Castellum Montanum - How to make a hat using buckram

How to make a hat using buckram

By Meroe M. Cahill (Mistress Rohese de Fairhurst)

This method can be used to make several styles of hat- a French hood, a Russian hat or the brim of a flat German hat.

Materials

* Newspaper or cardboard, scissors, pens

* Buckram (material stiffened with a heavy starch or plastic- available from Spotlight or Lincraft, but you usually have to ask for it)

* Milliners wire

* Thread and sturdy needles

* Pellon or other thin quilt batting

* Material for covering the hat

Use newspaper or cardboard to make a pattern. Don’t be afraid to try several different patterns- newspaper is cheap! For me this step involves cutting a very large pattern, then standing in front of a mirror and drawing on the pattern, folding it, and cutting bits off until it looks nice (well, as nice as it can look when you’re wearing a newspaper hat on your head!). Label your final pattern with the date, type of hat and cutting lines.

Trace around the pattern onto the buckram & cut it out. If you are making a hat with a top on it, or a hat made from several different pattern shapes, you’ll need to add seam allowance to the edges to be sewn together.

Sew the buckram pieces together if necessary. This can be quite awkward, as the buckram tends to fight you. Sew milliner’s wire around the edge of the buckram. You can either handsew the wire on, or put a strong needle (a 14 or 16, and not blunt either!) in your sewing machine and zig zag over the wire. Use a pair of pliers to bend the wire around sharp corners. Trace around your pattern onto the Pellon, leaving a generous seam allowance. Tack the Pellon over the buckram hat. You may need to cut slits in the Pellon to make it sit nicely. Cut away any areas of pellon where you have several layers of pellon. You can then secure the Pellon on by sewing it to the base using your sewing machine. Make sure that you don’t hit the wire with the needle, as this can break needles. Any beading or embroidery should be done onto the material before you sew it onto the hat base.

Note- don’t get buckram wet or crush it, as your hat will never fully recover.

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