The art craft and practice of millinery, better known as specialized hat making for women, hasn’t changed much within the last hundred years or so. This includes the many unaltered tools and materials that are utilized by milliners to create beautiful headdresses and fashionable caps for young girls and women of all ages to enjoy and wear to elegant and stylish events. Although certain hat-making equipment pieces and millinery tools have slightly evolved as new technological devices and processes have emerged, many of the techniques that are utilized today are, in a sense, the same as they were decades earlier. From the millinery academy here at Rebecca Share Millinery, we’ll take a look at some of the essential tools, both old and new, that an avid milliner, or even a beginner who is interested in taking up millinery as a brand new hobby, will need if they want to be able to create their very own hats.
Hat Blocks
When it comes to the process of hat-making or millinery, a hat block is perhaps one of the most important tools or pieces of equipment that you will need to form the picture-perfect hat. This tool, which is usually made out of a block of wood or aluminum, helps develop the hat’s overall shape during the blocking process of constructing the headpiece as a whole.
Steam Iron:
A steam iron can be used throughout several different stages within the hat-making process. This tool is used explicitly for steaming different materials and fabrics that will be utilized to form the overall hat. Up-to-date steam irons can quickly heat up and provide the user with ample amounts of steam that will assist them in fusing different fabric interfaces and iron out various materials they will need to use.
Fabric Scissors:
If you are an avid milliner, you will need to acquire a good pair of fabric scissors. The millinery process requires the milliner to cut lots of different fabrics and materials regularly, so investing in a couple of pairs of fabric scissors will surely make a difference in your hat-making capabilities.
An Assortment of Sewing Tools:
Much sewing is involved throughout the millinery process, so obtaining a decent supply of general sewing tools and equipment is a must. The differential items you will need include pins, tailor’s chalk, pliers, needles, wire cutters, machine sewing needles, drawing pins, and a selection of thread. Usually, any tools or piece of equipment that you would find within a sewing kit will be of use while you are practicing millinery.
Hat Stand
A well-made hat stand will make sure that the hat you are constructing does not rest on its brim, ensuring that the hat’s crown will be well-supported. Hat stands that have an oval foam shape are best for the seamless construction of your hat.
With the required tools and equipment pieces described above, you will surely have everything you need to start your millinery process!