1928—The New-Way Course in Millinery and Hat Design
Lesson 25—Summary of Important Points and Suggestions on Millinery and Hat Design
Summary of Important Points and Suggestions on Millinery and Hat Design
We have now reached the last lesson of our course on Millinery and Hat Design. You have been taught the essential points concerning this most interesting subject. It is not only interesting, but a great deal of money can be saved and earned by putting this valuable information to practical use. If you care to make hats for others the rewards are great, but on the other hand, if you prefer to make hats just for yourself and family, the saving on what would be paid for the hats at a millinery store will be astonishing.
Of course, you can't be expected to remember every word that you have studied—that would be next to impossible as well as impractical. You have your lessons, which are always ready to help you when you are in need of assistance. Refer to them when in doubt, for together with your own ideas they will be the means of forming valuable foundation material and assist you greatly to your future success as a competent milliner.
However, just because you have worked hard on your lessons and spent a great deal of time on them does not mean that you will be successful unless you add your own ideas, gather ideas from others, and as time goes on you will be able to copy any hat you see, because you have built for yourself a good, firm foundation and each hat you make adds just that much to your future success.
I am certain you realize that perfectly stunning little hats can be made for a small fraction of the price you would pay at the store. Also millinery is fascinating work. It is such fun to go through the different steps and finally arrive at the last one and with a feeling of triumph, slip the hat on and after gazing a long time in the mirror say, "Yes, I made it myself."
We all like to have hats that are different from those worn by our friends. To buy these hats means more money than many people are able to pay. Still, by copying the hat from an imported model or some attractive one you noticed in an exclusive millinery shop window, you can have a hat very similar for ever so much less money.
If a hat is priced at $35.00, it isn't the material that brings the price up; it is the fact that the hat is different from a hundred others you have seen; in other words, you are paying for the style. Buy the material and sew the style into it yourself. In this way you can have half a dozen hats or more for less money than a hat at the above price would cost.
Before we end this interesting and fascinating subject of Millinery and Hat Design, we should have a little review. Remember how at the end of the school year we used to study real hard for the finals? Well, I want you to do the same thing here. Read the following sentences over carefully and be sure that you understand every part.
A Word on the Subject of Millinery and Equipment
1. There are two branches to the study of millinery—the construction and the design.
2. The construction consists of the technical part or the making of frames and the learning about foundation materials.
3. Design teaches how to combine color harmoniously, how to achieve the just right angle or curve and how to carry out your own ideas.
4. After you have mastered the two branches, hat construction and hat design, you must be able to follow the millinery fashion without the least bit of trouble.
5. Ever since the early ages, the city of Milan has been famous for its ribbons and silks.
6. It was in Milan that a gentleman first conceived the idea of creating various types of hats for different types of women.
7. In Europe, the gentleman of Milan was spoken of as "The Milaner," so from "Milaner" we have our own word millinery.
8. It is well to fix up a part of your sewing room to use for millinery purposes.
9. The millinery needle is longer than the ordinary sewing needle.
10. If only a small amount of work is done and millinery needles are not available, a darning needle may be used.
11. An emery bag is handy, for rough needles can be made smooth in a very short time.
12. The usual dressmakers' pins are used for millinery purposes, but be sure to have a good supply, for they are very essential in millinery.
13. A large size scissors should be used, generally about 1 1/2 inches long.
14. The usual milliner's thread has a softer finish than dress makers' thread.
15. Because millinery thread has a soft twist and finish, it can be drawn through materials much easier than ordinary thread.
16. A thimble is an absolute essential in hat making. The materials are heavy and practically impossible to sew without one.
17. A pair of long-nose pliers are used for cutting wire.
18. Of course, a yard stick and tape measure are always necessary.
19. In order to have comfort in one's work a good light must be supplied. The light should fall over the left shoulder.
20. A sewing machine is very important in millinery work. To be sure, the work may all be done by hand, but often time is saved by using the machine.
