Straw Hat #s 3 and 4
Oval Start
The Human straw hat disassembly/Hitty-hat millinery project continues. I had a couple of girls interested in Straw Boaters, so I started with an oval crown…
Twisting straw
I am reluctant to cut the braid, because the hats are already small and fiddly and messing with a lot of small cut ends is tricky. So the shaping of these little straw hats is accomplished by a few methods that don’t involve cutting. In some places I have gathered one edge of the braid to create a curve, and in other places I have made a particular shape by slipping the working end of braid under the sewn part of the hat. Both those methods were described in the Straw Hat #2 blog yesterday.
Here is another way – twisting and folding the straw braid to get the braid into position, or change direction. Here the braid is twisted twice to get the braid from the vertical hat sides down to horizontal in order to make a flat brim.
Finishing off
Finishing off the Straw Boater…
A Couple of Boaters
I used couple of ribbons to accent the boaters. Notice that Agathe’s hat (black ribbon) was sewn using polyester thread closer in colour to the paper hatstraw, so the stitching is less visible than on Opal’s hat (red ribbon).
hmmm
…Gráinne thinks the Straw Boaters are cute and would be just fine worn on landlubbery boats like rowing sculls or gondolas. She can’t imagine straw hats being of any use on a real sailing ship after the first puff of wind at sea!
Quimper Hittys 
Oh my goodness! The boaters are enchanting! Once again, you have created a world of delight! 🙂
The block twins like the boaters, and, I am glad you do too! I had fun making them.
Quimper Hitty, Thank you for your very kind comment. The link below shows how I made a bonnet mold out of polymer clay. PNB Doll Co. has lots of molds but not tiny ones. They carry lots of Swiss braid, but I don’t know if it’s man made or a natural straw. The brown that came with my hat mold was very flexible and easier to work with, but I’m sure it was a fabric type of material. Very pretty. The Italian straw I use is stiff, so I soak it in water and keep it in a damp cloth while I’m using it. I will say it’s hard to work with when trying to do a tiny beginning circle. Might be hard to make tiny Hitty hat’s with. I will spend some time looking at your blog, I don’t have a Hitty but she’s on my bucket list! I loved the book and watch them sell on E-bay, regularly! I have a few wooden Swiss dolls, and a couple of Eric Horne peg dollies…I love the woodens.
http://littlecabincreations.blogspot.com/2013/05/mrs-bufkins-all-dressed-up-ozark-style.html Sherri
I’ve really enjoyed perusing your blog in the last few days. It isn’t all that easy to sew for Hitty, as she is smaller than many dolls, but I do enjoy figuring out patterns and adaptions! I love the woodens too (and the Quimper Hitty wooden clan is glad of that!)
How very dear!
Oh, thank you! Hitty hat-making is keeping me amused in this January grey spell!
thank you for the tips and hints and photos and the inspiration!! Love those boaters but I can see that Grainne would not be able to use one.
You are very welcome – I wonder what kind of hat Gráinne would like?
Wow, you are on a roll! Really loving the hats so very much – you are so creative. Now if only I could get back on track and start being creative instead of spending!
You know, I think it might be fun to make a straw hat for Sasha…hmmmm…
Definitely! Please do and I would love to see the result.
Great tutorial, these hats are certainly cute.
Celia C
Thanks very much, the Hittys are always appreciative of my every offering, but I do especially like these boaters!