Today when we think about milliners, otherwise known as hat makers, we automatically visualize women with lots of hats, and block around them as they sit or stand blocking hat bodies. Personally, I was very surprised to find the Art of Millinery was originally practiced predominant by men hatters, and hat making was their only source of income.
Back in those days, most hats were made from the skins of rabbits, which were processed, de-haired with chemicals, and stretched to form cone-like shapes. The smaller pre-shaped cone-like skins were called hoods, larger skins were called hat bodies, and the largest were called cape-lines. Those terms are still used today for both straws and felts, and today, just like hundreds of years ago, both the bodies and hoods went through other processes including blocking and wiring before they were considered wearable. Those processed hoods and bodies were the first known blocked hats.
Another early product used for making hats was straw, because it was readily available, inexpensive, and brought a new industry into being. Many of the straws were by-products from exotic plants from other countries that were woven and processed for making hats, purses and other products. It was during the seventeenth century, that the hat industry in Britain was big business, and also around the time in the late 1680’s, straw hat makers petitioned against a bill that encouraged wearing wool head gear.
The bill was not good news for the straw hat makers because more than 14,000 people were using the straw hat making trade for income. During the nineteenth century those making hats manually suffered because of cheap imports and the use of millinery machines. After World War I, an unexpected twist took the attention away from straw hats and back to wool hats, and Britain’s industry was boosted because the wool hat industry was supported by hat wearing members of the Monarchy, who made them fashionable.
Years later, other materials were used to create hats including leather hides. Those three products; fur felt, straw, and leather hides dominated the hat industry, and were seasonal. In essence, fur felts and leathers were designed to be worn during the winter and fall seasons, straws were designed to be worn during the summer and spring months.
Then, a few decades ago, the old buckram covered frame that had been used primarily for costumes, and dated hats, reentered as a new player in the hat business. For those unfamiliar with buckram, it is woven cotton fabric that has been stiffened, and can be molded into to numerous shapes. Buckram has several advantages over its predecessors, the main advantage was its easy accessibility, because it could be purchased almost anywhere sewing material were sold. It could also be as fashionable as other hats because the same processes of blocking, shaping, and wiring the other three is used.
Buckram could also be covered with any type of pliable fabric for any season, and needless to say could be coordinated to match almost any wearing apparel. By the way, many of the older vintage hats sold in antique stores were made from buckram and are more than 50 years old. To see more of my hats made from buckram, click on this link COVERED HATS or the covered hats link above. Those styles will give you more ideas of different styles you may choose from. In the mean- time, make this the very best day you can.
Most Sincere,
Kay
