Hats to me are wearable art. I love the creative part and I am only limited by my imagination. Hats have come and gone as status symbols, uniforms and fashion statements as well as being functional and protective headwear.
There are two basic styles brimmed and brimless and two basic forms caps and hats. Milliners and hatters take these shapes and with the aid of many trims and details, create a never-ending range of hats for men and women.
Hats are like clothes and footwear no two heads are exactly the same. The advantages of getting a quality, unique style, designer handmade hat made for you is, you choose the shape, combine colours and textures to complement your wardrobe and it will be designed to fit your head perfectly.
You build a hat from the inside out. There are eight elements that compose a hat, size, shape, mass, position density, texture and colour. There are various millinery stitches, back stitch, running stitch and tacking. Grosgrain ribbon is used as a hat band also called sweatband.
Scissors, measuring tape, thread, bias binding, wire, grosgrain ribbon, tailers chalk, brushes, iron, damp cloth and sizing these are all the tools which are used when creating a hat.
The various foundation materials are Felt, Buckram, Sinamay, Straw, Parasisal and Silk Abaca/Jinsin. Most foundation material are previously sized and become pliable when moistened. A hat must be lightweight as possible and the foundation must be strong to support the fabric you use. The lengthwise grain is the warp and the crosswise grain is the weft. Millinery material should be easy to handle, pliable and a great deal of stretch on the bias. Surface texture should be carefully considered as it can add a great deal to the look of a hat. Plaid and stripes and patterned may change direction when cut on the bias. Limp fabrics have to be supported by an under structure. Millinery wire is used to shape a hat or for a brim.
A stylish hat is a great way of expressing your personality. There are fitting hats and sitting hats. Trendy designer hats can be worn for big occasions, intimate occasions, as well as casual and if you are like me for no occasion at all.
