I’m obsessed with wanting a new hat for every Victorian dress I make. They need more and more boxes than I really have a storage base for, but I just can’t stop. My latest, the black day dress was no different.

The fashion plate the dress followed included the hat, and I was also incredibly lucky to find a larger illustration of a similar hat alone. For a long time I thought I’d make that once I got the dress finished, but at some point I changed my mind. The hat was lovely, but I wanted something else for the dress and also to make something in a different shape for change.





At last I settled on the style below, as it was refreshingly different from all the more bonnet-type hats I had made earlier. I also thought the high-crowned style would suit the tailored dress with geometrical details.





I already had soft, thin wool (or wool blend, I’m not sure) for the surface layer. As for the base, another reason for choosing a style with the high crown was that I had long been curious to try a proper buckram base instead of straw. Instead of real buckram I had stiff embroidery canvas I had used for my berlin work projects, but I thought it might work well enough at least for a first attempt at the technique.

I had also found real millinery wire covered with thread years ago and kept it for the right project. I guess I could just as well dig into it now.





I made several different cardboard prototypes and tested them on both a styrofoam doll head and my own. The crown was a simple geometrical piece, though deciding on the size needed some consideration. Hats tend to look too small without the proper hairstyle, and the styrofoam head was even smaller than my head, even with a wig.

The brim shape and angle proved even more challenging. The final shape and proportions don’t exactly match the hat in the illustration, but I had used it more as a guideline anyway.




For the construction I watched some tutorials on YouTube, and added a few things that according to my logic might work. Possibly I was over cautious in many places, but I enjoy making things thoroughly.




I drew all the pieces on canvas on pencil and marked a lot of balance points. Despite heavy stiffening the material might still stretch on bias edges. To prevent this I also trimmed the allowances on the rounded pieces only after whip stitching the wire on.




I began with the crown. I got into my head to draw the top a bit larger than the finished circumference, and ease it into the wire frame. This went surprisingly easy with clear balance marks and gave the top a slightly rounded shape. The hardest thing was to join the wire ends neatly but securely with minimal bulkiness.




The crown wall got eight vertical wires to keep it in shape. I whip stitched the seam allowances to overlap, then trimmed the extra allowance on top and bottom and turned them on the underside.





On the brim I whip stitched a wire on both the outer and inner edge, trimmed the seam allowances and joined the seam at the back. Then I turned the seam allowance under on the outer edge and secured it with large whip stitch.





I had finished the different pieces individually before joining them. I began by joining the crown top on the wall by whip stitching the seam allowances together from the outside right next to the wire. Then I further secured the seam allowances by larger whip stitch. The brim was joined to the wall in a similar way.






The buckram base was now finished. However, as I mentioned earlier, the top fabric was thin, although not shiny. In theory there was the danger that the wired base might show through. This called for an interlining.




From the depths of my stash I found some insulating interlining. It was like a mesh with a fluffy nap, very elastic and yielding, perfect for the purpose.





I whip stitched a round piece on the top, and then just wrapped another piece over the crown wall and brim and turned the edge under the brim. Then I stitched it in place.






I basted the top fabric on the crown top first. I had sewn a gathering thread on the edge of the piece to shape it to the slightly rounded top. When I had smoothed it over the crown I whip stitched the edges to the wall.




Next I added the brim top material, carefully pulling it over the crown. I stitched it down at the inner edge, turned the edge under the brim and basted it. The wall piece was the last, I turned the upper and lower edge under and slip stitched it in place.





The brim ended up getting a lining from the same material as the top. I pinned and sewed it on the underside of the brim edge with slip stitch and whip stitched the inner edge on the crown base.

For the last thing I carefully pulled the wall piece in place, turned the seam allowances under and slip stitched it on place.




With the shape the hat had taken the front ruffle peeking from underneath the brim in the inspiration image began to look somehow unnecessary. I wanted to keep the fabric folds though, as they were a detail I had admired in some other hat styles too.




I folded a bias cut scrap of material around the crown until I had a rough idea of what I wanted. It differed a bit from the inspiration hat but in my opinion suited the hat that was actually emerging. Then I cut a rectangular bias piece of the real material and basted some guideline threads for forming the pleats.




I could have joined the seam and then slipped the round piece over the crown, but as it would have to be stretched on I was afraid that it would begin to slip back upwards unless I managed to secure it to the base very well. Instead I left it open and stitched the lower edge on the bottom of the crown. It was a pain to do and I didn’t manage to sew all the way. That was eventually a good thing, as I noticed later that I would have to shape the ends to get the folds sweep downwards on the sides.

I folded the fabric into more or less the pleats I had planned and carefully steamed over them. Happily the material was soft and yielding. The top edge is just folded under.




The inspiration hat has some huge metal ornament on the side. I had only a small thrifted buckle that I still thought might do. As it would have been nearly impossible to squeeze the whole folded piece through it and after that close the seam on the other side neatly I cheated a bit.




I broke the vertical bar at one end, slipped it under the shaped folds, punched a hole for the prong and manoeuvered it back in place. The buckle tends to slip upwards, but against black fabric that’s not too noticeable.




On the other side I arranged the ends of the pleated piece and joined them. I sewed a bunch of three ostrich feathers between the pleats, and curled the stems lightly at the top to droop over the tall crown.




I had already decided that this would be the hat that would get ribbon ties with a bow on the front. Yes, ribbon ties in a bow under the chin scream “girly”, but somehow I thought that with the more masculine shape of the hat a feminine touch might work. The dress neckline is also quite plain, so the bow fills it in nicely. And, once again, black on black allows for a lot of detail before becoming too fussy.




So, as I had to figure out some kind of trimming to cover the join in the pleating, I began to play around with the satin ribbon with a vague idea of some kind of rosette. I ended up with this fan-type thingy, and for extra bling I just stuck a hairpin on it. It matches a pair of earrings that I have and if I find something nicer later I can always change it.




After getting all the trimming in place I sewed the ribbon ties on. Then I added a cotton satin lining on the crown to cover all the messy stitching inside.






I had wanted to make a tall hat, but somehow it ended up huge. I realised only too late that adding the plumes added extra height, so I had to bend them more at the top than I had intended. The problem is that it sort of resembles more early 1870s hats (which could be huge) than the more delicate late 70s headwear. But I guess it kind of works as a statement piece.

A few technical issues that bug me are, firstly that the lining of the front brim is maybe too tight because the top keeps curving down. Or maybe I should have put more wire on it. Another thing is a choice of material, as I might have guessed the polyester satin ties just refuse to settle on a neat bow that doesn’t open by itself in 10 minutes. I should really have spent more money and hunted down silk ribbon, after all it’s not a long piece and the rest of materials spent on the hat were of a very moderate cost in total. Well, the rosette and ribbons can be replaced later if they prove too impossible or I find the perfect ribbon.




All in all I think the hat looks right for the dress, and above all making it was very interesting. I hope I’ll get to play with buckram and wire again some time!