I have continued with hat making and have completed a felt hat.

The process for making a felt hat starts with selecting a felt base.  Izzie has a selection of wool, wool fur blend and beaver felt bases.  I selected a wool fur blend in a deep caramel tone for a cloche style chapeau.  Then I selected shapes from the wooden blocks.  This hat is a crown block and a brim block that will make the hat one continuous piece, no seams.

The felt base is sprayed with water on the inside and steamed until fully moistened. Then the hat is placed in a plastic bag for 15 minutes to soften. When removed from the bag the base is hand stretched over the form and shaped using tacks and cords. When the hat is dry it is removed from the form and trimmed.

Wire is then placed at the brim edge. I have chosen to have a machine hem [vs. a hand sewn invisible hem]  so the wire is placed in the channel, cut to size and the hem is sewn encasing the wire.

The grosgrain headband on the inside is sewn in the same manner as the buckram hat.

To finish, I have chosen a thin black patent leather trim and a vintage button as accent.  The trim and button are tacked in place.

I have completed my second hat!