Millinery for the poor folk

[Wickedvox]

Okay, here's the deal: school starts back up in a week, I got bitten by the hatmaking bug when I picked up this great millinery how-to book called "HATS!" I can't afford the hat blocks, and I can't find the buckram frame in the shape I want. I was perusing the Margo Anderson pattern instructuions for the tall hat and she said to make the frame out of plastic canvas. Is this the same stuff people use to make rug-hooking projects? Kind of like a thick plastic grid? If so, I think I can use it to make this particular hat frame instead of buckram. To those of you who have been making hats, do you find this to be an acceptable replacement for a buckram frame? This thread is especially aimed at YOU Lady Kathleen as you seem to have experience doing EVERYTHING! (I saw your hats on another hat-making thread and they were gorgeous, SHOCKING! lol) What other changes would I need to make by not having the "correct" supplies?

[raevyncait]

I have a friend who has made some of her hat frames out of plastic canvas. It is not what is used for rug hooking, I would think that the holes are much too small for that, it's more of a needlework kind of canvas

[Wickedvox]

Great! Thanks Raevyn!

[Gwen aka Punstergal]

You can DEFINITELY get awesome hats using a plastic canvas base. You can buy it in any craft store. It's just like what you use for latch-hook rug making, except the holes are MUCH SMALLER. Most often it's used for yarn needlepoint crafts (think of what you see in those beginner cross-stitching kits for children). Here are a couple good tricks to remember:

I highly recommend doing a good thick whip stitch all the way around the edges of your frame before you put on your pretty fabric, not just to hold any padding in place, but to prevent any sharp spurs from the plastic edges from poking through the final product.  

Also, if your plastic frame seems a little flimsy for the piece you're working on (say, a large top hat, for instance), use WIRE to stitch the seams  together, and wrap the plastic periodically with wire wherever needed to add strength or shape to it.

Have fun experimenting!

[isabelladangelo]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/strawberrykaren/222418482/

The French Hood I'm wearing in the link above is from plastic canvas.  The photo was taken six years ago and, unlike some of the cardboard base hat I have, the plastic canvas still looks fantastic.   It's relatively easy to cut.  Given that you are looking for an Elizabethan style tall hat, you might want to look at the Saint Patrick's Day hats.  You can easily cover one of those to look semi-correct. 

[Kate XXXXXX]

I use the non-woven pelmet stiffening!  Works a treat, and I use it for a lot of hats from different eras.

[Lady Renee Buchanan]

My husband bought me a tall hat from a shop in Bristol, can't remember the name at the moment.  It is made with plastic canvas, and I love it!

We go to faire in the brutal hot summers, and it is so light on my head and thus keeps me cool, not sweating from a heavy hat.  I've had it 4 or 5 years, and it is in the same shape and perfect condition as when we bought it.  It's in my avatar picture.  It kind of tilted down, so you can't see that it is tall, but it is!

[Wickedvox]

Thank you EVERYONE! I love this board! Isabella, it looks so smooth, did you use a spray adhesive?  It gives me hope I may be able to do this--I need a hat for my Victorian outfit and this is the only way I'll be able to afford it :/ Thanks again!

[isabelladangelo]

No, no spray adhesive.  What I did was keep the raw edges out and then sew the black veil to the upper raw edge (right sides together) and the lower raw edge to the coif (right sides together).  This hid the edges inside the hood but also allowed for a smoother look.   

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

Plastic canvas works great for many Hat styles. I use it for Pill Boxes, French Hoods, and Gabled Hoods.

For Elizabethan Tall Hats, and Brims,  I use heavy duty Buckram from JudithM Millinery.

[Rowan MacD]

  The Margo pattern recommends plastic canvas for durability and waterproofing, since buckram tends to melt in the rain. 
  Plastic also does not have the crease memory of fabric, so it stands to reason it would hold up better to crushing.


   I want to make a gabled hood one day, and I think plastic will be the way to go. 
   

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

I haver not quite perfected the use of Plastic canvas for Arched Tall Hats as of yet. I will have to experiment on smaller hats, like more for Steam Punk.

I have had no problems  with the Buckram, even when there has been moisture.

[lys1022]

If any of you are in DFW and are going to All-Con this weekend, our own Sharon of Dreamhats is going to be leading a panel on hat-making.  She could probably give you some great info too.

[Wickedvox]

Well, I bought the plastic canvas today. I'm going to use some old fabric remnant for my test hat, see how that goes.
I'm afraid I don't know what DFW is, so it's safe to assume I won't be going lol. Wish I could though. It's hard being a self-motivated learner with no support...thank god I have you ladies

[gem]

Wicked, do you have a link to your hat book, pretty please?!

(DFW *usually* = Dallas/Fort Worth)

And just for fun, here's a shot of my pillbox made with a plastic canvas base.