Hat Making

Hats are great. The problem is, hats tend to look hard to make. It's a specialized craft. It even has wacky names, like 'haberdashery' and 'millinery', and a host of specialized supplies and tools. That can make it more than a little intimidating to get into. I'm about to start my third semester of Millinery classes at school, and honestly, I'm still trying to figure out what I most need to learn next. *laugh*

There's good news, though. Hat patterns aren't difficult to make. Hat construction doesn't have to be difficult either, though most people tend to make it so. Historical hats, from before the 18th century, a pretty straight-forward. Hat patterns for most of the elizabethan era consist of a series of ovals, sewn together. (Math geeks may note that some of the ovals are technically toroids, but seriously, we're talking hats here, not math.)

So there's two ways to do this: if you're interested in the theory behind things, read the main article(s). If you'd prefer to just make a hat, select any of the hats from the index below. I've used period names where I know them/ can actually recall them, but some of the names should be considered more like captions than proper names.

Theory

(Warning: Heavy image content. Slow connections be warned.)

All About Soft-Crowned, Brimmed Hats -- How to pattern and assemble soft-crowned, brimmed hats. (Flopsy topsy attached to a brim, basically. Does not include rigid tall hats.)

Practice

Soft Brimmed Hats
Floppy Flat Cap	Floppy Pleated Hat	Floppy Toque	Floppy Gathered Hat
Hats with Stiffened Brims
Flat Cap	Pleated "Jiffy Pop" Hat	Toque	Gathered Hat
Banded Hats and Headgear
Biggins Hat	Simple Caul	Northern Coif
Bonus Hats (Hats from other periods made by these patterns and techniques.)
Beret	Gathered Mob Cap