The HSF ’14: Challenge #7 Tops and toes: Flowerpot Hat

So I made a little hat!   The seaside costume I'm working on is more of a 1880s silhouette than than an 1870s one and to me that means making a "flowerpot" hat kind of like this one:



I had a damaged sisal hood I'd bought at a sale a while back (very similar to this one) that was the perfect off-white color so I decided to block it into the right shape.  Not having anything else around that was the right shape I decided to use, you guessed it, a flowerpot!  I poured hot water over the hood to soften it, pulled it down over a saran-wrap covered flower pot, put a rubber band around the bottom and set it in the sun to dry.  

Once it was dry I cut the crown away from the brim.  The brim wasn't quite the right shape so I cut it down then hand stitched the two together.  I wired the brim by zigzag stitching millinery wire to the edge then folded the edge over and stitched it down.  

I stitched some lace to the underside of the brim, added a white (tripled) ostrich feather and a little blue feathered "pick" from Michael's crafts then covered the join of the brim and crown with some vintage navy blue ribbon.  I found two cute little gold-colored crab findings in my stash and thought it might be a fun touch to add to the hat too.

The Challenge: Challenge #7 Tops and toes: Seaside Bustle Flowerpot Hat
Fabric: Sisal hood
Pattern:  None
Year: 1880s
Notions: Thread, millinery wire, wide silk ribbon, lace, crab finding and feathers
How historically accurate is it?  Somewhat?  I don't really know how in that time period a hat like this was made but the materials I used could all have been used at the time.
Hours to complete:  Maybe 6?  It took a while for the crown to dry all the way.
First worn:  Not yet but there's a picnic on the horizon...
Total cost: Everything came from the stash so...?

Comments

  1. Pretty! Nice to hear about your flowerpot method, too. It worked wonderfully.

    Best,
    Quinn

    ReplyDelete
  2. Replies
    1. Thanks! I managed to get the height I was looking for.

      Delete
  3. Fabulous... And the crab is hilarious!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know right? I figured a lot of hats and dresses have anchor decorations, why not a crab?

      Delete

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