21. The cutting gauge is helpful when cutting bias strips.
22. Great care should be taken in joining bias pieces.
23. The sewing machine attachments are very helpful for millinery purposes.
Stitches Used in Millinery
24. The running stitch is used a great deal and a pretty effect may be gained when the material is gathered by means of this stitch.
25. The two kinds of basting stitches are useful and are used when binding edges of buckram with crinoline.
26. The back stitch is a strong stitch and is often used in making seams in hat materials.
27. The blind stitch is used where no stitch is to show on either side.
28. The catch stitch is useful in holding down hem on material that does not fray badly.
29. The overcasting stitch is valuable when sewing wire on the edges of brims and crowns.
30. The sliding stitch is an emergency stitch and is used to fasten thread where it will be impossible to take a stitch.
31. The buttonhole stitch is used as a trimming and makes a nice finish for edges.
32. The slip stitch conceals any evidence of stitching and is therefore a valuable aid in joining turned edges.
33. The tie stitch is used where one stitch is needed to fasten flowers.
34. The stab stitch is used in sewing heavy fabrics such as buckram.
35. One of the uses of the saddler's stitch is for sewing materials over wire to finish the outer edge of the brim or crown.
Materials
36. The first looms for braiding straw made their appearance about 1840.
37. Most of the raw straw material is obtained from China, Japan and Italy.
38. Tuscan braid is a strong, durable braid which comes in rich, creamy yellow or light tan.
39. Leghorn braid comes from Italy.
40. Milan braid is stiff, though pliable and not difficult to work with.
41. The plant that yields the fiber for the hemp is grown in the Philippines.
42. Hemp dyes well, the surface takes an excellent gloss and the color is retained a long time.
43. Manila hemp is obtained from a species of the banana.
44. Chip braids are made from willow.
45. Yedda comes from a tall grass grown in Italy, Japan and the Philippines.
46. Siberia, China, Australia and Switzerland contribute to the supply of horsehair which is used so extensively in millinery.
47. Ramie braid comes from the nettle plant which is grown in China.
48. Panama hats are not made in Panama; it is merely the distributing point.
49. Bamboo hats are made from the tall stalks of the bam boo.
50. Novelty braids are hat straws combined in numerous ways to form different effects.
51. Felt hats are not new but were adapted in France in 1453.
52. Materials used in the manufacture of felt hats are obtained from the fur-bearing animals of Australia, Russia, Siberia and Scotland.
53. The cheapest grade of felt is made of the combination of wool waste and cotton.
54. In olden times only the men and women of nobility wore velvet hats, because the fabric was scarce.
55. Velvet is used for fall and winter hats.
56. Duvetyne is a soft, rich fabric that wears well.
57. Satin is used for in-between hats.
58. Only the softer qualities of taffeta are used for millinery purposes, as the stiffer qualities are usually artificially weighted, and they break and crack very easily.
59. To know whether or not silk is weighted burn a small piece. If it burns to a fine, gray ash, it is pure silk; if a stiff black framework remains after the silk is burned away, the material is weighted.
60. Maline, tulle, georgette crepe, chiffon, lace or net are used for transparent hats.
61. Short-haired furs are used for fur hats.
62. Some of the foundation materials are buckram, willow, cape net, sometimes called rice net, and crinoline.
63. Mercerized materials are used for the cheaper hats, and china silk and taffeta for the higher priced ones.
64. Bandeaux are used to make the headsize smaller or to fit the hat at the proper and becoming angle.
Types of Shapes—Wire Frames
65. There are eight basic types of hats and all shapes may be traced to these.
66. Cable wire is the heaviest wire used in millinery.
67. Lace wire is used for wiring ribbons, laces and flowers.
68. Spring, or sprung wire, is made of steel and is fitted with a milliner's clasp.
69. Frame wire, which is also known as brace wire, is used for making hat frames.
70. Wire should be carefully handled or it will tangle.
71. Do not bend or make small dents in the wire as they cannot be removed once they are made.
72. When wires are crossed at right angles, it is sometimes necessary to tie them.
73. Always join wire at the center back.
74. Wire shapes are covered with crinoline before other materials are used.
75. A crown of a hat is very much more comfortable if it is a little longer from front to back than side to side.
76. Study carefully the making of wire crowns for they must be well made in order to make a good-looking, well-constructed hat.
