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"Lesson
No. 1 -Straw Braid and Shirred Hats"
from The
Delineator, March 1899
Fancy straw braids
will be extensively employed during the Spring and Summer. Their
use adds considerably to the labor of making hats, but when a fine
effect is sought, the difficulty of the weaves employed to attain it
should not be regarded. Wire frames are invariably chosen for
braid hats: in fact, all frames for Summer use are made of wire,
their lightness and flexibility making them superior to the buckram
frames for airy headgear.
In braiding a hat begin at the back, with the
end of the braid a little in from the edge of the brim, so that the
braid may be made to follow the outline easily. Sew round and
round the shape to the crown, with very long stitches on the inside
and short ones on the outside, holding the braid lightly so that it
will readily conform to the curve of the brim and making the rows
overlap each other slightly. (Illustration No. 1.) Sometimes
very rough, coarse braids become too brittle to bend. To prevent
their breaking and to make them more flexible it is necessary to
dampen them while the sewing is in progress. The loose edges of wide
braid frequently stand up after they have been applied to the shape.
In such a case a thread may be run through each upstanding edge,
though it should not be drawn tight enough to produce a stiff or
pinched effect.
The top of the crown is made by itself. Turn
under the end of the braid in a point and then sew round and round
just as in making a lamp mat, folding an occasional plait in the
braid to form a perfect disc, which makes as large or as small as
the shape requires, letting one row of braid extend beyond the edge
of the brim to lap over the side.
(Illustration No. 2.) When
completed, sew the crown in place, flat and smooth, using as few
stitches as possible. Many milliners make and apply the crown
first and then cover the brim and sides.
It is quite possible that only after repeated
trials will success be achieved. The work is tedious and the amateur
may have to take it apart when not well done, until a satisfactory
result is attained.
In making fancy shirred facings of tulle or
other tissues now in vogue, turn under the edge about half an inch
for a heading and shirr it, two to two and a half times the
measurement of the brim being required for the facing. More of
tulle than of mousseline
or chiffon is needed, because it is softer and crushes more easily.
Then plait or gather the fabric at the base of the crown, the edge
being covered by the lining. If desired, several rows of shirring
may be made at short distances apart beyond the heading, remembering
always to take short stitches when shirring sheer materials and to
use buttonhole twist for the sewing. Draped or straw braid crowns
are combined with shirred brims in many of the new hats, tulle and
other diaphanous textiles being used for such brims. It is
impossible to give instructions for draping a crown. The drapery is
always arranged on a rice-net foundation and both experience and
taste must come to the milliner's aid to produce an artistic effect.
The same measurement of the shirred brim is taken for the material
as for the shirred facing. First join the ends of the material, and
then fold the width in half. Mark with pins or thread the center of
the front and back of the brim and again the center of each side and
pin the doubled material to each point thus measured. Then begin to
shirr the material at the doubled edge for a heading. Slip the brim
between the two layers of material to the heading and then shirr
over the first wire. (Illustration No. 3.) Shirr similarly over the
other wires, and then gather the edges to the base of the side
crown. To make tuck shirrings, fold the material over each wire
about a quarter of an inch and shirr as before, (Illustration No.
4.)
A stylish and much admired finish for a hat is
a narrow quilling of chiffon or tulle. The material is doubled and
gathered simply along the center and then sewed at the edge. Another
admirable way to cover a brim is to twist very narrow, flexible
straw braid around the wire or apply it plainly or else plait or
gather lace the width of the brim over it, tacking the lace here and
there to the covered wires. (Illustration No. 5.)
Milliners' and plain folds of velvet and satin
are much in vogue, but unless arranged by fingers professionally
deft they are likely to mar the effect of a hat otherwise
satisfactorily trimmed. All folds are cut in bias strips, and when
it is necessary to make a joining in the strip the ends must be
put together so that the sharp points come at opposite ends when the
material is laid face to face. Once the joining is made the points
must extend the depth of the seam beyond the edges. (Illustration
No. 6.) For a narrow,
plain fold a three-quarter inch strip is cut, and for a wider one a
one-inch strip. In sewing the fold the edges of the velvet should
meet, and the sewing should be with strong cotton in large
over-and-over stitches. The folds may be placed underneath a brim or
around a crown.
For a milliners' fold the strip should be cut
an inch and a half wide. Both edges should be turned under; then the
lower edge is lapped over the upper and slip-stitched to it very
carefully. (Illustration No. 7.) Not a single stitch should show
outside the fold.
...from "The
Delineator"... March 1899
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