Je suis modiste!

I haven't finished the hat I began last week. Instead, I finished another hat project that I began a while back.

I didn't properly make this because I got a ready made felt cone, but I blocked and draped it and added all the embellishments.

It began like this:

Then I steamed and starched it and draped it on top of my wig holder. If you never tried free form blocking, you should. It's really fun (and extremely easy).

I made mine assymetrical with two pleats running over the brim across the forehead, and down on the left. To balance that, I added some trimming on the right side - I made two large 'petals' with three tongues out of black wool felt which I starched and sewed on. I also made a felt flower (description here) and a draped 'ribbon' out of felt across the front.

And voilà! Suddenly I had this:

From the right side:

And the left:

From behind, the asymmetrical shape is clearly visible:

I sewed rather than glued on the trimmings. That way I can just snip them off if I want to make changes to it. If I grow tired of it, I can just steam it and reshape it!

My only regret is that it's pretty much spring here and so I won't be able to use it for long before it gets too warm. Anyway, when I get enough energy together to put on some make up, I'll show you what it looks like when it's being worn by a real person.