The Buckram Frame
77. The buckram frame is cut and shaped, wired where necessary and covered with hat material.
78. The smooth side of buckram is the right side.
79. The smooth right side of buckram is always used where it shows most.
80. Care must be taken that buckram does not become creased or broken.
81. It is best to draw the edge of buckram across the edge of the table before using, bending it the opposite direction to that in which it rolls.
82. In making buckram frames use coarse thread.
83. When possible hat brims are cut all in one piece.
84. Brace wire is used for wiring buckram frames.
85. Crinoline is used to make soft frames for fabric hats.
86. Crinoline is much finer than buckram.
87. Always use buckram or any other foundation material with the lengthwise thread running straight from front to back.
88. If this is not done the shape will not keep its correct lines, and the hat will not wear so well.
89. Paper patterns are a great help in planning hats.
90. All the different hat types are carefully explained and the directions must be followed exactly.
91. Crinoline could be carefully sewed to cover the wire edge of a buckram frame.
92. Molded crowns can be made over a wooden hat block or a buckram crown may be wired and used for a mold.
Helpful Hints to Be Learned Before Making a Hat
93. Great care should be taken in cutting bias bands correctly.
94. When joining bias strips be sure they match exactly.
95. Learn the short cut for cutting crinoline, especially if you use a great deal of it.
96. If you have studied this lesson carefully, you will know exactly how much material to buy when you are planning to make a hat.
97. Flange work is merely bias material used on the edge of a hat.
98. Many small scraps of materials can be utilized in making handbags, pin trays and dozens of other useful articles.
99. Great care should be taken in ripping hats, for it is very easy to ruin good material.
100. Loops of ribbon may be pressed out by using a heated curling iron.
101. The hat may be pinned to the skirt at the knee and in this way both hands are left free to work on the hat.
102. If a hat is stiff and brittle and shows signs of cracking, steam it and the straw becomes soft again.
103. If you wish to fasten a feather which has dropped from your feather ornament place a few drops of black ink in a small amount of library paste.
104. Scissors may be sharpened by opening and closing them quickly on a piece of glass.
105. Small pegs on the bottom of a sewing machine drawer will help to keep the spools in place and the thread from tang ling.
106. The nap of velvet should always run from the front to back.
107. If wires for frames must be pieces, use milliners' clasps which may be purchased at a milliner supply house.
108. In attaching linings the seams in the lining should be at the center back.
109. Never leave selvages on the materials used in millinery.
110. Always make paper patterns for hats to be cut from buckram.
111. If buckram frames are broken, shellac the broken places to restore shape and line.
112. When cutting sheer materials, such as chiffon or georgette, it is wise to draw a thread through as a guide.
113. The list of definitions we have given you will help you a great deal.
Methods of Covering Crowns
114. It is very often the crown that determines whether the hat is a success or a failure.
115. It is most important that the crown be well covered as well as a good foundation made.
116. The sectional crown tip is made of velvet as well as many other materials.
117. On this kind of a crown fold the material so the four sections can be cut at one time.
118. A cord is sometimes drawn through a sectional crown and gives a very pleasing effect.
119. For making the conventional side crown drape, material is often cut on the bias.
120. The modified crown drape is block-shaped, flat on the top and all flat edges.
121. In covering the round crown, different methods may be used. The crown tip may be made or the crown covered all in one piece.
