I finally got time to work with it, and here's the result:

A camel colored wool base trimmed in vintage brown velvet ribbon, with a spray of pheasant, ostrich, coque and guinea feathers. It can attach with either a comb or an elastic band. 

I'm so happy with how it turned out - can't wait to make more!

At lunch today I saw a young man in a restaurant wearing a nice summer straw, stingy brim hat.  Unfortunately he was wearing it INSIDE the restaurant - big no no.  For a moment I was stunned - I couldn't believe anyone would do such a thing!  Then I remembered that I'm a bit biased when it comes to hat wearing.  He was a very polite young man; he had probably just never heard of a such a thing as  "hat etiquette"   So, now that hat wearing is making a comeback, perhaps a review of hat etiquette is in order.

A very basic rule of thumb is "on outside, off inside". 

Of course, there are about a million exceptions to such a basic rule...

-when inside you can leave your hat on if you're in a public area, but take it off if you're in a private area. 

Not a bad exception.  Except...what constitutes public vs private? 

-Inside a home (even when its not your own) is private.  Bank and other building lobbies are public, but inside someone's office is private.  Elevators are even more specific - the hat comes off if its an elevator of an apartment building or a hotel (that's a private dwelling), but can stay on if the elevator is in a public building. Hats should be removed when entering a church.

Confused yet? It gets better:

Emily Post wrote in her 1959 book "Etiquette: The Blue Book of Social Usage" that  “A gentleman must take off his hat when a woman enters an elevator in an apartment building or a hotel, as those are considered dwellings. He puts it on again in the hall, because a public corridor is like a street. In public buildings, however, the elevator is also considered public, and the hat can stay on.”

Everyone got that?  Ok, on to the next set of instructions.  Remember, we're still working under the basic rule of "on outside, off inside"....

- its common courtesy for a man to remove their hat in the presence of a woman.  He may replace once she passes by or if they start walking together. 

- Once a man removes his hat, he should keep the inside facing himself.  Never show the inner lining of the hat.


Oh, did I mention that all those rules are just for men?  Women have their own set of guidelines:

-A woman's hat is part of her ensemble, so it is not necessary to remove it when going indoors.  However, this is only during the day.  Hats are not proper with evening attire - unless the hat is part of a dinner suit ensemble.  Hats never go with evening gowns. And all daytime hats should be removed at dusk.

- A woman should remove her hat in the theater if it interferes with other people's view.

-Another icon of etiquette, Amy Vanderbilt, states “Women should keep their hats on in homes holding christenings, weddings and funerals, because in those occasions the house is treated as if it were a house of worship.”

-Both men and women should remove their hats for National Anthem, unless the woman is wearing a very formal hat (read: integral part of her hairstyle).  If the woman is wearing a baseball cap, it comes off.

Now that we're all clear on the ins and outs of hat etiquette, there is one more thing to remember - and this is an important one:  Men don't tip their hats to other men.  Its considered an insult. 

Finding millinery supplies is difficult at best.  Finding millinery supplies that don't cost a small fortune is nigh impossible.  So I'm quite excited that I found not one but two wooden hat blocks on eBay - and won them both!  One is vintage and one brand new.  Can't wait for them to get here so I can try them out......

For those of you looking for your own millinery supplies, eBay is a great place to start looking.  There are a few specialty millinery supply shops online that you can try as well:

www.judithm.com
www.hatsupply.com

I've used them both and have had great results. 

Over in the UK there is a wonderful block manufacturer, Guy Morse

www.hatblocks.co.uk

I have yet to order a block from them since the shipping costs to the US would add quite a bit to the price, but I have heard nothing but great things about them.  I drool over their webpage regularly. :) 

And finally, there is a man in the US who has started making hatters tools again - hooray!  Most of the time, hatters and milliners have to haunt antique shops hoping to find an old vintage piece that's in good enough shape to use.  But now, we can go to Mark DeCou and get our tools brand new!

www.decoustudio.etsy.com

Now you have no excuse not to try a little hatmaking of your own! 

