Silk And Straw Beret

Material Required:

1/2 Yd. of silk.
10 Yds. narrow straw braid,
1/2 Yd. crinoline.
1/2 Yd. taffeta lining.
Ribbon headband.

Cutting Material:

Use beret pattern on page 63. Pin pattern on crinoline and cut out. Baste crinoline to material and cut out material.

Sewing Straw Braid On Silk:

Sew braid on silk top and facing. Start 1" from edge and baste braid in rows 1" apart (Ill. #1). Sew straw braid by hand or on the sewing machine.

Sewing Beret Together:

Baste dart together on top piece and stitch (Ill. #2). Be sure braid rows meet on dart seam. Repeat sewing straw braid on beret facing, seam back together and press seam open. Baste top and facing together and stitch (Ill. #3). Turn beret to right side and sew two rows of braid on seam on brim edge (Ill. #4). Make a band of crinoline exactly your headsize. Cover band with silk and join together (Ill. #5). Sew two rows of straw braid on band (Ill. #6). Divide beret headsize into quarters and mark; then divide headband into quarters. Make lining the same as pattern and slip into beret. Baste lining around headsize of beret. Match marking on headband and headsize; pin together and sew (Ill. #7). Finish with a headband. Do not swirl headband for beret.

Hat With Self Trim Rosettes

Material Required:

1 Buckram frame.
1-1/2 Yds. duvetyn , velvet or strawcloth.
1 Bunch foliage. Lining and headband. Head clip.

Covering Buckram Frame:

Cut a 16" square of material. Place on frame with one point of material in front, one point in back and a point of material on either side. Pin back and front, then each side of material, to frame. Starting in back, smooth and pin material all around edge of hat, allowing 1/2" of material to turn to under side of frame around edge. Trim off excess material and overcast material to under side of frame. Do not let stitches come through to right side.

To Make Rosette Trim:

Cut material on the bias and each strip will be 29" long and 5" wide. Cut ends round and sharp with heavy-thread (ILL. #1), leaving a long thread. Turn one end back about 1" and sew to bottom near raw edge. This forms the center of rosette. Gradually pull up shirring thread and ease fullness of material and sew around and around (Ill. #2 and ILL. #3). Then arrange foliage, using a few leaves on back of each rosette. Arrange rosettes around edge of brim and sew in place. Line and finish hat with headband.

These rosettes can be used individually for trimming.

Blocking Material For Covering Buckram Frame:

TIlls is another method for covering a small frame with either strawcloth or duvetyn .

Cut a 16" square of material and place material on head block. Point of material should be in front, another point in back and a point on each side. Pull material to bottom of block at each point and steam while pulling material to bottom of block and pinning to block as you steam, using push pins, all around bottom of block. Allow to dry on block over night. Mark front on material before removing from block. Then put blocked material on frame, pinning front marking on blocked material to front of frame. Pull blocked material down smooth on frame and pin to frame. Allow 1/2" of material to turn over edge of frame. Cut off excess material and overcast blocked material to underside of frame.

Satin Hat With Beaded Felt Trim

Material Required:

1 Sheet of willow.
1 Sheet of sheet wadding.
3/8 Yd. white crinoline.
3/8 Yd. white satin.
5 Yds. silver sequins.
3 Bottles silver-lined bugle beads.
1 Yd. narrow headband ribbon.
1 Lining.
White fur felt - enough for 30 ornaments.

How To Make Crinoline Calot Frame:

Lay pattern on a piece of crinoline and cut out. Baste crinoline together in back and machine stitch. Baste crown piece in and machine stitch. Put crinoline calot on head block and steam and stretch calot to fit head block, smoothing out all wrinkles, and pinning crinoline calot to block all around bottom using push pins. Cut a 1" bias strip of crinoline and stretch this strip; then bind edge of crinoline calot with crinoline strip, fitting it around bottom of calot and being sure not to stretch calot as you baste bias piece on. Machine stitch all around bottom of calot.

For Willow Frame:

Cut a 14" square of willow and pin it to head block with a point of the square at the back and a point at the front of block so willow will pull on the bias. Dampen willow slightly, then steam and pull to bottom of block and pin. Do this all around block until all wrinkles are out and willow is pinned around bottom of block. Let dry on block. Then slip crinoline calot pattern over willow on block and pin all around bottom. Mark all around bottom of crinoline pattern on willow with pencil. Take willow off block and cut willow along pencil mark. Wire edge of willow calot around bottom using buttonhold stitch. Bind edge of willow frame with a bias strip of crinoline.

Padding And Covering Frame:

Separate sheet wadding and use half the thickness. Carefully pin padding at front, back and sides on willow frame. Then fit padding to frame by taking up darts in padding and cutting off excess padding. Be sure all wrinkles are smoothed out and darts are carefully cut. Do not sew around darts.

