look fancy by trimming and pulling the fluffy bits from the bottom of them. You can make them look like arrow heads, pull alternate sections out to create patters, and curl bits together, keeping in place with hair spray. You can also curl them to follow the shape of the hat by using a little seam.
Hat Bands
This is a band of cotton ribbon that runs round the inside of the crown, the part that touches the head. This can be taken out and washed. If you are making the hat to fit someone you would fit the band to the clients head first then ease it into the hat, attaching it with a pin prick stitch, with an inch overlap. Before you attach it however out need to curve and stretch the ribbon with an iron and steam ( as it is cotton it will change shape when steam is applied), this will cause one side to be longer than the other, allowing for the head getting smaller as it goes up.
I am really pleased with how my first ever felt hat came out, I am extra pleased with how it has kept its shape, and have learnt from the process its best to be patient and wait till everything has completely dried and has time to set in shape properly, as this will result in a cleaner finish. I also learnt from my previous mistake when I didn't leave enough overlap in the wire, as I did leave enough this time meaning the wire sits nicely in the hat brim.
Final Project
Reflection
I have really enjoyed millinery, and feel like I have learnt lots of different techniques in such a short space of time, many that I can apply to other parts of costume making. Having the opportunity to explore millinery has led me to find a section of costume making that I didn't realise you could have a job in, and has made me excited about finding what opportunities are out there for millinery placements. I have also really surprised myself with how much I have enjoyed hand sewing all my hats, as usually I like completing garments quickly on a machine. I have found hand sewing has made me slow down and neaten as I go, my work and work om the small details that raise a headpiece to the next level. I plan to include millinery whenever I can in my future projects, and to expand my millinery timeline so that I have as much historical knowledge as possible.
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