122. The sectional crown is used a great deal and is nice for soft hats.
123. The tam-o-shanter is always in style in one form or another.
124. The tuck is important in millinery for it is a trimming and a finish in one.
125. Hats made of braid are very effective and are interesting to make.
Covering of Brims—Linings
126. If velvet is used to make the lengthwise drape, it should be on the bias.
127. If the material is extremely sheer, such as georgette crepe, net or lace, it should be cut on the straight.
128. In this brim covering, cut your material two inches wider than the brim and twice the length of the outer edge of the brim.
129. The shirred drape may be varied by making tucks one inch apart.
130. The crosswise drape sometimes serves the purpose of brim covering and trimming in one.
131. An overdrape crown is arranged so that it begins at the headsize on one side of the brim and is brought over the brim to the headsize on the reverse side in one continuous piece.
132. In making a hat of transparent material the wires are wound with the material before the covering is put on.
133. In applying the horse-hair braid to the brim, extend the first row over the edge wire almost the full width of the braid.
134. There are several ways of finishing the edge of a brim. Study them all carefully so you will know how to apply all of them.
135. The three kinds of linings are French, plain and tailored.
136. The origin of the word bandeau, is from the French word which means "little band."
Ready-Made Trimming
137. The ordinary interpretation of the word "trimming" in millinery is to dress up the hat.
138. The first feathers used for trimmings were the ostrich tips used by a certain Scotch class.
139. There are two types of wings, the natural and the manufactured.
140. The quill is a single feather taken from the end of the wing or tail of the bird.
141. Quills are usually used on hats for young people.
142. In making ribbon trimmings great care should be taken, and it should be remembered that practice makes perfect.
143. Ribbons should be selected wisely.
144. Weighted ribbons do not wear well.
145. Ribbon is sometimes made with a picot edge and is popular both for millinery work and dressmaking purposes.
146. Sometimes wide ribbons are used for making hat crowns.
147. A bunch of fruit or flowers is used to denote several sprays attached in one group or "bunch" as the word implies.
148. A spray is just one natural bunch as it would appear on the tree or bush where it grew.
149. A wreath is made up of single pieces of fruit or sprays of flowers tied together in circular form and used ordinarily to encircle the crown of a hat.
150. A cluster usually denotes a number of flowers clipped close to the stem and arranged in a sort of bouquet.
151. A good milliner can always distinguish between these four terms and knows at once the difference between a bunch, spray, cluster and wreath.
Making Your Own Trimmings
152. The use of hand made flowers both in millinery and dressmaking increases each year.
153. Flowers may be made from satin, velvet, georgette, maline, and yarn, as well as from many other fabrics.
154. Most foliage is made smaller than it naturally is.
155. When well made, violets are a charming note of trimming to the summer or spring hat.
156. Before making any kind of flower it is wise to study the real flowers and match the colors as near as possible.
157. Bows make attractive hat trimmings and are easy to make if the directions are carefully followed.
158. Bows make a trimming that is as appropriate for the young girl as well as for the older woman.
Design and Color
159. As you studied the different types of hats worn years ago, I am sure you noticed their influence on present-day styles.
160. Hats as we know were first worn in the 15th century.
161. The word "hat" itself probably had its origin in the Anglo Saxon word "haet" which means to cover.
162. You will have to watch your face and your hats, and suit the shape of the hat to the expression and the requirements of the face.
163. A hat with a light facing shows up the lines of the face more than a hat with a dark facing.
164. If one is young and tall and fond of sport clothes, a felt hat is appropriate. However the young person is not the only one who can wear the felt hat.
165. Study carefully the eight points of the hat which are also the eight points of design.
166. The subject of color is very important and should be carefully studied in connection with millinery.
167. The right color should be selected for the right type.
Your Hat and You—Planning a Hat
168. Almost anyone can learn to make a hat—but only when you can create hats that are individually becoming, can you call yourself an expert milliner.
169. The tall woman cannot wear the hat that the short woman wears.
170. In planning a hat it is necessary to consider the lines of the face, the coloring of the face and hair—even the height.
171. The ideal hat for a short woman is one with a narrow brim, a rather high crown and perhaps one that is slightly turned up at the back.