Covering Frame With Satin:

Cut a 14" square of satin. Place on head block with a point of the square in front and a point in back on block. Pull satin down to bottom of block and steam satin as you pull and pin it to block. Smooth satin and allow to dry on block. Mark front and back. When dry, take satin off block and slip it on to willow frame. Pin satin to frame and sew all around edge. Do not turn satin over edge of frame - leave a raw edge. Then cut a 1" bias strip of satin and bind around edge of frame, using a backstitch. Turn bias over edge of frame and sew to underside, allowing a long stitch on inside of frame and a tiny stitch on outside in bias seam.

Ornaments For Trimming:

Cut 30 ornaments out of felt (Ill. #1). Bead upper part of ornaments with bugle beads. Then use sequins which are sold by the yard to sew on lower part of ornament (Ill. #2). Arrange ornaments on edge of calot, following picture (Ill. #3).

Old pieces of felt can be used to make these ornaments, or an old felt hat can be cut up. Usually felt blockers will sell small pieces of felt that can be used for this purpose. Felt must match color of beads and sequins. This hat is beautiful in white felt with silver sequins and beads - or all black felt and sequins.

Taffeta Or Satin Hats Made On The Bias

How To Use Satin Or Taffeta

Taffeta and satin do not stretch, so when using these materials choose a frame that can be covered with material cut on the bias, both brim and crown. Frame· for all satin and taffeta hats must be padded with sheet wadding first. Padding does not stretch, and it must be free from wrinkles. To cover frame with padding smoothly, fit padding to frame and in smoothing out wrinkles pin the excess padding into darts and cut off excess padding on these darts. This also must be very smooth so that the darts will not show through when satin or taffeta covering is applied. It is sometimes wise to tear the cotton padding sheet apart and use only half the thickness. Always allow several inches more than your exact measurements when cutting a bias because in stretching a bias in length the width is reduced.

Material Required

1 Sheet of sheet wadding
2/3 yd. taffeta or satin Frame
Lining and headband
Trimming

Padding Frame

Cover frame with sheet wadding, carefully making smooth darts on padding where needed. Padding does not stretch, so excess padding is fitted and clipped out in darts.

Covering Brim Top And Facing In One Piece

Measure brim top and facing at widest place and add 3" to this measurement. Cut material on the bias and cut a bias strip to required measurement. Fold wrong side of bias strip lengthwise and slip center of folded material over brim edge, stretching and pinning all around brim. Pin ends together on the bias and cut off excess material. Remove bias strip and stitch this, joining on the bias. Press seam. Put back on brim again, pinning all around brim edge. Pull material on top of brim, to bottom of crown and sew. Then, ease material on facing into head-size and sew around headsize 1/4" from edge. Remember to put the brim on first' and then do the crown.

Covering Crown

Cover top of crown. Then, measure width of side crown, add 3" to this measurement, and cut a bias strip. Fit this bias strip to fit side crown. Seam the joining on the bias. Machine stitch and press seam. Return piece to side crown. Turn raw edge under 1/4" (do not sew around top of crown). If side crown has been properly fitted it will be tight enough to stay in place without sewing. Sew side crown at bottom of crown, leaving a raw edge. Cut off any excess material, and finish with a blocked fold.

Blocking A Bias Fold

Cut 1" piece of material on the bias. Turn raw edges under on both sides of piece. Pin one end of material to block, keeping raw edges turned under; stretch, pin and wrap all around block. Then, steam and allow to remain on block until thoroughly dry. Take strip off block and pin to lower part of crown to cover the raw edges of material around crown. Sew where pinned only. Again, if bias fold is a true bias and properly blocked, it does not require any more sewing. Finish with a small bow made of an end of blocked taffeta fold.

Polka Dot Hat

Material Required

1/4 yd. buckram Frame wire
1/2 yd. 36" silk

Pattern On Page 58 Cutting Pattern And Making Frame

Lay pattern on buckram. Mark all around pattern on buckram with pencil. Cut out buckram on pencil line. Wire all around edge of buckram using a button-hole stitch. Cut 1" bias strips of crinoline and bind edge of frame.

Draping Silk

Cover frame with silk (Ill. #1). Then, cut a bias piece of silk 16" wide and use width of silk. Fold raw edges under and shirr center of bias piece, pull shirring thread up to 1 1/2" and sew to center of frame in front, (Ill. #2). Measure, from center of hat, each side of bias piece 16", gather ends, and sew to center of frame in back (Ill. #3). Crush a small piece of silk into the folds and finish raw ends of silk on top of hat (Ill. #4). Sew this piece to underside of frame. Pin and tack drape on each side, having one side of drape low and one side high.

Lining Hat

Cut a lining of remaining silk pieces, using pattern to cut lining. Glue lining edge into hat. Finish with a headband.

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