Whatever you do, wear a hat!

February 2013

There's so much preparation and organisation involved to put on something or make an event happen. I was recently involved in a local dance school show both as a performer, a mother to a performer (!) and in the practical preparations. It was a lot of hard work but also a great deal of fun!

I'm a real list kind of a person and I even have lists of lists for all the different things I'm involved in professionally and in my home and family life. I don't necessarily tick them off, it's my way of relieving my sometimes overloaded brain and therefore preventing waking up at daft o'clock to think about what I have ahead of me!!

We're gearing up this week for the 'Meet the Block Maker' event this weekend at Atelier Millinery in London and the list of things we need to take have been written. Although there's effort and work involved we know it will also be a lot of fun, especially meeting some of you who we have only spoken to over the phone or had email communication from.

In today's newsletter you can read about competitions and a fabulous millinery holiday. There's a look at the courses coming up to the right of this page and we put the spotlight on milliner Linda Crawford of Secret Beauty Hats, in the USA.

Meet the Block Maker

this weekend in London!

Well, all the tickets have been taken for Friday night's event at Atelier Millinery in London! If you are coming please don't forget your booking receipts and to wear a hat to make sure you are entered into the prize draw.

If you weren't able to get a ticket for Friday evening then do pop into the shop on Saturday as we'll be there until around 5pm. We will have some new blocks there and also be on hand to chat your ideas through and answer any questions you may have.

On Friday night there will be an opportunity to see a sneak preview of our new website which will be going live in the coming days, so if you can't make it to Atelier Millinery be sure to check back to the website. We'll send an email out on the official day!

Our Multiblocks

Block Bundles - even more available

Men's Blocks

Fascinator & Saucer Blocks

Holiday with HATalk

Millinery Workshop in the South of France

HATalk e-magazine has teamed up with London milliner Jane Fryers to bring you a millinery experience that is sure to be out of this world. Our brand new Upcycling Hat-Making Workshop is a week long residential hat making holiday that will run from May 11-18, 2013 and will take place at the beautiful Chateau Dumas in the South of France, where students will learn in the inspirational surroundings of the Chateau's 22 acre private estate and enjoy fully catered meals and beautiful accommodation.

The aim of the week is to teach students how to transform non-traditional materials into beautiful and unique headpieces. Jane's innovative and even playful approach to hat making will encourage you to think outside the box and allow you to indulge your creative instincts to the full. No material is off limits for this workshop - Jane's previous creations include a hat made from 35mm film, an old swimming hat and a Christmas place mat! She is an inspiring teacher, eager to inspire budding hat-makers and experienced milliners to discover the excitement of recycling.

Chateau film hat You can delve into the furthest reaches of your wardrobe or attic in preparation for this week, as you will be encouraged to bring your own objects to recycle. These could include a discarded laundry casualty, a vintage treasure or an item of sentimental value. It's an open-ended brief.

Drawing on her extensive millinery skills and experience, Jane and her assistant Victoria Smith will provide insight and support throughout the design and making process, helping you to turn your ideas into reality. Incorporating recycled materials with more conventional millinery materials, students will make use of the Chateau's fully-equipped studio to hand block and construct completely unique headpieces.

Chateau Dumas The week is perfect for those with a non-conformist approach to hat-making and is open to those with or without millinery experience, although basic sewing skills will be required. Prices start at 1600 Euros for the week, inclusive of all tuition, accommodation and meals. The holiday also includes a visit to the farmer's market in St Antonin-Noble-Val and a tour of a local hat factory. Flights are not included.

Spaces are limited, so visit www.chateaudumas.net to find out more and book your place today!

Project Runway: Milliner Style

Lexington, Kentucky, USA

Fashion at the Races is preparing for a VERY big 2013, don't miss out on this great opportunity for promotion and advertisement right before the Kentucky Derby season! Fashion at the Races LLC is looking for fantastic Milliners who want to expand their reach and also help bring a greater awareness to their magnificent industry.

They are putting together a special competition to showcase the wonderful talents of 6 fabulous milliners.

The project will take place in Lexington, Kentucky, USA from 8-10 March.

Each milliner will be given a certain amount of time and materials to design their piece, and it will then be put on a model to walk the runway in front of a panel of judges. project runway The winner will be featured on the Fashion at the Races website leading in to the famous Kentucky Derby. The winning piece will also be the feature of the 'Fast Horses and Fabulous Fashion' 2014 Calendar on the front page. This competition will be made into a 5 episode show that will air on the Fashion at the Races YouTube channel. As a result all milliners involved will be diligently promoted over a monthly period through all social media as well as the Fashion at the Races website.

Please contact Briana at [email protected] if you'd like to get involved.

