TECHNIQUES
Tip!
Beware of pins used for blocking going rusty. Throw
away rusty and damaged pins by sellotaping the pins together before disposing of them in a safe way.
7
Blocking positions An even blocking is required to help the edge of the fold on the block to lay smoothly. You can
see from the picture that there is a clear sign of gathers in the four points and flattened in between those parts of the blocked sinamay.
Tip!
Applying stiffener
8
Apply 5 cm to 8 cm (2" to 3") of straw stiffener to the wide areas all the way round the outside of the blocked sinamay. Take note of where you start and finish so that you do not overlap. Allow to dry till tacky (approximately 20–30 minutes).
Mark the block with tack stitching to show the front, back east and west points.
For a good blocking finish On a 18 cm button block you should have at least 15 pins per quarter or 60 pins for the whole block. If you worry about the blocking finish of your straws and sinamay, make sure you put enough pins in the block. Adjust all the fullness of the fabric so it is flat. No round crinoline tube is needed here if you do this!
9
Note: This product must only be used in a well-ventilated area – preferably outdoors.
Covering in textured straw Cover the block with the textured straw square, placing the bias in the same direction as the sinamay underlayers. Use the stiffener when it is tacky to help the
straw fabric to stick to the sinamay. This helps you to position detail on your block and reposition the top fabric as needed.
Tip!
Most straw fabrics have a natural lustre
to the weave. It is better not to stiffen this top layer as the texture can collect pockets of stiffener and dull the lustre look of the straw fabric.
10
Trimming the shape down When completely dry, trim your shape down as you would usually do, leaving a seam allowance on the underside of the shape (this will help for the lining
and the wiring). Double back stitch the outer fabric onto the sinamay base. Mark the four hat points (north, south, east and west) on the base with a tack stitch.
11
Poking a hole in the seam allowance Find the east and west of the button. For each side, poke a hole in the middle of the seam allowance using a rounded dowel shape.
64 | the hat magazine | 101
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