Today marks the start of the Royal Ascot, one of the most famous horse races in the world.  Held in Ascot, Berkshire UK, the racecourse was founded in 1711 by Queen Anne and has been in use almost every year since then.  The most prestigious area of the 3 enclosures available at Ascot is the Royal Enclosure, where the Queen herself watches the races.  Dress code is strictly enforced....

"Her Majesty’s Representative wishes to point out that only formal day dress with a hat or substantial fascinator will be acceptable. Off the shoulder, halter neck, spaghetti straps and dresses with a strap of less than one inch and miniskirts are considered unsuitable. Midriffs must be covered and trouser suits must be full length and of matching material and colour. Gentlemen are required to wear either black or grey morning dress, including a waistcoat, with a top hat. A gentleman may remove his top hat within a restaurant, a private box, a private club or that facility’s terrace, balcony or garden. Hats may also be removed within any enclosed external seating area within the Royal Enclosure Garden."

A bit of Ascot trivia:  that beautiful scene in My Fair Lady, with all the gorgeous black and white hats and dresses?  Costume designer Cecil Beaton based the look of that scene off of an actual event - the 1910 "Black Ascot", when everyone attending wore black to mourn the recent passing of King Edward VII.  Beaton won an Academy Award. 

Now that winter has gone and summer is here, it's time to pack away the felt hats and pull out your summer straw.  By far the most popular straw hat is the Panama.  However, do you need to go all the way to Panama to get one?

Nope; you need to go to Ecuador, actually.

A Panama hat is a hat woven from the leaves of the toquilla plant.  The reason they're called Panama hats (and not Equador hats) comes from old trade routes.  Back in the 19th century, the hats traveled from Ecuador to the Panama Canal before being shipped out to the rest of the world, hence the name.

Panama hats became incredibly popular in the 19th century, and became synonymous with summer wear and tropical seaside holidays. Even now, with the overall decline of hat wearing, Panamas are still quite popular.  Charlie Chan, Harry Truman, Humphrey Bogart, Theodore Roosevelt, even two different incarnations of Dr. Who have all sported Panama hats.

For the ultimate in summer fashion and comfort, look no further than the timeless Panama hat.

Welcome to DreamHats!

ConDFW is this weekend!  It promises to be a great show with guests of honor  Jack McDevitt, Elizabeth Moon, and Vincent Villafranca!  There are tons of great panels to go to - writing seminars, author readings, and my favorite - costuming panels.

The Dealers Room opens at 4pm on Friday, and we'll be there with your favorite hats, plus a few new styles and some great custom creations.  See you at the con!

Just received word that my biretta has been included in the work "Sammlung Phillipi", the ultimate book on clergy headwear, by Dieter Phillipi. 

'"This hardcover book showcases the entire Philippi headwear collection
and more in over 1,000 fascinating and exclusive photographs.
The Philippi headwear collection is currently the world’s largest
collection of clerical, ecclesiastical and religious head coverings—
and is unique in both its scope and size. Whether they are ceremonial
or worn as a part of everyday life, you’ll fi nd examples of
headwear from every religious persuasion around the globe. In addition,
the collection includes photos of 116 religious objects, making
it a truly fascinating study of diverse cultures and traditions."

It's available at www.powells.com

Why yes, yes it is.  It may look like I've fallen completely off the radar, but rest assured, I've been quite busy.  Not with the usual hatmaking stuff however....

Actually, I got married. 

It's amazing - even the most low-key, well organized wedding will completely take over your life.  I always heard this from others, and now I can say it from experience!  On the plus side of things, I also learned a lot about making wedding veils.  See?  I'm always looking for the millinery side of things, just for you guys. 

But now it's back to the grind, and I've got shows coming up, and renaissance commisions already rolling in....so back to the sewing machine for me. 