172. Sometimes the entire appearance of the tall woman is marred by the choice of a wrong type of hat.
173. A large drooping brim takes a great deal from the height of the wearer.
174. When one is tall the drooping brim is most becoming.
175. If a person has a short tip-tilted nose, a hat that turns up sharply from the face should be avoided.
176. There must be harmony between hat and the frock and wrap.
177. The choice of hats, we are told, helps to reveal one's personality.
178. It is well to know exactly how to copy a hat.
179. It is best to purchase all materials by daylight for often the colors do not look the same at night.
180. Sometimes it is best to select the trimming after the frame is covered.
181. When purchasing trimmings, always take suitability and harmony into careful consideration.
182. A hat can be entirely devoid of trimming, and yet smart and attractive.
183. Fashion magazines help greatly in getting suggestions for hats.
Making of Different Kinds of Hats
184. Always remember if your shape is covered with velvet, the velvet should be put on so that the nap runs from the front to ward the back.
185. Be sure that the grain of the material to be used for the facing is the same as the grain of the material used on the top brim.
186. Be sure not to stretch the outside of the facing of any hat.
187. The tilt of all hats should be on the right side.
188. When maline is used to cover a hat four thicknesses are usually used.
189. If possible sew braid on crown in one continuous piece.
190. If you are able to make good foundations for hats whether they are buckram frames or shapes for a soft hat, you will have no trouble making any kind of a hat you desire.
The Right Hat at the Right Time
191. When one is attired in formal evening dress, it is bad form to wear a hat.
192. Tailored clothes are appropriate for most all occasions.
193. Sport hats are often worn for morning affairs.
194. When traveling, it is wise to dress plainly and as inconspicuously as possible.
195. If bright colors are chosen for travel great care should be taken that the matter is not overdone.
196. The styles for travel should not be extreme, but should be well chosen as to durability and occasion.
197. A tweed coat is exceptionally nice for traveling.
198. In the afternoon, summer or winter, one usually wears a rather dressy hat, harmonizing as to style and color, with the rest of the costume.
199. The sport hat becomes more popular each year.
200. The felt hat is neat, but most kinds cannot be made by the home milliner unless she has a great deal of rather expensive equipment.
201. Sport hats made of quilted satin are smart and attractive.
202. The ribbon hat is most attractive and may be made of ribbon about the same width as straw braid, and applied in much the same way.
203. The satin and taffeta sports hat is neat, but care must be taken that this kind of hat is not confused with the hat worn for more dressy occasions.
204. Years ago it was commonly thought that the elderly woman must wear black and in fact only the dullest of colors. However this notion has been erased and now the elderly woman can wear the gayest sport hats if she desires.
205. The young girl has a great variety of colors and shapes to select from. Her youthful face makes the choosing of hats very simple.
206. The close fitting hat is most becoming to the youthful face.
207. There are several types of bridal veils for they change the same as hats.
208. Large floppy hats are usually chosen by the brides maids.
209. Transparent hats for the bridesmaids are often made of tinted lace over maline.
210. There are no iron-clad rules concerning mourning, it is merely a matter of taste, but if one prefers to be conventional, black should be worn.
211. It is safe to say that any material without a shiny, glossy surface may be used for mourning hats and veils.
212. Sometimes a dull ornament or the head of the hat pin provides trimming to the mourning hat.
213. The mourning veil varies with each season. Sometimes it is long and sometimes short.
Making Hats for Children
214. If you can make a hat for yourself you can make a child's hat.
215. The hat shapes most commonly used for children are of the blocked variety.
216. The blocked hats are usually purchased ready made.
217. Tam-o-shanters are most appropriate for children.
218. Little fabric hats to match dresses are so neat for the little girl.
219. These little hats may be made on a buckram frame, crinoline or cotton flannel may be used.
220. Organdie hats made in pastel shades are so appropriate for the little girl.
Renovating
221. The first thing that we must consider, in the matter of millinery economy, is the renovating of hat materials and trimmings.
