Make your own vintage inspired hats

Sewing a 50s half hat/headband?

Sorry to double-post, but this is on a seperate topic to my last.

I've been pondering- would it be possible to sew a 50s-style half-hat/headband? Not knit, or crochet, and with no special milinery supplies or knowledge. For reference this is the kind of thing I mean:

A modern hat that best shows the shape I'm after:


And an example from a vintage knitting pattern:


This kind of shape was popular especially as a cocktail hat, so I'd probably want to make something slightly fancier than the above, but still with just regular sewing supplies. I don't have a pattern, but I can't see that you'd need one, really. Any advice, ladies?

I was thinking of doing in in either a wool felt or velvet and interfacing it, then perhaps adding a satin trim, perhaps a vintage rhinestone brooch or a feather, some sort of embellishment. I know it'd need a comb or clip on the underside too, but that's no problem. I was concerned about the 'floppiness' of it compared to my vintage half hats, which have proper 'frames', but surely if you can knit them, they don't have to be very firm?

Any input most appreciated, it's just an idea!

Frenchy56 said:

I was thinking of doing in in either a wool felt or velvet and interfacing it, then perhaps adding a satin trim, perhaps a vintage rhinestone brooch or a feather, some sort of embellishment. I know it'd need a comb or clip on the underside too, but that's no problem. I was concerned about the 'floppiness' of it compared to my vintage half hats, which have proper 'frames', but surely if you can knit them, they don't have to be very firm?

Any input most appreciated, it's just an idea!

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If you're concerned about the floppiness I have two ideas. (Weird ideas, I always have weird ideas). One is modeling wire. It is think very pliable wire that holds it's shape and can be bent by hand. If you round over the ends (so the pointy part is in a loop) you can easily place this in fabric- sew the loops secure and cover it. You could make a hat like the flying nun's with the stuff. The other idea which I'm not sure is even a good one, is to use boning, as is used in strapless dresses. It's basically a thin, hard, somewhat flexible piece of plastic or metal covered in fabric (typically white or black). In my experience, most of the modern boning is plastic, which is more difficult to get to hold a shape.

Boning is available in the notions section (typically on the bottom shelf) and comes in several kinds. Modeling wire might be in kids crafts or you need to ask. I've used modeling wire extensively in costumes- it's miracle stuff.

Sheeplady to the rescue, again You do have some great ideas, I would not have thought of that! Thanks so much!

Seems like I spoke a bit too soon- the reason why I was so eager to *sew* a hat was because I had assumed that milinery supplies would be too expensive and require special equipment, or something. I did a bit of searching and it seems like making my hat will be easier (and cheaper) than I had thought!

I'll take one of these:


A couple bunches of these, in red:


And some of this:


and hopefully I'll have a little red 50s-inspired hat! I think it'll be a glue job, rather than sewing, but I'm planning to put the flowers at either end of the base, which would disguise the glue, whilst looking pretty

I have never attempted anything like this before, I just hope it comes out as well as I'm imagining! Sorry for having posted too soon, and thanks again for the suggestions, Sheeplady!

You're welcome. Since I always come to the rescue with weird ideas, maybe I'll be the "superhero of weird ideas." I grew up on a farm, and the one thing farm children have in common is that we can think of weird uses for everything. We also save everything as a result because we can think of 25 ways to use a piece of what most people consider garbage.

I think your hat is going to be awesome. Please post pics!

sheeplady said:

You're welcome. Since I always come to the rescue with weird ideas, maybe I'll be the "superhero of weird ideas." I grew up on a farm, and the one thing farm children have in common is that we can think of weird uses for everything. We also save everything as a result because we can think of 25 ways to use a piece of what most people consider garbage.

I think your hat is going to be awesome. Please post pics!

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That's awesome! It's a very useful skill- my Dad's very similar, not sure I've inherited it though!

I will try and post photos, if it's worthy! Since making that post I've done some research on how to work with veiling, and I've also decided to put the flowers in a different place and buy some proper fabric glue to glue the stuff on. So, I think that's a step in the right direction!

Thanks again!

I make my own "buckram" from jute with a cornstarch paste on. Then I use really millinery wire for sturdiness ass well (dead cheap, you can get rolls for just a few dollars), but for a headband like that, I thin the "cheapo eco buckram" would work farily well, as would fairly firm plastic film, like old OH paper. I know that's what the Muslim girls around here mostly used to create various shapes for hair veils.