Teach me how to Make Hats

[GOOD-BYE]

I'm facinated by hats from top mini hats to Cocktail Hats. I have so much time in my hands that I would like to make some hats. I don't know how to start or what is needed. To bring my creations alive. Is there anyone here that can help me out. I would really appreciated it.

How to make the hats?

Where can the material be purchase?

Thank you

Lenion Vile

[Roxy Tart {PL Team / Comm. Mgr}]

You tube is a great place to start.

*moving to the DIY forum*

[Dolly Marlowe {*}]

Hiya, doll!
I'm a milliner (a hat maker). The materials you need & the techniques to learn all depend on the hats you want to make. If you want to do felted hats (cloche, fedoras, & the like) you'll need hoods, hat blocks, hot - hot steam, and your trims. I work with straws & buckram (because I don't like using fur hoods). Again, the style of hat you create dictates the method.
Unlike other types of fashion design, millinery is a design as you create kind of deal. It's hard to have a flat sketch of a 3D hat & know how all the pieces will fit. I do French Room Millinery... it dates bak to the time of Marie Antoinette. EVERYTHING must be hand sewn... NO glue, NO sewing machine, NO pre-formed frames. I went to school to learn my craft. There are a few workshops around the country & a huge one I know of in the UK. Just do a little internet search for millinery workshops in your area. I would also suggest a book on the subject. The book depends on the technique you want to start with. Hat making is not a cheap venture either. Supplies can be hard to find & pricey, not to mention the time it takes to make a single hat (5 hours to start). That is precisely why couture hats are so expensive!
Real millinery is a fading art-form. I've seen a lot of junk out there people are trying to pass off as couture, & charging for it no less! So please, if you love hats, do your research & keep this time-honored tradition alive. Sounds terribly dramatic, I know, but they aren't just hats... they're sculpture you wear!
I hope this helped you. If you have any questions, please feel free to message me.

xoxo
Dolly Marlowe