222. Naphtha is used for dry cleaning purposes.
223. Lace should always be soaked before washing.
224. An excellent way to wash lace is to put it in a pint jar of soapy water and shake well.
225. Ribbons may be washed but it is not as satisfactory as dry cleaning.
226. If buckram frames are broken, they may be repaired by pressing and going over the cracked place with shellac.
227. There are many standard preparations for retinting and recoloring faded straws.
228. When retinting hats bear in mind that they must be darker in shade than the original color of the straw.
229. Some silks can be refreshened by washing in warm soap suds.
230. Almost all flowers can be made to look fresh and new by shaking gently over a steaming cloth. Flowers of silk, muslin, sateen or velvet can be treated in this way.
231. Chiffon, maline, net, veilings and other thin materials can be refreshed by steaming and pressing.
232. By using a soft brush and water colors mixed with naphtha, old flowers can be retouched at home.
233. An old velvet hat which has been worn until it has be come shabby can be refreshed by holding in the steam of a tea kettle until the nap is lifted.
234. Ruchings can be cleaned without taking out the little crinkles by dipping in naphtha.
235. Velvet, chiffon, maline, net, georgette crepe and laces can be dyed successfully at home.
Hat-Box Secrets—Opening a Millinery Shop
236. When veils are in style they add a great deal to the appearance of a hat.
237. Great care should be taken in covering curved surfaces.
238. Attractive trimmings may be made from yarn.
239. Each season has its own novelty in pins and plaques.
240. Very often, a pin placed at the right angle will provide the correct touch of trimming and nothing else will be necessary.
241. Pretty trimming novelties can be made from little odds and ends of materials.
242. An apprentice is really an errand girl who brings the materials to the other milliners as they need them, delivers hats, runs errands and makes herself generally useful at the same time that she learns all she can about hat making.
243. The apprentice soon graduates into the preparer who prepares the materials, covers the frames, drapes the materials and in fact does everything except adding the last final touches of trimming.
244. The trimmer adds the correct touch to the hat and knows exactly where the trimming should be applied.
245. The designer is the highest paid employee of the millinery establishment. It is her duty to originate new styles, to create fashionable bits of headwear that the public will greet with pleasure.
246. The copyist must be able to make a hat from beginning to end.
247. If you are planning on opening a millinery shop of your own you will want to learn all the important things about the business.
248. Always remember that it is poor economy to employ haphazard workers, or indifferent salespeople.
249. There are certain so called "dull seasons" in the millinery profession; these seasons are usually in the late fall and early spring.
250. Salespeople should be neatly and seasonably dressed.
251. The first duty that confronts you when you plan a millinery shop is the purchase of furniture. Select attractive furnishings but at the same time keep within your means.
252. Purchase stock wisely.
253. In making deliveries have your hats well packed.
Well, dear friend, this is the last lesson in our millinery course. I sincerely hope that you have been as interested in each lesson as I have been. I planned it, wrote it and illustrated it for your benefit, as well as hundreds of others who have chosen to take up this very worth while work.
I have given you many practical suggestions which I hope will aid you and
help you to form opinions of your own. I could have written page after page
and given you dozens of illustrations, but after all, it is the practice
that makes perfect, and if you have a good firm foundation to work on, if
you understand the making of shapes, the covering and trimming, by careful
observation you can make any hat you see and can ha
ve several for the price
you used to pay for one.
Lesson 25
QUESTIONS
1. Is the millinery needle different from the ordinary needle?
2. What is the heaviest wire used in millinery?
3. Where should wire always be joined?
4. In sewing lining in a hat where should the seam always come?
5. When cutting sheer materials such as chiffon or georgette, what should be done first?
6. When were hats first worn?
7. In planning a hat what must be considered?
8. What kinds of hats are usually worn by bridesmaids?
9. What kind of material should be chosen for mourning hats and veils?
10. How can an old velvet hat be refreshened?
