Miniature Millinery - Making Molded Felt Hats

Hi Everyone! Welcome to Miniature Millinery! I'm excited to announce that Shari Fuller, the designer of the Thimbles and Acorns brand, will be my co-host once again, follow along as she shares with us her knowledge and experience of this topic!

Nothing makes a statement quite like a stunning hat! This month, we are really excited to make a statement with all of you as we begin exploring the topic of Miniature Millinery. In this first series, we are going to learn some basic techniques for making felt hats using The Thimbles and Acorns 18^th century Molded Felt Hat pattern.

The topic will be divided into four parts:

• This first week, in part one, we will make a round hat block that we will use to mold felt fabric into a simple wide-brimmed hat.
• In part two, we'll take the process a step further as we learn how to trim and shape our plain wide-brimmed hat into a classic 18^th century tricorn.
• In part three, we are going to see how cutting and folding can turn a basic hat into a spectacular 1940s art deco hat.
• Finally, in part four, we'll turn things upside down when we create a fun and modern Breton style hat.

It's going to be a fun course! Are you ready? Let's go...

 

 

Week One Task:

• You'll need to click over the Sewing With Cinnamon Bonuses section, and download pattern piece pages for the brim of the cockade/tricorn hat. Review the supply list below and gather up all the necessary fabrics and supplies. Then watch the video and follow along to see how it's all done!.
• Jump over the SWC Facebook Group for conversation and project sharing. Be sure to tag Shari there so she gets notified and can respond quickly!

Miniature Millinery - Molded Felt Hats Part One:

 

We encourage you to watch the video (or download it from the link above to watch offline). But we know that the written instructions can also be preferred. Follow along below for the breakdown of the entire process:

Supplies Needed:

• 4-inch styrofoam ball, the closed cell type
• 6 1/4-inch wide rubber bands, that fit snugly around the styrofoam ball
• Serrated knife
• Buttonhole thread for cutting the styrofoam ball
• Four pins, preferably T-pins to hold the hat on the styrofoam hat block
• Cornstarch or choice of Fabric Starch
• Soap
• Old towel for pressing the hat (towel should have minimal texture and may get stained)
• 12-inch square of felt

Suggested Fabrics:

• Wool or wool blend felt 
• Synthetic felt will work, but won’t look as nice
• Lightweight lining fabric, batiste, muslin, lawn, voile, or silk for hat lining

 

Preparing the hat block:

For this project, cut a 4-inch styrofoam ball in half to make the two hat blocks. The easiest way to cut these balls is to cut a shallow ridge with a serrated knife around the hemisphere of the ball. Have one person hold the ball firmly while another person draws a length of buttonhole thread around the back of the ball through the ridge in a sawing motion. The thread will slice neatly through the ball. Scrape any excess foam om the center bottom so that the hat block lays at. That’s it, your hat block is ready to use!

Preparing the starch solution:

Step 1: Feel free to use one of the many fabric stiffening products available in stores for this project. However, a simple solution of corn starch and water works quite well, costs practically nothing, and creates very little waste. 

2 cups cold water
1 Tablespoon corn starch 

Corn Starch Hat Stiffener 

Mix the corn starch and water together in a small saucepan until the corn starch is completely dissolved. Using medium heat and stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a boil. Alternately, mix the water and cornstarch together in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high, stirring every minute or so to help prevent lumps, until the mixture comes to a boil. Cover and set aside to cool while you prepare your hat.

Molding the Hat: 

Step 2: Fill a clean sink or dishpan with hot soapy water. The water should be about the temperature of dishwater with a generous squirt of dish soap or whatever type of soap you prefer. Soap isn’t really necessary for this project since we are using material that has already been felted, however, it does make it easier to manipulate the fabric. 

Step 3: Dip the felt into the soapy water, soaking it thoroughly. Wrap the wet felt around the hat block, centering it at the top and secure it around the bottom edge of the hat block with a rubber band. 

Step 4: Pull the edges of the felt, stretching it around the hat block to smooth out the puckers. Continue to smooth and stretch the felt until all the puckers are worked out on the hat block. Adjust the placement of the rubberband and dip the felt back in the hot soapy water as necessary. 

Step 5: Once the felt is smooth on the hat block, rinse it thoroughly in the cold water. 

Step 6: Leave the molded hat on the hat block and lay it on a layer of old towels. Use smooth towels as any texture om them will transfer to the hat brim during the flattening process. Spread the edges of the felt out around the hat block to form a brim and adjust the rubber band so that it lays evenly along the bottom edge. Push hat pins into the hat block just above the rubber band to hold the felt and rubberband in place. 

Step 7: Use your fingers on one hand to hold the hat along the rubber band and gently pull the edges of the felt with your other hand to stretch and flatten the brim. Working from the outer edge, press the brim at with a hot dry iron. The heat and steam om the wet felt will help to draw the fibers together to reshape and smooth the felt. Continue working around the outside of the brim, moving toward the hat block as the fabric smooths and flattens. Once you get to the hat block, work the edge of the iron up to the rubber band to form a sharp crease between the crown and the brim of the hat. 

Step 8: Once the hat brim has been flattened and smoothed, dip the hat and hat block in the stiffener, completely saturating the felt. Carefully squeeze out any excess stiffener and lay the hat back on the towel, smoothing the brim out with your fingers. If there are any lumps in your stiffener, remove them om the fabric or rub them into the fabric until they disappear. Let the hat air dry. If preferred, you can use a purchased stiffening product for this step. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions. 

Step 9: Once the hat is dry, smooth and flatten the brim with a hot iron and plenty of steam. If necessary, spray the brim with water to increase the steam. Take special care to run the edge of the iron around the edge of the hat block to get a sharp crease between the crown and the brim. 

Cutting the Hat Brim 

Step 10: Pin the hat brim template to the hat and cut the brim accordingly. Transfer the cockade placement markings to the upper side of the brim and the tacking point markings to the underside of the brim. Carefully remove the hat from the hat block.  

Step 11: If the hat will feature a cockade band, fold the 1/8-inch (3 mm) wide ribbon for the cockade band in half to form a loop, being careful not to twist the ribbon. Pin the ends of the ribbon side by side on the top edge of the brim where indicated on the pattern piece. Baste to secure. 

Bias Trim

Step 12: Cut the bias trim to the proper length. Being careful not to twist the bias trim, pin the ends right sides together. Stitch and press the seam allowance open.

 

Note: To distinguish the topside from the underside of the hat, the underside is left unshaded in the illustrations. 

Step 13: Pin one edge of the bias trim along the outer edge of the brim with the right side of the bias trim facing the underside of the brim. Stitch with a 1/2-inch (12 mm) seam allowance. 

Step 14: Turn the bias trim over the edge of the brim, pulling gently so that the bias trim lays at along the seamline underneath. Turn the raw edge under so that the folded edge lines up the with seamline on the upper side of the brim and pin in place. Hand stitch or machine stitch to secure. Press the brim using plenty of steam to set the seams and tighten up the trim around the edge of the brim. 

 

 

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