Felt folded edge
A folded hand-stitched hem was used on the famous ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ black hat. It is suitable for all types of felt.
MATERIALS USED • Vintage peach bloom/ velour felt
• Handmade trim from leftover
• Felt and fabrics
01
Wiring preparation Measure, cut, straighten, overlap and tape the wire as explained in Issue 91 (see page 66).
Marking your sewing line Mark your sewing line for the 02
wire with a chalk pencil on the side you want the hem. Mark your finished edge hemline with a tacking stitch (or use a white marker as I did) 0.5 cm away from the chalk line.
Sewing the hem Starting 2.5 cm away from the centre back line, sew the wire on the chalk line you made using a wire stitch. Sew 0.5 cm in from the finished
felt edge, being careful not to go through the felt, but just picking up enough felt to sew around the brim. Leave 5 cm either side of the centre back unattached.
03
Easing the wire for brim Gently pull and ease the wire ends together to shape your brim. Join the wire and attach the rest of the joined wire to the felt.
Note: Keep the stitches small. The Jacob’s ladder stitch is known by milliners historically as a catch stitch (or cat stitch).
RS WS
04
Stitching down the hem To stitch the felt edge down over the wire, use a Jacob’s ladder stitch. Catch the under edge of the felt by slipping the needle through the felt edge at right
angles. Pick up a piece of the felt at the other side of the wire and pull the thread to roll the felt over the wire. Be careful not to show your stitch on the right side.
Tip! This is the kind of
stitch that you should be able to perform in a
completely different colour thread and it still would not be seen on the right side of the fabric.
Straw rolled edge 05
Pressing the finishes Press the folded edge with a damp cloth and a hot iron. Be careful not to burn the felt when pressing to smooth out lumps and bumps.
64 | the hat magazine #92
MATERIALS USED • Repurposed grade 2 parasisal
• Straw brim • Reblocked pinokpok and sinamay
• 2 porcupine quills, reused
A rolled straw hem could be found on 1920s/1930s fine straw brims.
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