Hope everyone had a great St. Catherine's Day (you do remember what that is, don't you?), and may the winter holiday of your choice be warm and filled with happiness. 

Had a great time in Austin, learned a ton at the millinery workshop. The Stitch Lab is a fantastic little place, and I'm looking forward to taking more classes there. The workshop had me in complete envy.  There was plenty of room, everything was organized and labeled and in it's own little place, and there was still room for pretty decorations and such.  

I'm trying to mentally reconcile the differences in technique between mens hat blocking and womens millinery work. Very different, even when working in the same medium (felt).  Here's my finished project:

...mostly.

The red satin mini topper is about 90% finished, and it turned out so nicely I wanted to let you all have a peek.

It will eventually have a small gold lace veil attached as well.  I'm quite happy with how it turned out; so happy I'm already planning the next one (black chinese brocade). These little things are addictive, I tell ya!

 "Distinct from hat-making, with its large-scale production of standard hat types, millinery focuses on the creation and decoration of elegant, experimental and often whimsical hats. Jones permits us to examine the world of millinery from the inside out, following the life-cycle of a hat from its point of inception in the milliner’s mind to its final incarnation atop the wearer’s head."

Ever since All-Con I've been sequestered in my workshop, working on commissions. Our local renaissance faire starts at the beginning of April (www.scarboroughrenfest.com) and I had a lot to get finished before opening weekend.  We are very fortunate to have some incredible photographers that like to visit our faire, and now that opening weekend has come and gone, photos are starting to show up.  Here are a few shots of what I've been working on:
 

The full size versions of these shots, plus others, have been added to the gallery pages.  Go have a look.  Then go to the faire! We'll be waiting for you.

I'm late in posting all about ConDFW, and here it is almost time for All-Con! Suffice it to say ConDFW was fantastic.  The dealers room was bustling all weekend, the panels were awesome, and we had a great time schmoozing with folks and sharing our love of hats. 

The Babbage Patch Kids were there running steampunk panels in a nearby room.  I've heard rumor of these people, and had been hoping to meet them at some point during the con.  Imagine my surprise when some of the panel presenters turned out to be old friends of mine!  There was much fun kerfuffling, and a splendid time was had by all. 

Here's a quick picture of the table at ConDFW, with me in my shirt of stripey happiness. 

Come check us out at All-Con.  We have neeewww stuuuuuffff....!

The memory card on my camera finally gave up the ghost, so all I have is my trusty old Blackberry with which to take progress pictures. 

The photo quality is poor, and dear Maria's hair is in desperate need of brushing - but isn't the hat great?! I'm quite happy with how this one turned out.  I was so excited I grabbed the Blackberry and took a picture immediately (I'm surprised I took the time to scoot the workroom tools out of the way).

Anyway, this lovely topper will be with me at All-Con, as  will a few other one-of-a-kind pieces.  See you there!

This was brought to my attention by my friend RobGonzo, who recognizes my obsession love for all things hats and books:

http://gadgets.boingboing.net/2009/01/27/jeeves-and-wooster-l.html

They're lamps, inspired by the Jeeves and Wooster series by P. G. Wodehouse's .  They've been altered to withstand the heat of electricity and lightbulbs, so kids - don't try this at home!

Today is St Catherine's Day, the patron saint of milliners. 

Ok, so she was originally the patron saint of unmarried women  (and students, philosophers, potters and lacemakers), but in France in the 19th century, so many young unmarried women earned their living as milliners that St Catherine became the patron saint of the profession. 

In the middle ages, unmarried women would pray to St Catherine for husbands.  Centuries later, it was still customary for unmarried women to pray for husbands, and to honor women who've reached 25 years of age but haven't married -- called "Catherinettes" in France.

