Hat making books

[SayCici]

I was wondering if anyone could recommend any of these?

http://www.amazon.com/How-Make-Trim...TF8&coliid=I2RZ6PJLJ7TXW2&colid=2BGFEBMIRUIOW

http://www.amazon.com/Make-Hats-1950s-Making-Simplified/dp/1934268577/ref=pd_sim_b_5

http://www.amazon.com/Course-Creati...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251232171&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Yourself-Stit...=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251232171&sr=1-2

http://www.amazon.com/Make-Hats-Acc...=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251232171&sr=1-3

I don't expect I'll be able to afford a hat block any time soon so if any one knows if any of the books are heavily dependent on one, that'd be great. I also don't know how to knit or crochet (yet, I'm deciding which to learn first) so again, if one of the books is overwhelmingly filled with those crafts, I'd love a heads-up.

Thank you!

 

[SayCici]

Alternatively, I just found this Etsy shop with other reproductions:

Millinery Hat Making Lessons LYON FLAPPER Hats CD Book 1922

MILLINERY Lessons Make Hats LOEWEN Hat Making Design & Technique Spiral Bound Book 1925

Millinery Lessons GARNELL Hat Making Patterns Make Hats CD Book 1944

Vintage Millinery Glove Bag Hat Making Patterns Instruction CD Book 1946

MILLINERY Milliner Hat Making Lessons CARNAHAN Hat Making Hats & Accessories CD Book

Antique WEISS Flapper to Depression Era Millinery Hat Makng Lessons CD Book Make Hats 1931

Vintage Millinery Hat Making RITCHER Make Hats CD Book 1950

MILLINERY Hat Making Design Hats TARTAR CD Book Retro 1950


I figured some of you ladies would be interested, I know deadpandiva makes great hats!

 

[SayCici]

Oh! And if there is a book particularly good for fabric hats, that'd be great, because I don't know if you can block with Eco-fi/spun.

I realized after making this post there are two different hat making threads! Sorry mods! Please combine 'em!

 

[SayCici]

If it helps you any, I've narrowed my search down to a few that have more to do with making fabric hats, rather than the kind you *have* to block to get the right shape and such.

Hat Tactics: Instructions for Creating Early 1950s Hats
by Brett Ours Drager

How to Make Hats at Home: 1950s Hat Making Simplified
by Irene Sutton

How to Make Hats & Accessories: Instructions for Making 1940s Fashions
by Vee Powell

It's Fun to Make a Hat by Helene Garnell, 1944

(Most of these are up on eBay with many pages scanned in, which really helped me in weeding out the ones I knew would be too difficult!)

Now if only it could be really easy and I could do without the wire frame part. If you like the 20s and 30s, I think those might be good to start off with!

 

[Elaina]

This place has a lot of free books on millinery there that can help decide if you want to invest in the hobby at least.

 

[SayCici]

I've already checked that out, thanks! I've been going through the one from 1952, I'm about to piece together a muslin for a hat, and in the past day I've also sewn up a beanie and tried to make a little felt pillbox.

Unfortunately I don't feel like there's a good 'beginner' course out there.. A hat block is used in all of them and I'd get myself into a real spot trying to make wire frames and stuff without someone around to tell me what I'm doing.

 

[Countess]

Good luck with the hat making!

I'd love to be able to make my own hats. Let us know how you fare and if you find some good basic introductory resources.

 

[Lauren]

If you get desperate, at least for draping fabric hats, you can use the Styrofoam wig stands you can get at beauty supply stores. You can pin into them.
I've made hats using an upside down bowl for a form, but those were for hats that didn't really matter for fit. I've also heard of people making hat forms from clay and covering them with tin foil.
I have this book that a member here gave me a few years back and it's great.
http://www.hatbook.com/

 

[Vintage Betty]

I have a very extensive library which includes hat making books back to the 1850's. Let me know if you want a PM to my link of my private library, where you can look at my titles.

That being said, I'd second Lauren's recommendation for the book: From the Neck Up. It's really a foundation book and you should expect to pay $25 for the book. If you can't afford a wood form, you may want to consider a canvas form. With a bit of patience, you can buy one for $10.

Cheers-
Vintage Betty

 

[Amy Jeanne]

The books you listed are all from Bramcost and they are AWESOME!! I don't have any of their hat-making books, but I do have a bunch of hairstyling and pattern-making books from them and they are well worth their prices. PRICELESS vintage information and they have all really helped me with my vintage DIY!

 

[Vintage Betty]

Bramcost is a RE-Publisher of information. What they do is purchase out of copyright books, scan them in, work the defects with a graphics program and re-sell them on CD.

Simply put, if you know what to look for you can track their purchases on ebay.

However, they are not the original publisher of this info and are one of many companies taking advantage of out of copyright books to produce republished CDs.

 

[Joie DeVive]

I own that first one; "How to Make and Trim Your Own Hats", but I haven't had a chance to use it yet. I've read it though, and it sounds really useful.

It has a couple sewn patterns, but also describes how to use household items as hat forms and make your own brims forms out of cardboard(???)!

 

[deadpandiva]

I have the very first book you listed and a few others. It has alot of patterns that need to be blocked but also alot of info about making and covering buckram frames. It's pretty easy and not too expensive to get buckram and wire. I am good at making the frames but not good at covering any thing but a pill box. I also have alot of vintage hat patterns but that can get really pricey.