Fashion at the Races

Learn with Linda Crawford

at Secret Beauty Hats

Linda Crawford is the millinery designer and straw sculptress for Secret Beauty Hats. Her hats are handmade in the USA and she designs each hat using fine quality materials from around the world. Her specialty is sculpting and blocking straw and her favorite medium sinamay.

With Linda you can learn to make your very own fabulous hat. On offer are hat making workshops for groups and individuals with a serious desire to learn. Beginners and advance hat makers are welcome.

Secret Beauty Hats Linda says: "My hat making inspiration is fueled from my childhood. Every Sunday there was always an atmosphere filled with an exquisite lady like elegance and a sophisticated presence that the church ladies displayed in my neighborhood and church. They wore their gloves, big fancy hats with dancing plumes and luxurious silk flowers gracefully adorned every chapeaux. Oh! I could only dream of that day when I could wear a glamorous crown to church. When that time came I started rearranging and remaking old hats into what I remembered as an child, FABULOUSNESS!!"

Workshops take place in Miamisburg, Ohio. For more details contact Linda on (312) 857-4287 or visit the link below.

Secret Beauty Hats

HATalk Competition Launch Date

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who participated in the pre-competition "theme suggestion BLOG" on HATalk Social. With so many incredible suggestions we are still in the process of deciding on which theme to go with.

The competition will be officially launched on February 13th which will include the chosen theme, submission instructions, prizes and much more! We would also like to congratulate Martine Lemmens for winning a free annual HATalk subscription in the prize draw done for those who made theme suggestions. Thanks again to all of you who suggested themes and we look forward to launching the hat competition on February 13th!

___________________________________________________

Have you noticed how wearing a hat also rubs off on your friends and family. I'm regularly asked for hats to borrow by 'first-timers' who then go on to buy their very own, having been completely won over by them and more confident to walk out with their heads held high! So, put your hat on and be a walking advert.

Whether you're planning an event, designing a winning competition entry, learning a new millinery technique or just wanting to see more hats on heads then keep us up to date so we can share it with the world and champion this wonderful art form.

Catherine & all at How2hats

In This Issue

Meet the Block Maker

HATalk Holiday

Project Runway competition

Secret Beauty Hats Course

Competition update

Quick Links

How2hats

Guy Morse-Brown Hat Blocks

HATalk

Hat Courses

HATalk Social

COURSES AT A GLANCE

FEBRUARY

1-2 Feb

SCULPTURING SINAMAY STRAW, Linda Crawford, Secret Beauty Hats, Miamisburg OH, USA

2 & 3 Feb

FELT HATS, Sally-Ann Provan, Edinburgh, UK

2-3 Feb

WORKING WITH SINAMAY & STRAW, Lina Stein, Rosmoney, Westport, IRELAND

2 - 3 Feb

FABRIC COVERED PILLBOX, BUTTON OR TOQUE, Jane Stoddart, Sydney NSW, AUSTRALIA

3 Feb

SINAMAY FASCINATORS, The Feathered Milliner, Dublin, IRELAND

4 Feb

CARVE YOUR OWN BLOCK, Jenny Pfanenstiel, Skipping Rock Farm, Granville OH, USA

4 Feb - 25 Mar

MILLINERY ESSENTIALS (8 Sessions), Sydney Community College, NSW, AUSTRALIA

5 Feb

BLOCKING ON YOUR CARVED BLOCK, Jenny Pfanenstiel, Skipping Rock Farm, Granville OH, USA

6 Feb

BASIC VELOUR BLOCKING, Holly Slayton, Artikal, New York, USA

6 Feb

BLOCKING ON YOUR CARVED BLOCK, Jenny Pfanenstiel, Skipping Rock Farm, Granville OH, USA

7 Feb

MAKING A COCKTAIL HAT, Jenny Pfanenstiel, Skipping Rock Farm, Granville OH, USA

7 - 9 Feb

INTRODUCTION TO HAT MAKING, The Feathered Milliner, Dublin, IRELAND

8 Feb

MANIPULATING WOOL, Jenny Pfanenstiel, Skipping Rock Farm, Granville OH, USA

8-9 Feb

SCULPTURING SINAMAY STRAW, Linda Crawford, Secret Beauty Hats, Miamisburg OH, USA

9 Feb

MILLINERY WORKSHOP, Louise Pocock, Inkberrow Design Center, Redditch, UK

8 Feb

MAKING FEATHER FLOWERS, Jenny Pfanenstiel, Skipping Rock Farm, Granville OH, USA

9 Feb

MILLINERY WORKSHOP, Louise Pocock, Inkberrow Design Center, Redditch, UK

9 Feb

MAKING A HAT FROM JINSIN, Jenny Pfanenstiel, Skipping Rock Farm, Granville OH, USA

