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Making your own hats - ladies hats?

SweetieStarr

A-List Customer
Messages
314
Location
CA
Does anyone make your own hats? If so, are there any good patterns, books, tutorials, etc? As a lady, I'm most interested in ladies hats.

Thanks!
 

Joie DeVive

One Too Many
Messages
1,308
Location
Colorado
I haven't had a chance to make any yet, but I bought a delightful softcover book from the 1940s on the subject. I'll see if I can pull it out tomorrow for the title. It includes some diagrams and patterns you can size up to real size along with ways to remake old hats and a number of other topics.

You could also take a look at the Vintage Vogue reprint patterns that are available at your fabric store. Again, I haven't had a chance to use mine yet, but it would be a place to start...
 

AllaboutEve

Practically Family
Messages
924
I'm glad that this thread has come up as I have been thinking about making hats too recently.
I've just found out that the person my other half is working for used to be a couture milliner in Milan, so I think I may have to bend her ear off, but I'd dearly love to find a book or two.
 

Rachael

A-List Customer
Messages
465
Location
Stumptown West
I've had some good luck with a Vintage Vogue pattern, but mostly I buy hats that have a shape I like, then embellish it with my own trims. That's the fun part anyways. I wonder if one could order ladies' hat blanks from the 40's
 

Joie DeVive

One Too Many
Messages
1,308
Location
Colorado
Ok, I dug out that book this morning. The title is:

How to Make and Trim Your Own Hats by Vee Powell

This additional information is printed on the front and is pretty accurate:
"Instructions and patterns from start to finsih. How to cut pin sew put together Calots, Straws, Sailors, Half Hats, Pillboxes, Off-the-face Brims, Jockey hats, Snoods, Dutch Bonnets, Knitted and Crochet hats. Bags to match- Over-Arm Bag, Crochet Over the Shoulder Bag, Plus Scores of Trimming ideas and instructions for Summer, Spring and Winter. Veilings, Flowers, Hat Pins, Ribbons, Beadings, Embroideries and Sequins."

It's a softcover book with about 40 pages. I bought it on Ebay a few years back.

Here are a couple interesting sites on the subject. I haven't used any of them, but they sell a number of items from fabric to hat frames:

http://www.patternstudio.com

http://www.judithm.com/
 

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