Clik here to view.
County Fair, new Etsy Stores and an upcoming Announcement!
First, I want to brag about my friend Colleen Stanton who is an award winning hat designer! She won 3 ribbons at the LA County Fair in their Project Hataway competition! Check out these awesome...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Millinery Guild of Southern California presents LA Fashion Week show!
Millinery Lovers in California good news! The Millinery Guild is having a show in LA's Fashion Week. Guild Member Mondo Guerra from Project Runway will be headlining a list of exciting designers and a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How to Swirl - millinery tips & tricks
My good friend and teacher Montez taught me something last week that I just have to shout about - swirling! Actually, the way she put it to me was "You don't know swirling?! That's millinery 101!!!"...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Straw Boater made with Goodwill Scraps!
I met a very cool chick named Jessica when my friend Colleen and I were digging through California Millinery in downtown Los Angeles one day. Jessica is new to millinery so I invited her to take...
View ArticleClik here to view.
No Hats in the House!??
Apparently our House of Representatives has had a law against Representatives wearing hats in the Senate. This is a problem for the Florida Rep. Frederica Wilson who claims to own over 300 hats and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How to Carve a Hat Block - Part One | Styrofoam
Have you ever seen a hat, especially a vintage hat, and thought "I wish I could make that..." but you don't have the block? Buying blocks can be very expensive and finding someone to build you one from...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How to Carve a Hat Block - Part Two | Top Hats and Bowlers
Sometimes you don't have to carve. Sometimes you can put pieces of Styrofoam together to make the block you want. My awesome teacher, Jill, was commissioned to make a large number of small top hats and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How to Carve a Hat Block - Part Three | Shaping the Styrofoam
Okay, so far I have shown just a few basic tips on how to carve the foam but I promise you they make a HUGE difference. Styrofoam is not too easy to deal with and it's easy to make mistakes and break...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wedding Veils - Royal!
I have been happily anticipating the British Royal Wedding of Prince William and Brilliant Katie! After watching hours of Royal Wedding Specials on PBS, BBC America and Lifetime, I learned that the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How to Carve a Hat Block - Part Four | Bowlers or Round Blocks
Lena Olin in The Unbearable Lightness of BeingThe bowler was created in 1849 by London milliners Thomas and William Bowler for the hat shop Lock & Co. In those days most men would wore a top hats....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Blocking Felt on a Round Styrofoam Block
Behida Dohlic on EtsyLast post I showed you how to carve a round hat block. I carved this block out of Stryofoam so that I could easily fold and pin shapes into the felt. Above and below are some...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Millinery Resources | LA & Other Places
I grew up in Texas where I learned what some consider a very bad habit - telling everyone where you bought something! Here's an example of what I mean: Friend: Hey, that's a really cool skirt you...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wedding Hats | Steampunk
Katie and Mikaelaphotography by John CiottiLast month I had an opportunity to build my first wedding hat. It was a simple round piece of buckram covered in fabric and trimmed with a cockade (Thank you,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Steampunk Hat Class | Clockwork Couture in Burbank
Steampunk Hat Class for HalloweenThere's a very cool steampunk store called Clockwork Couture located in Burbank, California that sells hats designed by my teacher, Jill Pfieffer, and another brilliant...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Couture Millinery Fascinator Class in LA
Fascinator by Lee DuncanI also want to let you know about another great class available in Los Angeles on October 15th from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM! I have taken classes from Lee and she's so much fun....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Marimekko | My New Hat
I should really title this "My Adventures in Draping" since this is a very new, very fun process I am learning all the time. But let me begin from the start by describing how this hat was inspired. As...
View ArticleClik here to view.
My Teacher, My Guide, My Inspiration
Once, maybe twice in your life you are fortunate enough to find someone who's love, guidance and knowledge changes your life. In my most recent years that person has been my millinery teacher, Jill...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Trip to Paris ~ Ultra Mod
So, just between you and me, the name Ultra Mod sounds modern for a store. But this is the name of one of the oldest stores for millinery supplies, ribbon, and buttons in Paris. The store is divided...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Trip to Paris ~ Hat Class with Estelle Ramousse
The highlight of my recent trip to Paris was getting an entire day of study with Estelle Ramousse. Some of you may know her from her book, "Studio Secrets: Millinery," which is how I heard of her. On a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Trip to Paris ~ About Estelle Ramousse
Forgive me but I just wanted to do a whole blog post about Estelle.Estelle Ramousse, ModisteSpending an entire day with Estelle taught me so much about the lifestyle of a milliner, a Parisian and an...
View Article