Wednesday, May 29, 2013

The Finishing Touch


Some projects get so involved that they never seem to end!  I was working away on my latest Britex project, but something was missing.  After cutting out my dress (more on that to come), there was a bit of yardage left – not enough to make much of anything . . . except a hat!  Perfect!


I do not have a pillbox hat pattern, but with a few quick google searches I found enough inspiration to get started.


A search through the hat patterns that I did have brought me to Butterick 4697 - no drafting necessary!


I have some very thick fusible interfacing that I assume is meant for craft projects.  It turns out to be a great substitute for buckram (which is still hiding somewhere in the sewing room).  Pinning the stuff was not very fun, so I traced the pattern pieces in chalk.


So many online directions and tutorials suggest using glue to construct hats - I just cannot get past the idea of using glue on fabric.  I am sure there are situations where there is no other option, but I plan on avoiding them as long as I possibly can.  




My chenille fabric has quite a bit of drape, so I block fused my hat pieces.



The next step was to cut and stitch a duplicate in lining fabric.


I ended up hand stitching sections of the lining to the crown to keep it from drooping.


And to finish the raw edges, I used a bias strip with the "wrong" side of my chenille fabric facing outward.


The last thing to do was add a makeshift bow similar to my vintage pattern inspiration, and a couple of combs.  And it's off to the photo shoot we go!


10 comments:

  1. Wow! what a beautiful idea! I can't wait to see the final dress with the hat. I want to make one of these one day!

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  2. Oh wow! Can't wait to see this all together!

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  3. Adding a jaunty bow to a classic pillbox hat like this elevates it from merely lovely to thoroughly stunning (and extra ladylike - which is always wonderful in my books). Stellar millinery work, honey!

    ♥ Jessica

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  4. Curses -- inspired as usual (grrrr...). I bought buckram last fall in anticipation of making some hats for Halloween but never got around to it. It may be time!

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  5. I'm looking for hat/fascinator ideas to go with a dress for a wedding. Walt and I are going to England and I'm assuming an English wedding calls for a hat. This might be something I could actually do! Thanks for the ideas.

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  6. What a cute hat! You did such an excellent job with it!

    And I really like your eyeliner in the first photo

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  7. Your tutorial for Bitex is really helpful, thanks for linking it!

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  8. The hat, that eye makeup, and of course, you.

    Laura Mae, you astound by melding perseverance with resourcefulness and taste.

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  9. I spotted the hat yesterday in your Britex post and can I say - incredible! You are amazing!!

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