Practical Home Millinery: A Textbook

Originally published in the 1910s, this practical home millinery textbook contains 41 chapters detailing the techniques, methods and instructions on how to make hats, bonnets and veils from start to finish, well illustrated with 24 full-page plates of diagrams.

Book Excerpt:

I venture to place this Manual -- Practical Millinery -- especially at the disposal of teachers of technical classes for the subject, and of students who attend those classes.

It is the result of successful teaching, and is intended to combine information on the many and various methods of technical and practical work of this kind.

The hints given and the points taken up will prove of special value to those who desire to qualify for an examination, nor less for those studying for business purposes, insomuch as they will be found to cover all the ground embraced by the subject.

To the student her teacher can be but a guide, who will demonstrate how a thing is done: the application necessary to success must come from herself. The artist, like the poet, is "born, not made"; nevertheless, even though at first there may not be the slightest aptitude apparent in a girl, much may be accomplished towards making her a good milliner by patience and careful observation on her own part, with the aid of a good teacher and the use of a methodical and up-to-date manual.

To the teacher, as to the student, the book will be no less valuable. Millinery lends itself admirably to demonstration and practice, during which a class may be interestingly employed, as the smaller parts may be commenced and finished during one lesson. Millinery forms a subject which is taught with an aim to educate girls for everyday life, and like needlework, and all subjects relative to it, it encourages habits of neatness, industry and thrift.

However, not entirely for the teacher and student is this book intended, but also for the home-worker, by whom it is likely to be appreciated.

It is not an exhaustive treatise, rather is it only a methodical arrangement of the principles governing the Art of Millinery. There are many such principles that never change, whatever alterations of style, etc., fashion decrees, so the forthcoming information will, I hope, encourage even the unlikely worker to produce, with practice, the most artistic creations.

One more argument in favour of the subject of millinery: What satisfaction is greater than that of finding oneself able to copy an expensive model at one-third the cost of the original?

Contents Covered:

• Cutting Patterns: Cutting a Hat Shape by Folding Paper -- Cutting Pattern for Brim -- To Cut the Crowns -- For Obtaining Tip -- Crown with Little Slope -- Another Method of Cutting a Head- or Side-Band -- Round or Moulded Crown -- High Moulded Crown -- For Oval Brims and Crowns
• To Copy by Measurement: Measurements for Hats -- Measurements for Bonnets -- Bonnet Pattern, Taken in Paper or Leno; for Buckram or Stiff Net -- To Take a Pattern of a Hat in Paper
• Buckram and Espatra Shapes: Laying out the Pattern -- Fixing Pattern Together -- Crown Separate from Brim -- Making Crown -- For Curved Brims and Crowns -- For Rolled Brims -- Espatra Rolled Brim
• Covering a Buckram or Espatra Shape: Cutting out the Velvet -- Fitting and Fixing Velvet -- Crown -- Fixing the Side-Band -- For Round Crown
• Head Linings for Hats and Bonnets: Head Linings for Hats -- Head Linings for Bonnets
• Bandeaux: Oval Bandeau -- Straight Bandeau -- Back Bandeau -- Round Bandeau -- Shaped Bandeau
• Bow-Making: Tied Bow -- Butterfly Bow -- Alsatian Bow -- Wiring Ribbon for Bows -- Another Method of Wiring a Bow -- Silk Bows
• Rosettes: To Make a Rosette on a Foundation -- Crossway Silk Rosette -- A Cross-Way Silk Rosette on a Foundation -- A Velvet Rosette -- Rosettes of Gathered Ribbon -- Baby Ribbon Rosette -- Chiffon, Tulle or Net Rosettes -- Pleated Ribbon Rosette -- Petal Rosette -- Ribbon Rosette
• Wire Shape-Making: To Practise Cutting, Nipping and Tying -- To Cut the Wire -- To Nip One Wire over Another -- To Tie One over Another -- To Nip One Wire over Another -- There Are Two Ways in Making a Shape -- Points to Be Remembered
• Making a Wire Shape: Method of Working -- Points to Remember -- For a Large Crown -- A Turned-up Edge -- Mushroom Brim -- To Copy a Shape
• Making a Wire Bonnet: Measurements Required
• A Hat Shape in Stiff Net: Hat Shape in Stiff Net -- Round Crown of Net without Wires -- A Soft Toque or Motor Bonnet
• Straw Working: The Different Methods Adopted for Straw Working -- Method 1 -- Straw Worked over a Wire Shape -- A Round Crown -- Brim -- Method 2 -- Crown -- Brim -- Method 3 -- Method 4 -- The Principles of Straw Working without a Wire Shape -- Makes of Straw
• Stitches Used in Millinery
• To Cut Material on the Bias or Cross
• Velvets
• Crape: Crape -- Cutting Crape on the Cross -- Rouleau of Crape -- Crape Piping or Roll -- Crossway Folds for Hat or Bonnet -- Mourning Hats and Bonnets
• Widows' Veils: A Lisse Veil -- Box Pleated Veil -- A Crape Veil -- Lisse Veil with Crape Border and Rouleaux -- To Stitch on Trimmings -- Bows -- Flowers -- Feathers -- Ornaments Such as Buckles, etc. -- Ruchings -- Wings and Quills -- Lace and Draperies -- Rouleaux
• Linings for Hat Brims: A Tucked Chiffon or Tulle Underlining -- A Gathered Tucked Brim-Hat Lined with Bias Folds in Chiffon or Silk -- A Lace Brim -- Brim with Velvet Folds -- To Bind a Hat -- Another Method for a Velvet Bind
• Lace: To Make a Lace Crown -- To Make a Lace Wing or Quill -- Wiring Lace for a Fan -- Lace or Net Ruchings -- To Wire Lace for Bow -- Lace Rosette -- Matinee Cap of Lace -- Lady's Cap Foundation
• Confirmation and Bridal Veils
• Silk Flower Making: Rose -- Leaf -- Another Method -- Sweet Pea -- Apple -- Parma Violets -- Single Violets -- Daisy or Marguerite -- Mounting Flowers
• Children's Millinery: To Take the Measurements of a Child's Head for a Bonnet -- To Take the Head-Size for a Hat -- Children's and Infants' Bonnets -- Materials Used for Foundations -- Head Linings -- Materials -- Trimmings
• Children's Millinery Continued: To Cut a Pattern of a Girl's First Bonnet -- Measurements Required -- Method for Making Bonnet -- Materials
• Children's Millinery Continued: Baby Boy's First Hat -- Materials -- Method of Making -- Another Style
• Children's Millinery Continued: Child's Puritan or Dutch Bonnet Shape for Buckram -- Front of Bonnet Pattern -- Back of Bonnet -- To Cut out the Coronet -- Method of Making Buckram and Net Shape and Covering -- Materials -- Method of Making Shape -- Method of Covering -- Another Style of Dutch Bonnet
• Children's Millinery Continued: Child's Liberty Hat -- Cutting and Preparing Silk for Brim -- Head Lining -- Trimming -- To Prepare Silk When the Brim Is Narrower at The Back -- Cloth or Linen Hat -- Cloth Hat
• Renovation of Hats: Straw Hats -- To Freshen a Black Chip -- To Renovate a Black Straw Hat -- To Use Varnish -- To Clean a White Straw or Chip -- Leghorn Hats or Panamas -- To Make Black a White Straw -- Brown Straw -- Blue Straw -- To Clean Felt Hats -- For Black or Dark-Coloured Felts -- White Felt -- Light Brown Felt -- Grey Felt
• Renovations: To Clean Black Lace -- Method 1 -- Method 2 -- Method 3 -- Method 4 -- Method 5 -- To Wash White Lace -- Method 1 -- Method 2 -- For Lace Yellow With Age -- To Clean Lace without Washing -- Dry Cleaning Butter Colour or Ecru -- To Clean Gold Lace -- To Clean Silver Trimmings -- To Renovate Crape
• Renovations Continued: To Renovate Black Corded and Satin Ribbons -- To Renovate Silk Ribbons -- To Clean Ribbon -- To Renovate Velvet Ribbons -- How to Wash Silk (Coloured) -- How to Wash White Silk -- Chiffon -- Velvet -- To Freshen Black Velvet or Velveteen -- Velveteen -- To Clean Fur -- Another Method of Cleaning Furs -- On the Care of Millinery -- To Clean Black Beaver Hats
• On Blending Colours: Contrasts
• On Wearing Suitable Colours: Black -- White -- Violet -- Blue -- Yellow -- Green -- Red and Orange -- Purple -- Brown -- Fawn -- Grey
• Form: On Wearing a Becoming Hat -- A Long Face -- A Round Face -- Wearing a Straw Hat at the Right Angle -- On Wearing Veils
• Feather Curling: Steaming -- Shaping -- Curling -- To Make the Pass
• Standard Materials Used for Millinery Foundations
• Materials Used for Trimming Purposes
• Terms Used in Millinery
• Hints To Be Borne in Mind by Those Preparing for Examination
• A Course of Twenty Lessons in Millinery
• Dont's
• Always