I love hats! I wish hats were more of a thing back in the states. I love getting all dressed up (or even just a little dressed up) and popping on a hat or fascinator and heading out for Ladies Day at the races or some similar function.
Last year I won a one-day hat hire from a local milliner (see photo below to see the 'free' hat) and learned that the same gal hosts millinery classes from time to time. This peeked my curiosity enough to keep an eye on her website and when classes became available, tried to find some friends also interested to take the course with me. Nobody was really interested or available, so I decided to - what the heck! - sign up anyway.
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| At Ladies' Day in York, 2015 |
The gal hosts many different courses, but I decided to take the introductory 'millinery taster' half-day course. We learned about a lot of different hat styles and techniques, tried on lots of different hats, and then got on with the hands-on stuff.
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| Wonky, self-made hat |
I got to pick out my base, then whatever color of sinamay (netting material made out of the bark of a tree related to the banana tree) I wanted. After that, it's as easy as ironing a hem around your netting, then ironing it into whatever shape and/or placement you want it before sewing it in permanently. The teacher made it look easy, creating flowers, accordion-folds, spirals, etc. lickity-split. My accordion fold came out a bit wonky, but I liked the way the swirly bits turned out on the lower half. I doubt I'll ever wear my hat out in public, but it sure was a fun afternoon!
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