1880’s Hat Tutorial

Well I have fully completed my 1880’s outfit with the addition of a hat!  It was my first real go at hat making…and I think, for my first time, it turned out pretty well.

Supplies:

1 yard buckram

1 yard milliner’s wire

Hot Glue or Fabric Glue

1 yd fabric

Various trims   ( I used left over fabric from my gown as well as feathers and ribbon)

The Process:

Cut out all the pieces.  One of the buckram and two of the fashion fabric.

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Then zig zag stitch the wire to the edge of the buckram brim.

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Then on the top of the hat, make small clips all around the outer edge.

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Then glue the top to the band making sure to have the small clipped edges on the inside.  Use a clip to keep it together if necessary.

* I found that I didn’t have patience to wait for the fabric glue to dry so I went to a glue gun.  Positives: quick and efficient.  Negatives: Bumpy results

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Next glue the buckram brim to the band, again keeping the clipped edges to the inside.

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Now go ahead and stitch the fabric pieces together.

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Insert one of the band/top pieces to the inside and glue.

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Next insert the buckram brim inside the fashion brim.  Whip stitch the underside first.  Try to keep it as neat as possible (you can see the negative results of using a glue gun.)   You can clean up the extra glue pieces and lint on the outside once done.

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Repeat with the top part!

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Now you can decorate to your hearts content.  Here is what I did:

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I turned up one side, added in a velvet band and attached feathers and a navy ribbon to the upturned side.

To learn how to create this hairstyle, click here.

~ Aimee

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