I have recently been inspired by a couple of things. First, my friend Marissa’s marathon posts on her blog about her fabulous life (follow it here, trust me you’ll love it!). Secondly, I was inspired by a new hat block that I recently got. It’s a styled, scaled top hat that is so very awesome. I decided to make a sample hat and blog about it; after all, isn’t that what this blog is about any way? And away we go…
So here is what the brim section of the block looks like:
My mom said it looked like a baby toilet seat… I begged to differ. ANYWAY, This is the form that the sized buckram will be draped on. Buckram is used as a foundation for the brim and crown so the hat has shape.
The block is covered by a plastic sheet to protect the wood and preserve the block. The buckram then gets introduced to Mr. Steamer (please ignore my messy worktable wall):
When the steam hits the buckram it basically melts and conforms to the block, with help from the steel push pins of course:
Once the buckram is dry and hard again, it gets removed and prepped for the next step, covering in fabric.
Now I work on the crown. Its the same steps only the crown is way harder to block because of its shape. First the buckram:
It all seems so easy once it’s done, trust me, I cursed more times during this process that I ever have and I have a potty mouth. Figuring out the best angle to attack the crown buckram was “fun” to say the least. Now the fabric.
The above pic is of the wired edges covered in buckram and the back seam all complete. I was amazed that it got to this point and I forgot to take pictures of the wiring process. Oh wow, did you miss some fun. There were dancing poodles and circus clowns as I stitched on wire. Now the top goes on and the crown is complete.
And, the inside:
Now children when a crown and a brim love each other very much… they get sewn together at the base of the crown and the the raw edge of the brim. But first, we need to finish the brim edge. This can be accomplished in several different ways, but I just used a black and white gingham for effect.
At this point, it was late and I was tired. So I ended up stitching the crown and brim together, again, dancing poodles and circus clowns, but didn’t take pics until the finished product was done… this is the hat o’ awesomeness:
Sorry about the crappy lighting, I can’t take a pic to save my life, frankly, I blame the circus clowns. Side view:
So what did we learn kids? A – Millinery is fun and a lot of work, B – Hat blocks make my heart melt, C – These long posts are a pain in the ass to complete in one sitting and last but definitely not least, D – Order dancing poodles that are house trained.
Eventually, this hat will be available for purchase on my Etsy store. I just have to stop cuddling it and calling it “the baby”.
Hugs, G 