Pilgrimage is made to St. Catherine's statue, and she is asked to intercede in finding husbands for the unmarried lest they "don St. Catherine's bonnet" and become spinsters. The Catherinettes are supposed to wear a hat all day long (usually yellow for faith, and green for wisdom), and they are usually feted with a meal among friends. Because of this hat-wearing custom, French milliners have big parades to show off their wares on this day.

-taken liberally from www.fisheaters.com, who know more about saints than I ever will!

I'm happy to announce that finally, Dream Hats takes credit cards! Visa, Mastercard, Discover, debit or credit, we've got ya covered.  And just in time for <insert winter holiday here>, too!

New things are coming out of the workshop all the time, so keep checking the gallery and blog for updates.  And if you have something special in mind, just let us know.  Custom creations are our specialty (but you already knew that, didn't you?).

Or, at least, when wookies sneak up on you and take your picture while you're working....

My sewing machines, fabric stash and trims are in an extra bedroom in the house, but my big cutting table and other tools are out in the garage. Admittedly, I live in Texas, but it still gets cold out in that garage in the winter (and as for my friends in NY, Missouri, Montana and Wisconsin....shaddap!).  Last night it was in the 40s out there, so I bundled up in order to work.  My wookie thought I looked cute and came out to "talk to me" and snapped a picture of me, the stinker.  I'm wearing my to-my-knees cable knit sweater, fingerless gloves and a hat to stay warm.  He called me Pip the rest of the night.  It's nice to have a literate wookie... ;-)

Besides just being a goofy picture, you can see part of my work area.  Behind me are the wooden hat blocks used for shaping felt hats, some straight edges and  an architect's curve, and the weird stringy colorful things hanging right behind my head are trimmings of felt brims I've cut off.  They're useful for color reference, and for padding the inside of a hat if a person's head shape isn't a perfect oval (no one's really is, so they come in handy).

In the picture I'm drawing out a shape onto some buckram.  Next I'll cut it out, wire it, mull it (cover it in a fuzzy, flannel-like material), then cover it in a pretty fabric.  The shape I'm working on there is a wide brimmed Victorian hat that will eventually be a lovely vision of purple and champagne satin.  I'll be sure to post a photo of it when it's finished. 

I've been working on some custom hats for a local Victorian Christmas caroling group, and I thought I'd share some of the finished pieces:

You'll have to excuse the background - I don't have a good place to take photographs.  So enjoy the hats, and my dining room!

Check out the "In Stock" page - we have some great photos of our latest items.  Many thanks to Rose & Dagger Studio for the amazing shots.  Plus, since it's Halloween, here's a special spooky shot of our derby:

Last weekend was the start of Middlefaire 2008.  The weather was beautiful, if just a touch warm.  We were in a different spot this year, and our new neighbors were great!  To our right we had Faire Ladies, a wonderful accessory shop, to our left was the Embarqadero, a huge two storey building filled with all sorts of fascinating things.  Across the way were some old Scarborough friends, both of which surprised me since I had no idea they had shops!  The Gilded Rose was a last minute addition - can't have a faire without rose sellers! - and Once Upon a Tree had some beautiful wooden pieces.  We all had a great time chatting, visiting with patrons and watching the various shows as they came and went. 

The only downside was that I somehow broke out in hives.  I had one or two little dots on my hands earlier in the week (from what I have no idea), but at faire site they just exploded into a riot of red, itchy welts all over my hands, arms and chest.  Owie!  I hid in the shade of my tent as much as I could (only venturing out to make one quick trip around the festival, just to see what was going on), but even playing vampire didn't help.  They just kept growing and growing.

But now I'm back home, safe in the comfort of a giant bottle of Caladryl lotion. I wish I could have seen more of the faire; those of you who were out there, fill me in on what I missed! 

And what better way to test inserting images into blog posts, than with a fun picture?  Here's a shot of your intrepid milliner, collecting ostrich plumes for her latest creation:

Ok, not really.  But isn't it a great shot?  And now you know why ostrich plumes are so expensive.  Who'd want to tangle with a bird that size?!