Brim And Crown Made From Small Pieces Of Silk And Braid
A very soft-looking braid hat may be made by sewing braid over a wire
foundation which has been made for the purpose. The braid may be pinned
on the brim of wire and sewed, being careful not to attach the braid to
the frame; slip the needle over the wire and finish sewing the braid
while it is still pinned to the brim, then remove, press slightly, and
sew a facing of braid to the under side of the brim if desired. Some
kinds of braid may be dampened before pressing, but it is safer to
experiment first with a small piece, for some braid is ruined by
pressing.
A soft crown of braid should be fitted over a wire crown and sewed in
the same way. After removing it from the wire frame, it can be slightly
pressed by holding it over a thick cloth held in the hand and pressing a
warm iron to the outside. A soft hat of braid can more easily be made by
first making a frame of crinoline and sewing the braid to it. Horsehair
braid crowns are beautiful when shaped over a wire foundation. They may
be pressed slightly (after being removed from the wire crown over which
they have been shaped) when they will be found to keep their shape. The
brim would need a wire foundation to hold it out in shape and the braid
should be caught down to the wire as it is being sewed. A small lace
wire should be used for this foundation, four spokes together with the
headsize wire and edge wire being sufficient. The wire should be wound
with maline or have a facing of maline. Horsehair braid is transparent.
There are many fanciful ways of using braid on a hat, but these can be
readily copied if the foregoing methods have been mastered. Be very
careful about pressing braids or adding moisture as it ruins some
braids, while others must be moistened before they can be handled in
sewing to a hat frame.