How to Make Hats with Fancy and Draped Crowns - A Milliner's Guide

By Anon Anon

This classic text offers insights into the different elements of the practice of millinery – the design, manufacture and sale of hats. Extensively illustrated, it would make a wonderful addition to the library of any millinery student or enthusiast. Contents include: Millinery; Fancy and Draped Crowns; introduction; Fancy Crowns; Draped Crowns; Linings for Crowns. Many early books are becoming extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing this classic work, which has been carefully selected for its interest and relevance to a modern audience, in a high quality and affordable edition. It comes complete with a newly written introduction and features reproductions of the illustrations and diagrams featured in the original.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Read Books Ltd.
• Release date: Dec 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9781447484738

Book preview

Crowns

FANCY AND DRAPED CROWNS

INTRODUCTION

1. Pressed buckram or manufactured crowns may be used as the foundations for hundreds of different styles by draping or otherwise arranging material artistically so as to cover the frames. A crown of this kind, used as a foundation, should be selected carefully, for it should not only fit the head snugly as to head-size, but it should conform to the general contour of the head, as well. The coverings of these crowns may be draped on loosely, making what are commonly known as draped crowns; or, what are known as fancy crowns may be made by covering the foundation crowns with lace, flowers, foliage, woven braid, ruffled ribbon, etc.

2. In the long list of fancy and draped crowns are a number of standard and established styles that have been used for many years and that will probably be used for years to come. One of these standard forms is the beef-eater crown, so called because it resembles the crowns of the hats worn by the wardens of the Tower of London, who are colloquially termed beef-eaters. This is a full crown made of a circular piece of material shirred along the edge and drawn up to fit snugly over the head-size, so that the one piece forms both the top crown and the side crown. The circle of material is made large enough to allow the top to drape easily over the foundation.

Another standard form is the tam-o’-shanter, which is a style obtained from Scotland. It is made of a circular piece of material 12 to 24 in. in diameter and a side crown made of a band sewed into a circle. The outer edge of the circular piece is gathered or plaited and sewed to the top edge of the side crown, the bottom of which is made to fit the head.

As already stated, there is practically no limit to the number and variety of fancy and draped crowns that may be produced; however, examples of several different styles will be given.

FANCY CROWNS

3. Lace-Covered Crown.—The lace-covered fancy crown shown in Fig. 1 is a standard shape that is used considerably. During some seasons the foundation crown may be flat on top, or with only a slight curve at the upper edge of the side crown, but these changes do not alter, to any great extent, the method of covering the foundation. In this particular instance, the crown is a skeleton foundation, made of wire, the dimensions of which are as follows: Head-size wire, 24 in., to which must be added 3 in. for overlapped ends; front to back over top crown. 13 1/2 in.; side to side over top crown, 11 3/4 in.; diagonal support wires, 12 1/2 in. each; first brace wire above head-size wire, 24 in.; second brace wire, 23 3/4 in.; third brace wire, 22 1/2 in.; fourth brace wire, 19 3/4 in.; and fifth brace wire, 14 in. The lengths of these brace wires do not include the necessary allowance for overlap.

FIG. 1

4. After the wire frame has been made it should be covered with two thicknesses of maline, French crêpe, chiffon, or cotton net, the