Make Your Own Hats by Gene Allen Martin (list of e readers .TXT) 📕

this ribbon should be darker than the darkest petal, but of course should harmonize. Roll the ends and hem them down. Gather along one edge and draw down close around the looped end of a piece of tie wire in which a bunch of yellow stamens have been fastened. The blossom should be arranged with the three darker petals pointing up at the back of the center and the other two at the front drooping.

No. 2 pattern for the center—

This center is made from a piece of velvet ribbon three and one-half inches long and one and one-quarter inches wide. Fold lengthwise, with the satin side out. At one end sew straight across, making a seam one-eighth of an inch deep and turn. Cut the other end like the diagram and sew this with the velvet side out, leaving a tiny space at the bottom to insert the wire. This now looks something like a “Jack in the Pulpit.” Twist a few yellow stamens in the end of a piece of seven-inch tie wire and push the other end down through the little opening left at the lower point and draw the stamens down in as low as desired. Make a small, short loop in the tie wire close to the blossom to prevent its slipping back down on the wire.

Each year there are new developments in flower making, but the principles are the same. If a few are mastered, there is usually very little difficulty experienced in copying others which may appear from year to year. Lovely flowers may be made from a few inches of hat braids which are left over or from wool and raffia, maline or colored nets.

Blossoms of maline or net—

These may be made by using the same pattern as for the American Beauty rose, selecting the size required. (See illustration.) Lay a strip of tie wire inside along the bias fold. Gather along the curved edge and draw down tight. This brings the two ends of the tie wire together, and they should be twisted lightly. Arrange four or five leaves around a few yellow stamens. If green tie wire is used, it is not necessary to wind the stems; otherwise brown gum tissue may be wound around the stem. From this pattern many different blossoms may be made, varying it slightly, such as rosebuds, sweet peas, and apple blossoms.

Sweet peas—

Cut four petals after the same pattern, making one about one and one-half inches and two one inch, then a small one for the center, or a few knots of baby ribbon may be used for the center. Arrange the petals in a natural-looking blossom.

Violets—

No flower is more popular than the violet, and a cluster of handsome violets make a most acceptable gift at any time.

Violet-colored satin ribbon about one-quarter of an inch in width is used. Begin by tying a knot one inch from the end, tie another one inch from this knot; continue until there are five or six knots one inch apart. In tying, try to keep the satin side of the ribbon out and make as round a knot as possible by pushing the ribbon edges together on the knot. Do not tie too tightly. A little practice is needed, but the blossom is easily made. Hold the first knot between the thumb and finger, bring the third knot up and place with it, then the fifth, and so on, until the knots are all placed—usually three on one side, and two or three on the other. Cut green tie wire six or seven inches long for stems. Wind an inch of the end over the ribbon between these folded knots and twist. Cut the ribbon off pointed, leaving one-half inch end.

Two shades of ribbon may be used if desired. Sometimes a few yellow stamens are fastened in with the wire or a few French knots in yellow added at the center after the blossom is made, but neither is needed and add but little to the beauty of this little blossom. Shape the petals up around the center.

The foliage for this flower can be bought, or made according to directions given elsewhere. A spray of almost any foliage will do. A small rosebud, a morning-glory or an orchid added to a bouquet of violets will make it doubly charming.

Daisies—

Daisies may be made from one-quarter inch ribbon, using as many petals as desired. Cut the ribbon into two and one-half-inch lengths. Tie a knot in the center. Sew the ends to a small, round piece of buckram. If two rows of petals are used, the second row may be made one-quarter of an inch shorter. The center may be covered with ready-made daisy centers or a few French knots. The stem of wire is tacked to the buckram on the back and may be wound with green floss.

Geraniums—

These flowers are made of geranium-colored satin ribbon. Use the same method as in making violets, except that yellow stamens should always be added.

Fruit

Apples—

The material required for making apples is cut into a circle of any size desired and from any material. The edge should be turned in one-sixteenth of an inch and gathered all around. Place this over a piece of cotton batting, over which a piece of wire has been twisted, leaving ends long enough for a stem. Add a sufficient amount of cotton to fill the material out well. Draw the thread tight and sew. A stitch may be caught through the center and pulled down, or a little tuft of brown embroidery thread sewed to the center to give a more realistic look. The apple may be tinted with water-color if desired. In that case the entire apple should be moistened first and then the color applied and allowed to dry.

Cherries—

These are made from a smaller circle of material than the apple—satin or velvet would make a charming cluster. The method used is the same as for the apple, except that there would be no stitch in the center. They should also be filled until they are hard. Use tie wire for the stems.

Plums—

These may be made from a piece of plum-colored material on a true bias, two and one-quarter inches long and one and one-quarter inches wide. Sew the ends together on the wrong side. Turn, gather one end one-eighth of an inch from the edge. Pull the thread up tight and sew. This makes the “blow” end. Turn the lower edge in one-eighth of an inch and gather. Fill with cotton to which a piece of tie wire has been attached and pull close to wire and sew. Add as much cotton as necessary to procure the right shape before finishing.

Raisins—

These may be made from gathering a folded circle of plum-colored material one-eighth of an inch from the edge, but used without filling with cotton. Sew to the end of looped tie wire and wind the wire with brown gum tissue. Arrange in a cluster. Always warm the tissue before using so that it will adhere.

Grapes—

These are made the same as cherries, except a cluster would have several sizes. They are beautiful made from black velvet. A cluster of grapes to sew flat to hat may be made by covering different sizes of button molds and arranging them on a hat to look like a cluster.

Mourning Millinery

Hats worn when one is in mourning are nearly always small and made of black crêpe with a few folds of white crêpe near the face. The covering of crêpe is always lined, preferably with sheet wadding to give the soft appearance desired. The trimming is of milliner's folds or flat flowers made of the crêpe.98-1 The mourning veils used may have a simple wide hem sewed down by hand or an applied hem. The applied hem is much the handsomer finish.

Applied hem on a veil—

For a hem three inches wide, cut a strip six inches in width and long enough to reach around the edge of the veil plus three inches for each corner. It takes that much extra length to mitre a corner of a rectangular veil.

Fold this strip lengthwise in the middle and baste with fine running stitches one inch from the fold to hold the fold flat. Measure this strip at the edge of the veil to locate the place where the fold must be mitred at the corners. Cut a V-shaped piece from this fold to within one-quarter of an inch of the fold. Cut through both thicknesses. Sew these raw edges together in a seam one-quarter of an inch deep and the result will be a mitred corner. Each corner should be carefully planned and mitred before sewing to the veil. Next turn both raw edges down toward the inside one-quarter of an inch and baste separately. Slip the edge of the veil between, pin carefully in place, baste and slipstitch the edges to the veil. Both edges may be stitched at the same time. If this work is carefully done, the result more than repays the time spent upon it.

The veil is a very important part of the hat and may be adjusted in any becoming way. It may form part of the covering of the hat, and is then arranged in becoming folds toward the back and allowed to fall to any desired length. It makes a becoming background for the face. Mourning millinery is not used as much as formerly, but those who desire to adhere to the custom will find the style little changed.