9 Feb

BLOCKING PARTY, Jenny Pfanenstiel, Skipping Rock Farm, Granville OH, USA

13 Feb

FREEFORM VELOUR HAT, Holly Slayton, Artikal, New York, USA

13-14 Feb

BLOCKING A STRAW HAT FOR DERBY / OAKS, Jenny Pfanenstiel, Louisville KY, USA

15-16 Feb

ECLIPSE & SAUCER HATS, Lina Stein, Rosmoney, Westport, IRELAND

15-16 Feb

SCULPTURING SINAMAY STRAW, Linda Crawford, Secret Beauty Hats, Miamisburg OH, USA

16 Feb

FASCINATORS & FEATHERED HEADPIECES, Sally-Ann Provan, Edinburgh, UK

16 Feb

DIOR SILK ROSES, The Feathered Milliner, Dublin, IRELAND

16 Feb

SILK FLOWER MAKING, Shelagh Picton, St Helens, UK

16 & 17 Feb

VINTAGE TRIMS, PLEATED RIBBON & FANCY FEATHERS, Jane Stoddart, Sydney NSW, AUSTRALIA

17 Feb

BUTTON HATS... AN INTRODUCTION TO BLOCKING, Lina Stein, Rosmoney, Westport, IRELAND

17 Feb

FASCINATOR IN A DAY, Shelagh Picton, St Helens, UK

17 Feb

FUNKY FASCINATORS, The Feathered Milliner, Dublin, IRELAND

20 Feb

SINAMAY SPRAYING & DYEING, The Feathered Milliner, Dublin, IRELAND

20-23 Feb

A SPRING MILLINERY MARATHON, Lina Stein, Rosmoney, Westport, IRELAND

22-23 Feb

SCULPTURING SINAMAY STRAW, Linda Crawford, Secret Beauty Hats, Miamisburg OH, USA

23 Feb

BIRDCAGE VEILING WORKSHOP, Atelier Millinery, Kingly Court, London, UK

23 Feb

BRIDAL FASCINATORS, The Feathered Milliner, Dublin, IRELAND

23 & 24 Feb

FEATHER DYING & MANIPULATION WORKSHOP, Louise Pocock, Inkberrow Design Center, Redditch, UK

23 & 24 Feb

BLOCKED LEATHER & FISH SKINS, Jane Stoddart, Sydney NSW, AUSTRALIA

24 Feb

FASCINATOR RECIPE WORKSHOP, Atelier Millinery, London, UK

MARCH

1 - 5 Mar

BLOCKING WITH STRAW, FREEFORM BLOCKING & FABRIC COVERED HATS, Jeanne Bjorn, Tucson AZ, USA

2 Mar

MILLINERY WORKSHOP, Louise Pocock, Inkberrow Design Center, Redditch, UK

2 Mar

FASCINATOR IN A DAY, Shelagh Picton, St Helens, UK

2 Mar

BLOCKING NET BASICS, The Feathered Milliner, Dublin, IRELAND

3 Mar

SINAMAY FASCINATORS, The Feathered Milliner, Dublin, IRELAND

3 Mar

WIRE FASCINATORS, The Feathered Milliner, Dublin, IRELAND

6, 13, 20, 27 Mar, 3, 10 Apr

BEGINNER FASCINATORS, The Feathered Milliner, Dublin, IRELAND

7 Mar

FEATHER CUT, CURL & CREATE, Atelier Millinery, London, UK

9 Mar

MILLINERY ONE DAY WORKSHOP, Katherine Elizabeth, Brookfield Adult Learning Centre, Ubbridge, UK

9 Mar

SILK FLOWER MAKING, Shelagh Picton, St Helens, UK

9 & 10 Mar

FABRIC HATS, The Feathered Milliner, Dublin, IRELAND

11-14 Mar

SPRING MILLINERY COURSE, Judy Bentinck, Cockpit Arts, London, UK

15 - 16 Mar

HATS INSPIRED BY DOWNTON ABBEY, Laura Whitlock, JudithM, La Grange IN, USA

16 Mar

TIARAS & BEADED HEADPIECES, Sally-Ann Provan, Edinburgh, UK

16 Mar

FASCINATOR RECIPE WORKSHOP, Atelier Millinery, London, UK

17 Mar

BIRDCAGE VEILING WORKSHOP, Atelier Millinery, London, UK

18 Mar - 20 May

STRAW HATS (weekly), Ani Townsend, Bristol, UK

23 Mar

FELT CLOCHE HAT IN A DAY, Atelier Millinery, London, UK

23 Mar

DYEING MASTERCLASS, The Feathered Milliner, Dublin, IRELAND

24 Mar

FUNKY FASCINATOR, The Feathered Milliner, Dublin, IRELAND

Please get in touch with Catherine at [email protected] if you'd like to see your courses listed. It's completely free!